GCSE考纲 Command Words Describe Explain Evaluate
在GCSE所有科目的试卷上，题目从来不是简单地问你「知不知道」，而是用特定的动词告诉你「要写什么」和「写多深」。这些动词就是考纲中的 Command Words。学生最常见的失分原因并不是知识缺失，而是答非所问：题目要求 Explain，却只写了 Describe 能得分的内容；题目要求 Evaluate，却只堆了一串事实。这篇文章把 Describe、Explain、Evaluate 这三个最高频的 Command Words 拆开讲清楚，并给出可以直接套用的答题模板和自检清单。
In every GCSE paper, a question never simply asks whether you know something. The instruction verb tells you exactly what to write and how deep to go. Those verbs are the Command Words printed in the specification. The most common reason students lose marks is not missing knowledge, it is answering a different question: describing when the paper asks you to explain, or listing facts when the paper asks you to evaluate. This guide unpacks Describe, Explain and Evaluate, then gives you answer templates and a self-check routine you can use in the exam hall.
1 Command Words 的评分逻辑 / How Mark Schemes Reward Each Command Word
GCSE的mark scheme不是按「字数」给分，而是按「评分点」给分。每个Command Word对应一种特定的评分点类型：Describe 对应特征点（feature），Explain 对应因果链（cause and effect），Evaluate 对应判断句（judgement）加证据加权。考官在批改时只看两件事：你有没有写到他预设的评分点，以及你的答案结构是否符合题目动词的要求。因此，同一个知识点，在 Describe 题里写两句话就能拿满分，在 Explain 题里却需要三到四个环节的因果推导，而在 Evaluate 题里必须给出一个明确的结论。理解这一点，比背更多笔记更能提高分数。
A GCSE mark scheme does not reward length, it rewards credited points. Each command word maps onto a particular type of credited point: Describe expects features, Explain expects a causal chain, and Evaluate expects a judgement supported by weighed evidence. Examiners look for two things only: whether you hit the credited points they have listed, and whether the structure of your answer matches the verb in the question. The same piece of knowledge therefore needs two sentences in a Describe question, three or four linked steps in an Explain question, and an explicit conclusion in an Evaluate question. Understanding this raises marks faster than writing more notes.
三个动词对应的答题骨架可以记成三句话：Describe 回答「是什么」，Explain 回答「为什么」，Evaluate 回答「所以呢」。把这三句话写在草稿纸上，答题时先判断题目属于哪一类，再决定句子结构，可以避免九成以上的结构性失分。
A useful shorthand is three questions: Describe answers what, Explain answers why, and Evaluate answers so what. Writing those three prompts on your rough paper, then deciding which one the question belongs to before you start writing, removes most structural mark losses.
2 Describe 只写特征，不写原因 / Describe: Features Only, No Causes
Describe 要求你准确陈述某事物的特征、步骤、结构或趋势。它的评分点是「可观察的事实」，而不是「为什么」。例如化学题要求 Describe how to carry out a titration，你只需要按顺序写清楚仪器、试剂、操作步骤和终点判断；一旦你开始解释为什么用指示剂、为什么紫色会消失，多写的部分既不加分，还占用了后面题目的时间。生物题要求 Describe the trend in the graph，标准写法是引用数据并说出趋势方向，例如「从1980到2000年，种群数量由200上升至900，之后保持平稳」，而不是解释竞争或捕食关系。
Describe questions ask you to state features, stages, structures or trends accurately. The credited points are observable facts, not reasons. If a chemistry question asks you to describe how to carry out a titration, write the apparatus, the reagents, the order of operations and how you judge the end point. Explaining why an indicator is used is wasted ink and wasted exam time. If a biology question asks you to describe the trend in a graph, quote the data and state the direction, for example the population rose from 200 to 900 between 1980 and 2000 and then levelled off. Do not drift into competition or predation.
Describe 的高分技巧有三个。第一，用数据说话：凡是图表题，都写出具体数值和单位。第二，用顺序词：first、then、next、finally 让步骤清晰可数。第三，控制句数：两到三个完整的句子通常就覆盖了全部评分点，剩下的时间留给后面的 Explain 和 Evaluate。
Three habits lift Describe answers. Quote numbers with units whenever a graph or table is given. Use sequence words such as first, then, next and finally so that each step is countable. Keep it short: two or three complete sentences usually cover every credited point, leaving time for the harder Explain and Evaluate questions later in the paper.
3 Explain 必须写出因果链 / Explain: Build the Causal Chain
Explain 的评分点是「原因与结果之间的连接」。它和 Describe 的差别不是内容多少，而是必须出现逻辑连接。最实用的句型是「因为...所以...因此...」：先给原因，再给机制，最后给结果。以物理为例，题目问 Explain why the resistance of a filament lamp increases as the current increases，标准答案是：电流增大导致灯丝温度升高（原因），金属晶格中离子振动幅度增大、自由电子碰撞更频繁（机制），因此电阻上升（结果）。这三个环节缺一，就少一个评分点。
Explain questions earn marks for links between cause and effect. The difference from Describe is not length, it is the presence of reasoning. The most reliable sentence pattern is because, so, therefore: state the cause, describe the mechanism, then state the outcome. In physics, when asked to explain why the resistance of a filament lamp increases as current increases, write that a larger current raises the temperature of the filament, that the ions in the lattice vibrate more and electrons collide with them more often, and that resistance therefore rises. Missing any link loses a credited point.
化学和经济学科的 Explain 题同样遵循这条链。化学问 Explain why the rate of reaction increases with temperature，答案是粒子平均动能增加、超过活化能的碰撞比例上升、单位时间内有效碰撞次数增多，所以速率加快。经济问 Explain why an increase in interest rates may reduce inflation，答案是借贷成本上升、消费与投资支出下降、总需求减少、物价压力缓解。把「原因、机制、结果」写成三个短句，比写一大段散文更容易拿到满分。
The same chain works across subjects. In chemistry, explaining why rate increases with temperature means average kinetic energy rises, a larger fraction of collisions exceeds the activation energy, and successful collisions per second increase. In economics, explaining why higher interest rates may reduce inflation means borrowing costs rise, consumption and investment fall, aggregate demand falls, and price pressure eases. Writing cause, mechanism and result as three short sentences scores more reliably than one long paragraph.
4 Evaluate 要有权衡与明确结论 / Evaluate: Weigh Evidence, Then Conclude
Evaluate 是最高阶的Command Word，也是失分最集中的地方。它要求你在 Explain 的基础上再走两步：第一，说明证据或方案的强度、局限或适用条件；第二，给出一个明确的判断。只罗列优点和缺点而不下结论，通常会被扣掉结论分。标准结构是四段式：支持因素、反对因素、证据可靠性评估、结论。结论句常用的开头包括 Overall, the evidence suggests that、On balance, it is more likely that、The most important factor is。
Evaluate is the highest-order command word and the one where marks are most often lost. It asks you to go two steps beyond Explain: first judge the strength, limitation or condition of the evidence or method, then state a clear conclusion. Listing advantages and disadvantages without a judgement usually forfeits the conclusion mark. Use a four-part structure: points for, points against, assessment of how reliable the evidence is, and a conclusion. Useful conclusion openers include overall the evidence suggests that, on balance it is more likely that, and the most important factor is.
以生物的实验设计题为例，Evaluate whether the results support the hypothesis。支持点是有对照组、样本量足够；反对点是只做了一次重复、温度未受控；可靠性评估是缺少重复使结果难以排除偶然误差；结论是在重复实验并控制温度后结果才具说服力。以地理的防洪工程题为例，硬工程见效快但成本高、影响下游，软工程成本低但见效慢，结论应指出在人口密集的河口城市硬工程更有效，而在湿地保护区软工程更合适。判断必须有条件，不能写「两者都好」。
In biology, evaluating whether results support a hypothesis means noting that a control group exists and the sample was large, then noting that the experiment was not repeated and temperature was uncontrolled, then arguing that without repeats random error cannot be ruled out, and concluding that the results only become convincing after repeats and a controlled temperature. In geography, evaluating flood defences means noting that hard engineering acts quickly but is expensive and shifts the problem downstream, that soft engineering is cheaper but slower, and concluding that hard engineering suits a dense estuarine city while soft engineering suits a wetland reserve. A judgement must be conditional, never both are equally good.
5 三词对比速记 / A Quick Comparison of the Three Command Words
把三个动词压缩成一张速记卡片：Describe 的关键词是 features、data、sequence，答题结构是平铺，评分点数量通常是二到三个；Explain 的关键词是 because、so、therefore，答题结构是链条，评分点通常是三到四个；Evaluate 的关键词是 however、on balance、it depends，答题结构是权衡加结论，评分点通常是四到六个，其中结论单独占分。考场上先判断动词，再选结构，最后填内容。
Compress the three verbs into one revision card. Describe uses features, data and sequence, has a flat structure and usually two or three credited points. Explain uses because, so and therefore, has a chain structure and usually three or four credited points. Evaluate uses however, on balance and it depends, has a weighing structure with an explicit conclusion, and usually carries four to six credited points with the conclusion marked separately. In the exam, identify the verb, choose the structure, then fill in content.
一句话记忆口诀 / One-Line Memory Rule
Describe 写事实，Explain 写因果，Evaluate 写判断加条件。
Describe states facts, Explain builds causes, Evaluate makes a conditional judgement.
6 常见失分方式与纠正 / Common Mark-Losing Habits and Fixes
第一种失分是把 Evaluate 写成了 Describe 的加长版：优点缺点各三条，最后没有结论，直接丢掉结论分。纠正方法是强迫自己写出以 The evidence suggests that 开头的一句话。第二种失分是 Explain 题里只有结论没有机制，例如只写「温度升高所以反应更快」，缺少活化能与碰撞的中间环节；纠正方法是自问「中间发生了什么」。第三种失分是 Describe 题里堆砌原因，浪费了时间还可能与评分点无关。第四种失分是忽略题目中的限定词，例如 Explain one reason，写了两条理由并不会多给分，但可能让第一条被批改人误读。第五种失分是写下 Evaluate the method 却只评结果不评方法，方法局限（样本量、重复次数、变量控制、测量误差）必须单独成句。
The first common error is turning Evaluate into an extended Describe: three advantages, three disadvantages, no conclusion, and the conclusion mark is gone. Force yourself to write one sentence beginning with the evidence suggests that. The second is an Explain answer that states the outcome without the mechanism, for example saying the reaction is faster because the temperature is higher, with no activation energy or collision step. Ask yourself what happens in between. The third is padding a Describe answer with causes that score nothing and eat time. The fourth is ignoring quantifiers such as explain one reason, where a second reason earns nothing but can obscure the first. The fifth is evaluating results when the question says evaluate the method, where limitations such as sample size, repeats, variable control and measurement error each need their own sentence.
7 分学科实例速查 / Subject-by-Subject Examples
物理：Describe the motion 写「匀速后减速，速度由8m/s降至0」；Explain the braking 写「摩擦力做负功，动能转化为内能，因此速度下降」。化学：Describe the products 写「生成氢气和氯化锌」；Explain the reactivity 写「镁比锌更易失电子，因此反应更剧烈」。生物：Describe the exchange surface 写「肺泡壁薄、表面积大、毛细血管密集」；Explain the diffusion rate 写「浓度梯度大、扩散距离短，因此扩散更快」。
In physics, describing motion means writing that the object moved at constant speed then decelerated from 8 m/s to zero, while explaining braking means friction does negative work, kinetic energy becomes internal energy, so speed falls. In chemistry, describing products means hydrogen and zinc chloride are formed, while explaining reactivity means magnesium loses electrons more readily than zinc, so the reaction is more vigorous. In biology, describing an exchange surface means the alveolar wall is thin, the surface area is large and capillaries are dense, while explaining diffusion rate means the concentration gradient is steep and the diffusion distance is short.
经济：Evaluate the policy 写「降息短期刺激投资，但可能推高资产价格，在通胀已高时不宜使用」。地理：Evaluate the management strategy 写「软工程在湿地恢复上更可持续，但难以抵御极端洪水」。历史：Evaluate the significance 写「该改革短期稳定财政，长期未解决结构性问题，因此重要性有限」。商科：Evaluate the decision 写「扩张提升市场份额，但现金流压力上升，需视融资成本而定」。把这些句式背下来，考场只需替换知识点。
In economics, evaluating a policy means a rate cut stimulates investment in the short run but may inflate asset prices, so it is unsuitable when inflation is already high. In geography, evaluating a management strategy means soft engineering is more sustainable for wetland restoration but cannot resist extreme floods. In history, evaluating significance means a reform stabilised finances briefly but left structural problems unsolved, so its importance is limited. In business, evaluating a decision means expansion raises market share but increases cash-flow pressure, depending on financing costs. Learn the frames, then swap in the content.
8 训练步骤与考场时间分配 / Practice Routine and Exam Timing
训练分三步。第一步，收集近五年真题，只圈出每道题的Command Word，不做题，建立动词直觉，每天十分钟即可。第二步，对同一素材分别写 Describe、Explain、Evaluate 三种答案，比较长度和结构的差异。第三步，用评分标准自评，重点检查是否写了结论、是否写了机制、是否引用了数据。三周之后，读题的第一步就会自动变成识别动词。
Practice in three steps. First, collect five years of past papers and circle only the command word in each question without answering, ten minutes a day, until recognising verbs becomes automatic. Second, take one piece of content and write a Describe, an Explain and an Evaluate answer from it, then compare the length and structure. Third, mark your own work against the mark scheme, checking specifically for a conclusion, a mechanism and quoted data. After three weeks, reading a question automatically starts with identifying the verb.
考场时间分配遵循「动词越难，时间越多」的原则。一道两分的 Describe 大约两分钟，一道四分到六分的 Explain 大约五到六分钟，一道六分到九分的 Evaluate 需要八到十分钟并留出一分钟写结论句。写完最后检查三件事：题目动词是什么、有没有漏掉结论、数字和单位是否写全。这三个检查点平均能挽回两到四分，相当于一整个等级边界。
Timing follows the rule that harder verbs deserve more time. A two-mark Describe takes about two minutes, a four to six mark Explain takes five or six, and a six to nine mark Evaluate needs eight to ten minutes including roughly one minute for the conclusion. Before moving on, check three things: what verb the question used, whether a conclusion is present, and whether numbers and units are complete. Those three checks typically recover two to four marks, which is often an entire grade boundary.
把 Command Words 当作考试的说明书，而不是装饰。题目怎么问，你就怎么写：Describe 写事实，Explain 写因果，Evaluate 写判断加条件。当答题结构与题目动词完全对齐时，你掌握的知识才真正转化为分数。
Treat command words as the instruction manual of the exam rather than decoration. Answer in the shape the question asks for: describe with facts, explain with causal chains, evaluate with a conditional judgement. When your structure matches the verb, the knowledge you already have finally turns into marks.
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