Command Terms in Essay Questions

Essays are common assessments, especially in languages and the humanities. As students approach the diploma programme, using command terms to frame essays is very important.

For paper 2 and 3 essay questions within DP History, for example, having an awareness of the demands of the question is essential to reaching academic potential. Including command terms in essay questions is a practical way of showing students the importance of the words. Below are some examples of the use of command terms in essay prompts.

• To what extent was the industrial revolution truly revolutionary?

• Investigate the short and long-term effects of the Opium Wars on China.

• The self-strengthening movement in the late Qing Dynasty was doomed from the beginning. Discuss.

Familiarise Students with the principle of planning an essay before answering it within the different requirements of command terms.

Often the command term is connected to the depth of writing required and the number of marks available.

A common error is spending too much time on a question with less depth required, and marks available, leaving insufficient time to answer, in sufficient depth, another question.