Key words and terms crop up in three ways in exam questions: through the command stem (e.g. ‘Assess the reasons…’); through themes (e.g. ‘The development of government…’); through the topic being focused on (e.g. ‘The Weimar Republic…’).
Different awarding bodies use different types of command stem in the questions they set (although many are similar in meaning and what they demand). You need to learn what these terms mean, how to link your understanding to other parts of the question and then develop an appropriate plan that combines understanding and application. Table 1 explains the meaning of some of the most common command stems.
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