Geography Exam Technique: Command Words and Extended Writing

Understanding how the AQA GCSE Geography 8035 examination is structured is the foundation of effective exam preparation.

Three assessment papers:

Paper	Title	Content	Marks	Duration
Paper 1	Living with the Physical Environment	Sections A (Natural hazards), B (Physical landscapes), C (Natural environments choice)	88 marks	1 hr 30 min
Paper 2	Challenges in the Human Environment	Sections A (Urban issues), B (Changing economic world), C (Resource management choice)	88 marks	1 hr 30 min
Paper 3	Geographical Applications	Section A (Issue evaluation), Section B (Fieldwork)	76 marks	1 hr 15 min

Four assessment objectives (AQA 8035 spec, section 4.2):

AO	Definition (verbatim from spec)	Weighting	Tested by
AO1	Demonstrate knowledge of locations, places, processes, environments and different scales	15%	"Name", "state", "give", "identify" questions; selecting and recalling factual content
AO2	Demonstrate geographical understanding of: concepts and how they are used in relation to places, environments and processes; the interrelationships between places, environments and processes	25%	"Describe", "outline", "explain how/why" questions requiring conceptual understanding
AO3	Apply knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues to make judgements (including 10% applied to fieldwork context)	35%	"Assess", "evaluate", "to what extent", "justify" questions; extended writing requiring judgement; Paper 3 issue evaluation
AO4	Select, adapt and use a variety of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and communicate findings (including 5% used to respond to fieldwork data)	25%	Map reading, graph interpretation, statistical skills; fieldwork questions in Paper 3

Choice structure: In Paper 1 Section C (Natural environments), students answer on one of: Coastal landscapes, River landscapes, or Glacial landscapes. In Paper 2 Section C (Resource management), students answer on the compulsory overview plus one of: Food, Water, or Energy. In the exam, you must stick to the topics you have studied — do not attempt questions on topics you haven't covered.

AQA Geography questions use precise command words that signal exactly what type of answer is expected. Recognising and responding to these correctly is the single most important exam technique.

Command word reference:

Command word	What it means	Response approach
State / Name / Give	Recall a single fact, term, or example	One or two words; no explanation needed
Describe	Say what something looks like or what happens; no reason required	Use data from the source (map, graph, photo); avoid saying "because"
Explain	Give reasons for something; state causes or processes	Use "because", "this causes", "which leads to"; link cause to effect
Suggest	Give a possible reason without certainty; hypothesis	Acknowledge you are inferring, not stating proven fact
Compare	Identify similarities and/or differences between two things	Write about both, explicitly linking them ("whereas", "by contrast")
Assess	Weigh up the relative importance of factors/views	Present different factors/views, then judge which matter most
Evaluate	Judge the success, value, or effectiveness of something; consider both sides	Present both positives and negatives, then reach a reasoned judgement
Justify	Give reasons for your choice/decision	Explain why your choice is the best option; address why alternatives are less suitable
To what extent	Assess how far a statement is true	Present evidence for and against; reach a supported conclusion

Key mistake: answering a "describe" question with explanations, or an "explain" question with only description. Read the command word before every question.

Shorter questions (1–4 marks) test AO1 (knowledge recall) and AO4 (skills application).

State/Name (1 mark):

• One fact, term, or example — nothing more
• Question: "State one cause of deforestation in tropical rainforests."
• Answer: "Commercial logging" (1 mark — no further explanation needed)

Describe (2–4 marks):

• What you can observe from a source (map, graph, photo) or what you know about a feature/process
• Use data from the source: quote specific figures from graphs or maps
• Question: "Describe the trend shown in the graph of global carbon dioxide concentration."
• Answer: "Global CO₂ concentration increased overall from 280 ppm in 1750 to 420 ppm in 2023 — a rise of 140 ppm. The increase was gradual until approximately 1950 and then became sharper/steeper. The concentration has not decreased at any point during this period." (Full marks: uses data, describes overall trend, identifies rate change)

Explain (3–6 marks):

• Give reasons — do not just describe
• Use "because", "this leads to", "which causes"
• Question: "Explain why tropical storms form over warm oceans."
• Answer: "Tropical storms form where sea surface temperatures exceed 27°C because warm water heats the air above it, causing the air to rise rapidly. As the air rises, it cools and water vapour condenses, releasing latent heat which further drives upward air movement. This creates low pressure at the surface, drawing in more warm, moist air and sustaining the storm." (Uses "because" and "which" to chain causes and effects)

Extended writing questions (6, 8, or 9 marks) test AO2 (understanding), AO3 (application and evaluation), and AO4 (skills) together. They require structured, well-evidenced arguments rather than lists.

Structure for a 9-mark "Assess" or "Evaluate" question:

1. Point: make a clear claim or argument
2. Evidence: support with a specific, located example or data
3. Explain: link the evidence to your point
4. Counter/limitation: acknowledge an opposing view or limitation
5. Conclusion/judgement: reach a supported judgement (for "assess", "evaluate", "to what extent" questions)

Example question: "Assess the effectiveness of hard engineering in managing coastal erosion." (9 marks)

Weak answer (describes, not evaluates; no data; no judgement): "Hard engineering is effective because it stops waves. Sea walls are built to protect the coast. Groynes also stop longshore drift. However, they can be expensive."

Strong answer (assesses with evidence and judgement): "Hard engineering measures can be very effective at protecting specific high-value sections of coast in the short to medium term. Sea walls at Mappleton (Holderness) prevented coastal erosion of the B1242 road and village properties when rock armour was installed in 1991 at a cost of £2 million; the site has been successfully protected for over 30 years. Groynes at Bournemouth trap beach material transported by longshore drift, maintaining a wide sandy beach that supports the town's £600 million annual tourist economy.

However, hard engineering has significant limitations. Protection of one section can accelerate erosion elsewhere — the Mappleton sea wall has disrupted sediment supply to the coastline south of the village, contributing to increased erosion rates of ~4 metres/year in areas further south. Hard structures also require constant maintenance (groynes have a lifespan of only 20–40 years) and are costly — the full Holderness managed retreat programme could ultimately be more cost-effective than attempting to hold the line everywhere.

On balance, hard engineering is effective at protecting individual high-value assets, but it creates problems elsewhere on the coastal system and is not a long-term solution for the entire Holderness coast."

Why this is better: specific named examples (Mappleton, Bournemouth), precise data (£2 million, 4 m/year erosion, 20–40 year lifespan), balanced assessment, final judgement.

Case studies and located examples are examined in all three papers. Using them correctly is essential for high marks.

The difference between a located example and a case study:

• A located example is a specific, named, real place used to illustrate one point (e.g. "Boscastle (Cornwall) flooded in 2004 due to extreme rainfall over saturated ground")
• A case study is a more detailed study of a specific place used to answer multiple questions (e.g. a full NEE case study of Nigeria covering all required bullets)

What makes a good case study response:

1. Name and locate it precisely: "Dharavi, an informal settlement in central Mumbai, Maharashtra, India" not just "a slum in an Indian city"
2. Use statistics: "approximately 600,000–1 million people live in 2.1 km²" not "a lot of people live in a small area"
3. Be specific about processes and outcomes: "Before the 2011 UNEP report, oil contamination in Ogoniland soils reached 5 metres depth" not "oil pollution was bad"
4. Link to the question: connect your case study evidence to the specific question asked — do not just narrate the case study without addressing the command word

Named examples to know for each topic:

Topic	Required named example	Key details
Tectonic hazard (HIC)	Japan 2011 earthquake/tsunami	Magnitude 9.1; 20,000 deaths; $210bn damage; nuclear disaster at Fukushima
Tectonic hazard (LIC/NEE)	Nepal 2015 earthquake	Magnitude 7.8; 9,000 deaths; 600,000 homes destroyed; $10bn damage
Tropical storm	Typhoon Haiyan (2013) or Hurricane Katrina (2005)	Haiyan: Philippines; 6,300 deaths; 13m displaced; Katrina: New Orleans; 1,800 deaths; $125bn
UK extreme weather	Somerset Floods (2013–14) or Beast from the East (2018)	Somerset: 65 km² flooded for 6 weeks; 600 homes flooded
UK coastal management	Mappleton (Holderness)	Rock armour and groynes, 1991; £2m cost; road and village protected
UK river flooding	Boscastle (2004)	Flash flood: 2 million litres/hour; over 100 cars swept away; no deaths
NEE city	Mumbai (India)	Population 21m; Dharavi: Asia's largest informal settlement; BBC MediaCity equivalent = Bollywood/Dalal Street
UK city	Manchester	MediaCity UK; Metrolink; Moss Side deprivation; Hulme Crescents regeneration
NEE case study	Nigeria	Oil; Shell; Niger Delta; UNEP Ogoniland 2011; Nollywood

1. Not using command words to guide your answer

The most common mark loss in AQA Geography is answering the wrong type of question. "Describe" questions want observation, not explanation. "Evaluate" questions want judgement, not just a list of points. Read the command word before every question, and structure your answer accordingly.

2. Using vague language instead of specific data

"A lot of people died" → "9,000 people died and over 600,000 homes were destroyed" (Nepal 2015). "The economy is bad" → "GNI per capita in Nigeria is approximately $2,200—farbelowtheHICthresholdof$13,845." Specific data demonstrates knowledge and earns AO1 marks. Vague language earns very few.

3. Not naming and locating examples

"A slum in a developing country" → "Dharavi, in central Mumbai, India." "A place that flooded" → "Boscastle, Cornwall, UK." Every case study response must include country, region, and city or site.

4. Writing only about advantages (or only disadvantages) in evaluation questions

"Evaluate" and "assess" questions expect balance. If you only discuss the positives of a strategy, you will not access the top mark band regardless of how accurate your positive points are. Conclude with a reasoned judgement.

5. Running out of time on Paper 3

Paper 3 (75 minutes) includes both the issue evaluation (pre-release material) and fieldwork questions. Both sections require extended writing. Practise under timed conditions and allocate approximately equal time to each section.