Command words are the instruction verbs in an assignment question, like discuss, analyse and evaluate, that tell you what type of response the marker expects.
Command words are the instruction verbs in an assignment question, like discuss, analyse and evaluate, that tell you what type of response the marker expects. Reading them together with the content words and limiting words around them tells you what to write about and where the boundaries of your answer sit.
Most misread questions do not fail on the topic; they fail because one of those three groups of words was skimmed over, or because a familiar word like discuss was assumed to carry its everyday meaning rather than its academic one. It is also worth saying early that no glossary is absolute, since the University of Portsmouth (n.d.) cautions that these words do not hold a fixed meaning in every subject. This guide gives you a glossary of 16 command words defined by university writing centres, a three-step method for decoding any question before you start researching, and the habits that keep a finished answer inside the question the marker actually set.
Author: MAAS Academic Skills Desk · Reviewed by a Principal Academic Mentor (PhD)
Last updated: 2026-07-02
Category: writing-tips
Command words tell you the type of answer, not the topic
RMIT University (n.d.-b) describes instruction words as the verbs in an assignment question that specify the type of response required: they are what separates a question asking you to report from a question asking you to judge. James Cook University Library (2026) puts the stakes plainly, noting that these words are instructions and that "you will need to follow these instructions to pass the assignment". If your brief comes from a UK university you may meet a different name for the same idea; The Open University (n.d.) calls them "process words", instructions "expressed as imperatives" that tell you what to do with the subject matter.
The practical consequence is that two questions can share every content word and still be entirely different assignments. "Describe the recruitment process at firm X" and "Evaluate the recruitment process at firm X" cover identical territory, yet the first asks for an accurate account while the second asks for a defended judgement, and each will be marked against that expectation. The command word also points you toward a shape: once you know whether the brief wants a continuous argument or a sectioned document, our guides to structuring a university essay and structuring a university report pick up where this glossary ends.
The three parts of every assignment question
RMIT University (n.d.-b) breaks an assignment question into three groups: content words, instruction words and limiting words. James Cook University Library (2026) works with the same anatomy under slightly different names (task words, content words and limiting words) and adds a fourth category of context words: background phrasing that frames the question without adding new instructions. This anatomy sits behind Step 1 of the six-step assignment guide; here we take it further and turn it into a repeatable method.
Task words: what to do
Task words are the command verbs themselves. They determine the type of thinking you must show and, in most cases, the shape of the answer: a describe question can be organised around features, while a discuss question needs viewpoints, evidence on each side and a conclusion. When you are unsure how to structure a response, the task word is the first place to look.
Content words: what to write about
Content words carry the topics, theories and concepts the answer must cover. They are also your search vocabulary: the terms you will put into the library catalogue and databases come from here, together with their synonyms. An answer can execute the task word perfectly and still fall short if it quietly swaps the set content for adjacent material you happened to know better.
Limiting words: the boundaries the marker will hold you to
Limiting words narrow the scope, restricting the question to a specific time period, place or population, such as "in the last ten years", "in Melbourne" or "students in year seven" (RMIT University, n.d.-b). They look minor on the page, yet they are commitments; a marker reading an answer about the wrong decade or the wrong population is reading an answer to a different question.
A 16-word glossary, defined by university writing centres
Every definition below comes from a university writing centre or library guide, cited beside it. The three groups are an editorial arrangement to make the list easier to hold in mind: each group asks for progressively more independent judgement from you, moving from reporting what is known, to taking material apart, to defending a verdict.
Words that ask you to report: describe, outline, summarise, explain
These words ask you to convey material accurately. Interpretation stays in the background; precision and coverage carry the marks.
| Command word | What it asks for | Defined by |
|---|---|---|
| Describe | Give a detailed account of the features, qualities or characteristics of the subject, without arguing a position | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of Portsmouth (n.d.) |
| Outline | Give the main points or general principles, leaving out fine detail | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of New South Wales (n.d.) |
| Summarise | State the key points briefly, omitting details, examples and side issues | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of New South Wales (n.d.) |
| Explain | Show how or why something happens, giving the reasons or causes behind it | Massey University (n.d.); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
Words that ask you to break things apart: analyse, examine, compare, contrast, interpret
These words ask you to work on the material rather than reproduce it: separating parts, tracing relationships and drawing out meaning.
| Command word | What it asks for | Defined by |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse | Break the issue into its component parts, examine each part and show how the parts relate to one another | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
| Examine | Look closely at the subject, inspecting its details and questioning the assumptions behind it | University of Portsmouth (n.d.); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
| Compare | Identify the similarities between two or more things, noting differences where they are relevant | Massey University (n.d.) |
| Contrast | Set two or more things against each other to bring out their differences | Massey University (n.d.); University of New South Wales (n.d.) |
| Interpret | Explain the meaning or significance of information or results, showing what they imply | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
Words that ask for a judgement: discuss, evaluate, critically evaluate, critique, review, justify, to what extent
These words ask you to take a position and defend it with evidence. An answer that stops at accurate reporting has not yet answered the question.
| Command word | What it asks for | Defined by |
|---|---|---|
| Discuss | Explore the topic in detail, present the different viewpoints with the evidence for and against each, and reach a conclusion | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of New South Wales (n.d.) |
| Evaluate | Weigh the strengths and weaknesses and deliver an overall judgement of worth or usefulness, supported by evidence | RMIT University (n.d.-a); Massey University (n.d.) |
| Critically evaluate | Show how judgements vary from different perspectives, argue why some judgements are stronger than others, and support your verdict with sources on both sides | University of Portsmouth (n.d.); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
| Critique | Assess the value of a theory, argument or piece of work by weighing both its merits and its faults | RMIT University (n.d.-a) |
| Review | Survey the topic and examine it critically, commenting on the main points and their significance | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
| Justify | Give the evidence and reasoning that support a position or conclusion, answering the main objections that could be raised against it | RMIT University (n.d.-a); University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
| To what extent | Make a thorough assessment of the evidence in presenting your argument, exploring alternative explanations where they exist | University of Sheffield (n.d.) |
Same word, different subject: why no glossary outranks your course handbook
A glossary like the one above is genuinely useful, and for most assignments it will point you in the right direction. It should not, however, be treated as absolute. The University of Portsmouth (n.d.) states that none of these words have a fixed meaning, and that lecturers may attach specific definitions to a word within a particular subject or task. "Discuss" in a philosophy essay, a law problem question and a nursing case study can ask for noticeably different intellectual work, even though the verb is identical.
The reliable hierarchy is therefore your course handbook and assignment brief first, the marking criteria second, a general glossary third, and when the expectation is still unclear after all three, the lecturer or tutor who set the question. Asking what a command word means in this unit counts as exactly the kind of clarification writing centres encourage, and it is far cheaper than committing weeks of work to an interpretation.
How to decode a question before you research: a three-step method
Step 1: mark the task, content and limiting words
Work through the question three times with a pen, one group per pass: circle the task words, underline the content words, box the limiting words. The University of Reading (n.d.) recommends underlining or highlighting the key terms of a question for exactly this reason: marking them helps you identify the crucial information in the question and clarify what it is asking you to do. Three passes sounds slow; in practice it takes a minute and surfaces words that a single reading glides over.
Step 2: restate the question in your own words
McMillan and Weyers (2013, as cited in University of Hull, 2026) advise students to "break down the question into its different elements" as a way into understanding what it requires. Once the elements are marked, rebuild them into one plain sentence of your own, for instance "using evidence from the last ten years, judge how well this policy has worked for this group, and say so with reasons." If you cannot restate the question without looking back at it, you have found a gap in understanding at the cheapest possible moment, before it has cost you any research or writing time.
Step 3: split multi-command questions into their separate jobs
Many questions carry more than one command. Take "Describe the main features of X and critically evaluate its usefulness for Y." That sentence contains two different jobs: the first command asks for an accurate report of features, while the second asks for a defended judgement that weighs perspectives and evidence on both sides. Each job needs its own section of the answer, planned against its own command word. The common failure with questions like this comes from letting the more comfortable command absorb the whole answer, producing a long description with a thin verdict attached; a marker reading against both commands will find only one of them served.
Where answers drift: responding to the topic instead of the question
Two drifts account for most answers that miss. The first ignores the limiting words. James Cook University Library (2026) notes that limiting words are what "stop you from trying to research everything in the history of mankind"; skip them and you end up researching, and eventually answering, a bigger and vaguer question than the one that was set. The second drift responds to the topic with the wrong response type, most often describing when the question asked you to evaluate: the answer reports faithfully what the sources say, yet never arrives at the judgement the command word demanded.
Both drifts share a cheap remedy. Keep the marked-up question from Step 1 beside you while you plan and while you draft, and check each section against it; a section that does not serve a marked word is either padding or drift, however well written it is.
WHEN YOU WANT A SECOND PAIR OF EYES ON THE QUESTION ITSELF
Most feedback on an assignment arrives after the writing, when a misread command word has already shaped the structure, the sources and the argument. If you would rather catch that risk earlier, a MAAS academic mentor can work through the brief with you before you commit to a structure: unpacking the task, content and limiting words, checking your restatement of the question against the marking criteria, and pressure-testing your planned outline against each command word, while the interpretation and the writing remain yours. Explore academic support at MAAS
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between analyse and discuss in an assignment question?
Analyse asks you to break the issue into its component parts, examine each part and show how they connect (RMIT University, n.d.-a). Discuss asks you to explore the topic in detail, present different viewpoints with the evidence for and against each, and reach a conclusion (RMIT University, n.d.-a; University of New South Wales, n.d.). An analyse answer is judged on the depth of the breakdown; a discuss answer is judged on the balance of viewpoints and the quality of the conclusion.
What is the difference between evaluate and critically evaluate?
Evaluate places the emphasis on an overall judgement, critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of an argument, theme or study (RMIT University, n.d.-a; University of Portsmouth, n.d.). Critically evaluate goes further, asking you to show how judgements vary from different perspectives, argue why some judgements are stronger than others, and support your verdict with sources that both agree with and contradict the argument (University of Portsmouth, n.d.; University of Sheffield, n.d.).
Do command words mean the same thing in every subject?
No. The University of Portsmouth (n.d.) states that none of these words have a fixed meaning and that lecturers may attach specific definitions to them within a subject or task. Before relying on any glossary, check your course handbook and the marking criteria, and ask the lecturer if the expectation is still unclear.
How do I break down an assignment question before I start researching?
Separate the question into three groups of words: task words that tell you what to do, content words that carry the topics and concepts you must cover, and limiting words that set boundaries such as a time period, place or population (James Cook University Library, 2026; RMIT University, n.d.-b). Underlining each group before you plan helps you identify the crucial information in the question and clarify exactly what it asks you to do (University of Reading, n.d.).
What are limiting words and why do they matter?
Limiting words narrow the scope of an assignment by setting boundaries such as specific time periods, locations or populations, for example "in the last ten years" or "students in year seven" (RMIT University, n.d.-b). They matter because they keep the research focused; James Cook University Library (2026) notes that they stop you from trying to research everything around the topic, and an answer that ignores them drifts wider than the question the marker set.
What if the question has no obvious command word, such as a "to what extent" question?
Treat the phrase itself as the instruction. A "to what extent" question calls for a thorough assessment of the evidence in presenting your argument, including alternative explanations where they exist (University of Sheffield, n.d.). In practice, that assessment is most convincing when it ends with a clear position on how far the statement holds.
References
James Cook University Library. (2026, May 20). The writing guide: Step 1. Understanding the essay question. https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/writing/writing1
Massey University. (n.d.). Assignment planning. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://www.massey.ac.nz/study/study-and-assignment-support-and-guides/your-assignment/planning-your-assignment/
The Open University. (n.d.). Understanding the question. Help Centre. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://help.open.ac.uk/understanding-the-question
RMIT University. (n.d.-a). Meanings of instructional words. Learning Lab. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://learninglab.rmit.edu.au/assessments/getting-started-with-assignments/understanding-your-assignment/meanings-instructional-words/
RMIT University. (n.d.-b). Understanding your assignment. Learning Lab. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://learninglab.rmit.edu.au/assessments/getting-started-with-assignments/understanding-your-assignment/
University of Hull. (2026, April 2). Analysing questions. Essay Writing SkillsGuide. https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/essays/questions
University of New South Wales. (n.d.). Answering assignment & essay questions. Current Students. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://www.unsw.edu.au/student/managing-your-studies/academic-skills-support/toolkit/writing/essay/answering-essay-questions
University of Portsmouth. (n.d.). Essays: Task words. MyPort for Students. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://myport.port.ac.uk/study-skills/written-assignments/essays-task-words
University of Reading. (n.d.). Planning and structuring your essay. Essay Writing LibGuide. Retrieved July 2, 2026, from https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/essays/planning
University of Sheffield. (n.d.). Essay question instruction words: Glossary [PDF]. 301 Academic Skills Centre. https://sheffield.ac.uk/media/31085/download?attachment=