Guide
HSC key words: what the verb in the question is asking for
NESA's Glossary of key words — the ladder, the verbs that carry the marks, 'critically', and why 'to what extent' is a verb in disguise.
New South Wales calls them key words. NESA's Glossary of key words is the oldest list in the country, and most other states copied it, so an HSC student who learns these 36 words is learning the national vocabulary. NESA is also blunt that the glossary is not the whole story: HSC questions keep using plain wording — 'how', 'why', 'to what extent' — and subjects are allowed to give a word their own meaning.
Who writes the definitions
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Its student guide says the glossary 'contains key words that frequently appear in HSC exam questions', that 'certain key words are used similarly in examination questions across different subjects', and that HSC exams 'will continue to incorporate self-explanatory terms like how, why, or to what extent'. It also tells teachers not to use a key word 'in a manner that contradicts their specific meanings within subjects' — so 'evaluate' in Mathematics Advanced is not 'evaluate' in Modern History.
The verb ladder, low to high
- Recall — identify, recall, define, calculate, extract. A name, a fact, a number.
- Description — describe, outline, recount, summarise, account of, clarify, classify. Features and main points.
- Reasoning — explain, account for, demonstrate, interpret, deduce, extrapolate, predict, apply. Cause and effect; why and how.
- Relationship — compare, contrast, distinguish, analyse, examine, investigate. Components and the relationships between them.
- Judgement — assess, evaluate, discuss, justify, appreciate, recommend, propose, synthesise. A judgement, the criteria, the evidence.
- The modifier — critically analyse / critically evaluate: the same task done with more rigour — deeper knowledge, tighter logic, more questioning and reflection. NESA split the two senses in April 2025. It is a higher rung, not a synonym.
The verbs that carry the marks
Captivate's paraphrases of NESA's meanings for the key words that open most HSC short-answer and extended-response questions. NESA's glossary is Crown copyright, so it is linked below rather than quoted.
| Key word | What the NESA key word asks for (paraphrased) | What a full answer contains |
|---|---|---|
| explain | Connect causes to their effects, make the links between things clear, and give the why and/or the how. | A cause linked to an effect — NESA's meaning turns on cause and effect; if your answer has no causal link, it is a description. |
| describe | Set out the characteristics and features of the thing named. | Two or three specific features. No reasons needed. |
| outline | Give the main features in broad terms, without the detail. | The main points, briefly and in order. Less detail than 'describe'. |
| identify | Recognise something and give its name. | The name. Usually one mark per item. |
| analyse | Pick out the parts of something and show how they connect to one another, then draw out what follows from those connections. | The parts, how they connect, and what follows from that connection (the implications). |
| assess | Reach a judgement about the worth, quality, outcome, result or scale of something. | A judgement plus the evidence for it. In HSC marking, 'assess' and 'evaluate' both want a clear verdict. |
| evaluate | Reach a judgement by measuring something against criteria, and settle how much it is worth. | State the criteria, weigh the thing against them, give the verdict. |
| discuss | Identify the issues involved and give the points in favour and/or against. | The issues, then points for and against. Note 'and/or' — NESA does not demand balance the way Victoria does, but top-band answers still show both sides. |
| compare / contrast | Compare: point out the ways in which things are alike and the ways in which they differ. Contrast: bring out how things differ, including where they are opposites. | Both things referred to throughout, point by point. 'Compare' allows similarities and differences; 'contrast' is differences only. |
| justify | Give the reasons and evidence that back up an argument or a conclusion. | Your conclusion, then the reasons and evidence that hold it up. |
| to what extent | Not a glossary word — NESA calls it self-explanatory. | An 'evaluate' with a scale: say how far the statement holds, with evidence for the part that holds and the part that does not, and commit to a position. |
| account for | Give the reasons why something is the case, or report on how it came about. | The reasons. An 'account for' is an 'explain why'; a 'give an account of' is a 'recount'. |
Traps that cost NSW students
- Treating 'critically analyse' as 'analyse'. NESA defines the modifier; markers look for questioning of the evidence, not just more of it.
- Answering 'to what extent' with a plain yes or no. It wants a degree — 'largely', 'only partly' — and the evidence on both sides that justifies the degree.
- Writing an 'explain' with no cause and effect. The definition is the test: can you point to the cause and the effect in your own answer?
- Forgetting that 'assess' and 'evaluate' need a verdict. A balanced summary with no judgement is a 'discuss'.
- Assuming the generic meaning beats the subject's. NESA says the subject wins; check your syllabus glossary and past marking guidelines for how your subject uses 'evaluate' or 'analyse'.
- Ignoring the marks and the lines. The answer space and the mark value tell you how many points the marking guideline is looking for.
Using this in Captivate
- When a question opens with a command term, a small chip appears above it. Tap it for the meaning and the depth typically expected before you start writing.
- In a timed sit, read the verb first and the marks second. Together they tell you the shape of the answer — a one-mark 'identify' is a name; a four-mark 'explain' is a chain of reasons.
- When you mark yourself against the solution, check the verb, not just the content. If the question said 'justify' and you only described, mark it down — that is exactly what the examiner does.
The full NESA glossary
Based on the NESA Glossary of key words © NSW Education Standards Authority. Meanings are Captivate's paraphrases; the board's own wording is in the linked document.
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