Guide
VCE command terms: what the verb in the question is asking for
The VCAA glossary behind every VCE exam question — the verb ladder, the verbs that carry the marks, and the traps that cost Victorian students.
Every VCE exam question opens with a verb, and that verb is a contract. The VCAA publishes a Glossary of command terms that its exam-setting panels use when they write questions, so the word 'analyse' or 'discuss' on your paper means something specific — and the marking scheme is built around it. This guide teaches you to read the verb before you read anything else.
Who writes the definitions
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) publishes the glossary and says it is used 'by examination panels in the development of assessment items for external examinations'. It also warns that terms are 'not interpreted in an overly prescriptive way' — an 'evaluate' in Mathematics is not an 'evaluate' in History. So: learn the glossary meaning, then check it against your study design and past examiners' reports.
The verb ladder, low to high
- Recall — state, identify, name, list, recall. One mark, one fact. No explanation, no working.
- Description — describe, outline, define, account of, recount, summarise. Features, characteristics, main points, in order. Usually 2–3 marks.
- Reasoning — explain, account for, demonstrate, interpret, infer, deduce, predict. The why and the how: causes, effects, mechanisms, meanings. Usually 2–4 marks.
- Relationship — compare, contrast, distinguish, analyse, examine. Parts, relationships and their significance. Usually 3–6 marks.
- Judgement — assess, evaluate, discuss, justify, recommend, propose, synthesise. A position, the evidence for it, and the case against. Usually 4–6 marks and often the last part of a question.
The verbs that carry the marks
Opening verbs counted across 94 VCAA question papers from 2021 to 2025. Meanings are Captivate's paraphrases of the VCAA glossary — the glossary is Crown copyright, so it is linked below rather than quoted.
| Verb | What the VCAA term asks for (paraphrased) | What a full answer contains |
|---|---|---|
| explain | Set out how or why something happens, tracing the causes, effects, reasons or mechanisms so the links between things are clear. | A because-chain: the thing, the cause or mechanism, the link between them. One link per mark. The most common verb in VCE Chemistry, Legal Studies, Economics, PE, Business and Biology. |
| describe | Give an accurate account of the features and qualities of the thing named, whether that is a process, an event, a text or an experiment. | Features, not reasons. Two or three specific, accurate characteristics — and nothing about why. Leads HHD, Media and Business. |
| identify | Pick out and name the feature, part or element asked for, from a list, a passage, a diagram or an experiment. | The name, and only the name. One mark. Leads Software Development, HHD and Psychology. |
| calculate | Work out a numerical answer from the information supplied, showing the steps of the working. | The working and the number, with units. The steps of the working are where the method marks live. Leads Physics and Foundation Maths. |
| find / show that | Not in the glossary — maths-specific. | 'Find' is Methods' and Specialist's own 'calculate': the answer with enough working to be followed. 'Show that' prints the answer, so every mark is for the steps that reach it. |
| outline | Give the main points or key features in brief, without going into detail. | The main points in brief — more than a name, less than an explanation. Common in HHD, Psychology and Biology. |
| discuss | Set out the issues and weigh the strengths against the weaknesses, or the case for against the case against, in a balanced and considered way. | Both sides, then a view. Balance is part of the meaning — a one-sided 'discuss' loses marks in Legal Studies, Media and PE. |
| analyse | Break the thing into its parts, show how the parts connect and why that connection matters, then draw out what follows and test whether the information holds up. | Name the parts, show how they relate, say why that relationship matters. Leads Media; common in Legal, Business and HHD. |
| evaluate | Reach a judgement about worth or merit by testing the evidence and arguments on each side against criteria, the information supplied and your own knowledge. | A judgement, the evidence for it, the evidence against it, and why your judgement stands. The top verb in History: Revolutions. |
| justify | Defend a decision, argument or position with reasons and evidence drawn from the data or information available. | A claim followed by the reasons and data that make it right — including the data the question gave you. |
Traps that cost Victorian students
- 'Compare' in Victoria means similarities AND differences AND why they matter. Interstate glossaries stop at 'similar or different'. If you only list, you cap at half marks.
- 'State' asks for the short answer — a name, a value or a fact — with no working or reasons. Do not write a paragraph for a one-mark 'state'.
- 'Discuss' must be balanced. Two paragraphs for your side and none against is a 'describe your opinion', not a 'discuss'.
- 'Explain' is not 'describe'. If your answer has no 'because', 'so', 'which leads to' or 'as a result', it is a description, whatever the question asked.
- 'Analyse' is not 'list the parts'. The mark is in the relationship between the parts and its significance.
- 'Evaluate' with no judgement is an 'outline'. Say what you think and defend it — sitting on the fence scores the lowest band.
- Ignoring the marks. The VCAA prints the marks beside every part; they count the discrete points the marker 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 VCAA glossary
Based on the VCAA Glossary of command terms © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Meanings are Captivate's paraphrases; the board's own wording is in the linked document.
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