Assignment Command Words Explained: What "Analyse", "Evaluate" and "Discuss" Really Mean

Most assignments hide their real instruction in one or two words: the command word (also called a directive or instruction word). It tells you what kind of thinking the marker expects — and answering the wrong one is a classic way to lose marks even when your knowledge is good. Write a brilliant description when the title says critically evaluate, and you will be marked down for not doing the task that was set. Whether it is a law essay or a nursing reflection, the command word is the first thing to decode: My Perfect Writing’s law assignment help and nursing assignment help both start from what the brief is really asking.

Command words map onto higher- and lower-order thinking. “Describe,” “outline” and “define” are lower-order: they report what something is. “Analyse,” “evaluate” and “discuss” are higher-order: they ask you to break things down, weigh them and reach a reasoned position. The higher-order words are where most of the marks live, and where students most often stop short.

Read the whole title The command word sets the task; the rest of the title sets the scope. Underline both before you plan — the command word tells you how to think, the topic words tell you about what.

The most useful distinction is between words that ask you to report and words that ask you to think critically. Report words (describe, outline, summarise, define, state) ask what. Critical words (analyse, evaluate, discuss, assess, examine) ask how, why and so what. The jump from the first group to the second is the same jump markers reward across every subject — the move from description to analysis, explained in what markers actually want.

A quick test: if your paragraph could not be disagreed with, you are probably describing. If it takes a position, weighs evidence and reaches a judgement, you are analysing. Higher-order command words require the second kind of paragraph throughout.

These are the highest-value command words and the ones students most often under-answer. To critically evaluate is to weigh something up and reach a judgement — not to describe it and add “in conclusion, it is important.” A strong answer takes a clear position, tests it against the best evidence and the strongest counter-argument, and explains why your view still holds. “Assess” and “evaluate” work the same way; the word “critically” simply signals that balance and judgement are essential, not optional.

Describe vs evaluate “The policy increased funding by 20%” describes. “The 20% increase improved access but did little for outcomes, because…” evaluates. Only the second earns the higher-order marks.

Analyse asks you to break a topic into parts and show how or why they connect — the causes, mechanisms and relationships behind something, not just a report of it. Discuss asks you to consider different arguments or views and then take a reasoned position; a discussion that only argues one side reads as advocacy, not analysis. To what extent is really asking you to argue a degree: rarely a flat yes or no, but “largely,” “partly” or “only in some respects,” with evidence for where the claim holds and where it breaks down.

These words appear across disciplines. In law, for example, they shape how you use authority and counter-argument — see how command words play out in how to write a law essay. And whatever the word, more sources are not the answer if they are not doing analytical work — our guide on why adding more sources is not always the answer explains why. If you are unsure how to phrase analytical or evaluative writing, the University of Manchester’s Academic Phrasebank gives ready sentence patterns for being critical.

Once you have decoded the command word, use it to shape your structure. A higher-order word (analyse, evaluate, discuss) means every body paragraph should make a point, support it, weigh it and link back to your position — not just report information. A lower-order word (describe, outline) means the reporting can be brief so you can spend your words where the marks are.

The catch is that the command word is only part of the instruction: the brief, learning outcomes and marking criteria set the scope and the hidden requirements. If your own brief feels unclear, Brief Decoder can help you decode your assignment brief — the command word, the scope, the marking criteria and where the marks sit — so you answer the exact task that was set. You do the thinking and the writing; it just makes the brief clear.

Want every command word in one place? Our Assignment Command Words Cheat Sheet decodes each common command word — what it asks, what a strong answer does, and a one-line example — plus a map of higher- versus lower-order thinking, so you can check any title in seconds.

Grab the cheat sheet Use the free resource card on this page to get the Assignment Command Words Cheat Sheet sent to you — keep it open whenever you start a new assignment.