HSC · Free reference guide
NESA Key Words Explained | HSC Command Verbs
Use these 35 command-word examples to work out what an HSC question asks you to do. Read the full question, subject requirements and marking guidelines before deciding how much detail your answer needs.
NESA updated Apply and Critically analyse/evaluate on 4 April 2025. Read the official NESA glossary for the definitions. The response guidance and questions below are original practice material.
Account
If asked to account for an outcome, give its causes. If asked to give an account of an event, describe what occurred.
Example question
Account for the decline in biodiversity after the wetland was drained.
Analyse
Break the material into meaningful parts. Explain their relationships and the implications of those relationships.
Example question
Analyse how the narrator’s point of view and the order of events shape the ending.
Apply
Choose a principle or method you know and use it on the new situation in the question. Show how the details fit the method.
Example question
Apply opportunity cost to the council’s decision to fund a library extension.
Appreciate
Judge the value or significance of a feature. Give a specific reason for the value you identify.
Example question
Appreciate the value of a field journal in recording change at the site.
Assess
Make an evidence-based judgement about the extent, quality or result. Say which evidence carries most weight.
Example question
Assess the effectiveness of the business’s strategy for reducing waste.
Calculate
Choose the relevant operation, substitute the given values and show a numerical result with any required units.
Example question
Calculate the concentration of a solution containing 0.20 mol of solute in 500 mL.
Clarify
Remove ambiguity by explaining the distinction, relationship or idea in more precise terms.
Example question
Clarify the difference between an assessment mark and a study score.
Classify
Choose or use the stated categories and assign each item on the basis of a relevant property.
Example question
Classify the listed organisms by their role in the food web.
Compare
Show similarities and differences using common points of comparison. Relate the two items in each point.
Example question
Compare the ways the two speeches appeal to their audiences.
Construct
Assemble the parts into the form requested. Include the labels, values or steps that make it usable.
Example question
Construct a graph of the temperature readings against time.
Contrast
Focus on the meaningful differences. Use the same aspect to discuss each item side by side.
Example question
Contrast the effects of expansionary and contractionary fiscal policy.
Critically analyse/evaluate
Go beyond identifying parts or stating a judgement. Test assumptions, weigh the evidence and account for limitations before reaching a conclusion.
Example question
Critically evaluate the evidence that a training program improved endurance.
Deduce
Work from the information supplied to a conclusion that follows from it. Show the clue or reasoning that supports your inference.
Example question
Deduce which solution was acidic from the observations in the table.
Define
Give a precise meaning and include the feature that distinguishes the term.
Example question
Define statistical independence.
Demonstrate
Show that a result or idea holds by using a worked example, evidence or a sequence of steps.
Example question
Demonstrate how substituting the proposed roots verifies the solution.
Describe
Give the relevant characteristics of the thing or process. Include enough detail for a reader to recognise it.
Example question
Describe the pattern in the monthly rainfall data.
Discuss
Address the main aspects or competing positions and support them with evidence. Relate the discussion to the task’s scope.
Example question
Discuss the advantages and limitations of using interviews in a community study.
Distinguish
State the feature or criterion that separates the terms. Define both where doing so makes the difference clearer.
Example question
Distinguish between an independent variable and a controlled variable.
Evaluate
Make a judgement using criteria relevant to the question. Weigh the evidence and explain why it supports that judgement.
Example question
Evaluate how successfully the campaign met its stated objectives.
Examine
Look closely at the issue or evidence and draw attention to details that explain how it works or why it matters.
Example question
Examine how the layout of the poster directs the viewer’s attention.
Explain
Make the relationship or mechanism clear. Show how or why the outcome occurs, using the subject’s conventions.
Example question
Explain how a decrease in interest rates can affect household spending.
Extract
Select the relevant information from the supplied source and present it accurately.
Example question
Extract two figures from the table that show the change in attendance.
Extrapolate
Extend an observed trend beyond the given data. State any assumption about the trend continuing.
Example question
Extrapolate the graph to estimate the population two years beyond the last observation.
Identify
Name or recognise the requested item. Follow the question’s instructions if it also asks for evidence or an explanation.
Example question
Identify the variable plotted on the horizontal axis.
Interpret
Explain what the information means in context. Use the relevant detail, figure or pattern to support your reading.
Example question
Interpret the meaning of the negative gradient in the distance–time graph.
Investigate
Use a systematic process to find out about the issue. Explain how the evidence supports the conclusion you draw.
Example question
Investigate how changing the light intensity affects the rate of photosynthesis.
Justify
Give reasons and evidence that support your decision, method or position.
Example question
Justify the choice of a stratified sample for the survey.
Outline
Give the main features or steps in a clear order. Include the details necessary to understand the overall idea.
Example question
Outline the steps used to prepare a standard solution.
Predict
State the likely outcome and support it with a pattern, principle or evidence from the question.
Example question
Predict the effect of doubling the mass while holding the net force constant.
Propose
Put forward a specific idea or course of action suited to the problem.
Example question
Propose one change to improve the reliability of the experiment.
Recall
Retrieve the relevant fact or idea from memory and state it accurately.
Example question
Recall the formula for the area of a circle.
Recommend
Choose an option and explain why it is suitable for the stated purpose or constraints.
Example question
Recommend a way to reduce water use without changing the crop grown.
Recount
Retell the relevant events or actions in an order that makes their sequence clear.
Example question
Recount the main events that led to the policy being introduced.
Summarise
Condense the material into its essential points. Preserve the overall meaning while leaving out supporting detail.
Example question
Summarise the key findings of the survey.
Synthesise
Combine information from the sources into a coherent explanation or conclusion. Show how the pieces relate.
Example question
Synthesise the interview and survey evidence into a conclusion about community participation.