I realised that some people are having problems with what each question requires you to do. This is a section from the website of the Chief Politics Examiner, explaining what each of the words at the start of a question requires you to do the full article can be found here, and you need to click on the link for Edexcel AS level revised specification – advice on assessment :
| Analyse | Break something into its component parts and show how they relate to one another |
| Argue | Present a reasoned case |
| Assess | ‘Weigh up’ a statement, showing arguments in favour and against |
| Compare | Identify similarities |
| Contrast | Identify differences |
| Criticise | Explain problems, limitations or weaknesses |
| Define | Say what a word or phrase means |
| Describe | Set out features or characteristics |
| Discuss | Examine an issue closely, taking account of differing viewpoints |
| Distinguish | Describe differences |
| Evaluate | Make judgments based on evidence |
| Examine | Investigate closely |
| Explain | Show how something works, usually by giving a clear and detailed account of it |
| Identify | Name or set out main features |
| Outline | Set out main characteristics |
| State | Express clearly |
| Summarise | Present principal points without detail |
Terms that are sometimes confused:
| Features | The characteristics that define what something is |
| Functions | The roles that highlight what something does |
