Did you know? The first useful clue in a school question is often its action word. Explain, describe, compare and calculate ask students to do different things. For G2 subjects, reading that instruction carefully helps turn knowledge into a response that fits the task.
G2 refers to a subject level under Full Subject-Based Banding. This guide offers practical learning suggestions; follow your school’s current subject instructions and assessment requirements.
Find your next step
Find the action and the subject · Describe: make the features visible · Explain: connect the idea to a reason or process · Compare: place two things on the same basis · Calculate: show the relationship and the working · Worked example: one situation, several questions · Try a short question-reading routine · Quick questions
Find the action and the subject
Read the whole question, then identify what you are being asked to do and what you are being asked to discuss. In “Describe the trend shown in the graph”, the action is describe and the subject is the trend. The answer should make that pattern visible in words.
Next, identify any conditions: a time period, a named source, a specified method or a request for evidence. These details define the task. Keep them beside the action word when planning the response.
Describe: make the features visible
A description tells the reader what something is like or what happens. For a graph, that might include the direction of change, the interval and relevant values. For an object, it might include observable properties.
An illustrative graph has a value of 10 at the start and 25 at the end of a stated interval. A useful description is that the value increases from 10 to 25 over that interval. Add units and dates when the graph supplies them.
Explain: connect the idea to a reason or process
An explanation connects an outcome to a reason, mechanism or relationship. If a question asks why water forms outside a cold glass, identify water vapour in the air, cooling at the surface and condensation into liquid.
That response describes how the observation arises. The level of detail should match the question and the topic taught. Use the teacher’s examples to see what a complete explanation looks like in the particular subject.
Compare: place two things on the same basis
A comparison uses a shared feature. If two travel options are being compared by journey time, state the time for each and explain the relationship. If comparing sources, use the specific issue named in the question.
For example, route A takes 35 minutes and route B takes 50 minutes. Route A takes 15 minutes less. The comparison names both routes and uses the same unit. A different question about cost would require different evidence.
Calculate: show the relationship and the working
Identify the quantities and the relationship between them. A journey of 120 km completed in 2 hours has an average speed of 120 ÷ 2 = 60 km/h. State the quantity being calculated and include the unit.
Check the result against the situation. Here, travelling at an average of 60 km/h for two hours corresponds to 120 km. This check connects the answer to the original information.
Worked example: one situation, several questions
Imagine a fictional school survey: 18 students choose football, 12 choose badminton and 10 choose swimming. “State the most popular activity” asks for football. “Calculate the number surveyed” asks for 18 + 12 + 10 = 40.
“Compare football and badminton choices” invites a comparison such as six more students chose football. “Suggest a reason” asks for a plausible explanation, which should be presented as a suggestion unless additional evidence establishes it. The same information supports several different tasks.
Try a short question-reading routine
Before answering, say: “I need to do this action, about this content, using these conditions.” After writing, check each part against the response. This routine can be used with a paragraph, calculation or source question.
Parents can ask the student to explain the instruction before explaining the answer. Tutors can use two differently worded questions about the same material to make the distinction concrete.
Quick questions
Does an action word always require the same response length? Use the question’s scope, marks and teacher guidance together. Should I memorise sentence starters? They can help begin a response, but choose the content according to the task.
What can I practise today? Select three school questions and identify their actions and conditions. Then answer one and explain how the response fulfils the instruction. These examples are learning suggestions, not an official universal marking guide.
Continue through the G2 series
G2 meaning and parent guide · Build a topic revision map · Use school assessment feedback
Building a Useful Subject Vocabulary Notebook · Using Worked Examples to Build Independent Practice · Planning a Purposeful Study Session with a Classmate
Sources and scope
For current examination subject documents, consult the SEAB 2027 G2 syllabus directory. For a detailed explanation-first teaching example, read the eduKate Secondary 1 Mathematics guide.
Information checked: 25 October 2026. The examples, notebook formats and study arrangements above are illustrative eduKate suggestions. Teachers’ current instructions determine the scope and requirements of individual school tasks.