Top 200 Vocabulary Word List for HKDSE English Language | Must Know Words for Common Examination Instructions

The 200-word examination instruction list

HKDSE English Language instructions tell you which parts to attempt, which details to use and how to shape a response for the named audience. The 2027 HKEAA framework separates Reading, Writing, Listening and Integrated Skills, and Speaking. Read the paper directions before working on an individual question.

The numbered bank includes question directions, response formats and vocabulary for interpreting the task. Use the official instructions for the paper or test version you are taking.

Exam requirements · Worked examples · Fencing Method

HKDSE papers, selected parts and writing requirements

No.	Instruction or term	What it asks you to do
1	Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education	Use the HKDSE framework for the subject and examination year on your entry.
2	English Language	Use the HKEAA framework for the core English Language subject.
3	Paper 1 Reading	Answer the reading questions using the parts and texts you are instructed to attempt.
4	Paper 2 Writing	Complete the compulsory task and the selected Part B task as directed.
5	Paper 3 Listening and Integrated Skills	Use the recording and written sources together where the task requires them.
6	Paper 4 Speaking	Prepare for group interaction and an individual response under the official format.
7	Compulsory Part A	Attempt the part designated as compulsory on the paper.
8	Part B1	Use the less demanding option when it is the part you choose to attempt under the paper’s directions.
9	Part B2	Use the more demanding option when it is the part you choose to attempt under the paper’s directions.
10	Choose either B1 or B2	Follow the instructions to select one of the available sections in the relevant paper.
11	Task booklet	Check the scenario, recipient and instructions for the task you are completing.
12	Data file	Use the supplied written information and identify which details serve the task.
13	Listen for the required detail	Record information that answers the specific part of the task.
14	Integrate the sources	Use relevant information from the recording and written material in one coherent response.
15	Preserve the source meaning	Restate or select the information without changing what it says.
16	Identify the task purpose	Decide what the communication needs to achieve before drafting.
17	Identify the audience	Use the named reader or listener to guide tone and detail.
18	Respond in the stated role	Write or speak from the position assigned by the scenario.
19	Use an appropriate text type	Follow the conventions of the required email, report, article or other form.
20	About 200 words	Use the approximate length in the framework for the shorter Writing task.
21	About 400 words	Use the approximate length in the framework for the longer Writing task.
22	Short writing task	Use the supplied situation and information to complete the compulsory Part A response.
23	Long writing task	Select and develop one available Part B task.

Integrated skills, audience and group discussion

No.	Instruction or term	What it asks you to do
24	Group interaction	Contribute to the discussion and respond to the other candidates.
25	Individual response	Answer the examiner’s follow-up question independently.
26	Discuss the issue	Explore the relevant viewpoints and contribute reasons or examples.
27	Build on a point	Respond to another candidate by developing the idea or adding relevant evidence.
28	Invite a contribution	Ask another participant to share a relevant view or suggestion.
29	Respond to disagreement	Address the point raised and explain your own reasoning.
30	Use relevant data	Select the facts, dates or examples the task actually needs.
31	Identify a source’s purpose	Find why the writer or speaker supplied the particular information.
32	Reading for gist	Identify the overall idea before selecting a detail.
33	Reading for detail	Find the specific information requested in the question.
34	Infer attitude	Use wording, emphasis and context to identify the writer’s or speaker’s stance.
35	Group similar information	Organise related points rather than copying the sources in order.
36	Paraphrase accurately	Change the wording while preserving the meaning and limits.
37	Combine written and spoken details	Use each source for the part of the answer it supports.
38	Appropriate register	Use the level of formality and language suitable for the situation.
39	Keep to the task	Develop information that serves the stated purpose and required content.
40	School-based assessment	Check the arrangements that apply to school candidates and the relevant examination year.
41	Assessment weighting	Use the official framework to see how each component contributes.
42	Examination framework	Use the current HKEAA document for the relevant subject and year.
43	Check the selected part	Confirm that the response belongs to the part you intended to attempt.
44	Read the marking instruction	Check how the paper asks you to identify the part and record responses.
45	Compare the writers’ views	Use each source to identify its position on the same issue.
46	Use your own words	Restate the meaning in fresh wording where the question requires it.
47	Short response	Answer the exact question with the detail or reasoning it requests.
48	Extended response	Develop and organise the ideas needed for the longer task.
49	Reference in context	Identify the person, object or idea a pronoun or phrase points to.
50	Source reliability	Use relevant information about the source when judging a claim.
51	Report a change	State what changed, when and who is affected if those details are required.
52	Summarise the discussion	Select the key positions, reasons or decision discussed.
53	State the recommendation	Identify what action you favour and why it fits the purpose.
54	Use a spoken correction	Use the updated detail when the recording explicitly changes an earlier one.
55	Select from the written source	Find the line, figure or detail needed for the particular task.
56	Link the evidence to the claim	Explain how the cited detail supports your point.
57	Write a reply to a request	Answer the requested action or information in the named role.
58	Minutes or notes	Use the required format to record the essential decisions or information.
59	Respond to a follow-up	Answer the new question rather than restarting the earlier response.
60	Develop the point	Add a reason, example or consequence that helps the reader or group.
61	Compare benefits and drawbacks	Use the same criteria to weigh the relevant advantages and disadvantages.
62	Address the stated concern	Respond to the issue named by the audience or task.
63	Agree with a qualification	Explain where you agree and state any condition that limits the agreement.

Reading evidence and practical text types

No.	Instruction or term	What it asks you to do
64	Select the requested statements	Use the text and choose only the number the question specifies.
65	List the requested details	Give the number of separate points the question calls for.
66	Use details from both sources	Support the comparison or synthesis with material from each text.
67	Write a summary	Bring together relevant information from the specified parts without reproducing every detail.
68	Similarities or differences	Follow the direction to compare features that answer the same question.
69	How does the writer use language	Explain how particular words, phrases or forms contribute to an effect.
70	How is the information organised	Explain the order or relationship that gives the text its effect.
71	Evaluate the statement	Make a judgment about the statement and support it with evidence from the specified text.
72	To what extent do you agree	Decide how far the evidence supports the interpretation and explain your reasoning.
73	Compare viewpoints	Show how the writers’ attitudes or ideas relate, using both sources.
74	Compare methods	Explain how choices such as voice, tone or examples convey the viewpoints.
75	Relevant quotation	Use a short, exact detail that directly supports the point.
76	Effect on the reader	Explain a plausible impression or response created by a specific choice in context.
77	Shift in focus	Identify what the text turns towards and explain why that movement matters.
78	Narrative perspective	Identify who tells or filters the story and what their perspective lets readers know.
79	Structural contrast	Explain what changes between parts of the text and what that change makes noticeable.
80	Time shift	Notice a move forward, backward or between moments and connect it to the task.
81	Opening focus	Identify what the opening directs attention to first.
82	Ending	Explain what the final part leaves the reader thinking about when the question asks.
83	Description	Develop a scene through controlled details and organisation.
84	Story opening	Establish a narrative direction within the part of the story the task requests.
85	Viewpoint writing	Make a position clear and develop it for the stated reader and purpose.
86	Write an article	Use a suitable voice and structure for the publication and audience named.
87	Write a letter	Address the recipient and use a register appropriate to the task.
88	Write a speech	Shape the argument and language for listeners in the stated setting.
89	Technical accuracy	Check sentence boundaries, spelling, punctuation and the control of grammar.
90	Content and organisation	Develop relevant ideas and put them in a meaningful order.
91	Assessment objective	Use the official objective to identify the skill the question is assessing.
92	Official sample task	Use the applicable paper sample to learn its response directions.
93	Simile	Identify a comparison using wording such as like or as and explain its effect.
94	Imagery	Use sensory or figurative details to explain the impression created by the text.
95	Sensory detail	Identify wording that evokes sound, sight, touch, taste or smell and relate it to the task.
96	Semantic field	Explain how several words linked by meaning build a particular impression.
97	Connotation	Explain an association suggested by the particular word in its context.
98	Sentence form	Identify how the shape of the sentence contributes to meaning or emphasis.
99	Sentence length	Explain how a change in length affects pace, detail or emphasis in context.
100	Foreshadowing	Show how an earlier detail prepares the reader for a later event or possibility.
101	Flashback	Explain how a move into an earlier moment changes the reader’s understanding.
102	Narrative pace	Explain how quickly the text moves through events and why that matters.
103	Limited viewpoint	Explain how the character or narrator’s knowledge restricts what the reader learns.
104	Paragraph shift	Identify the change in subject, tone, time or focus across the break.
105	Zoom in	Explain how the text narrows from a broader scene to a particular detail.
106	Zoom out	Explain how the text widens from a detail to a broader scene or issue.
107	Contrast in tone	Compare the attitudes conveyed by the wording in two parts or sources.
108	Rhetorical question	Explain the effect of asking a question for a purpose beyond obtaining an answer.
109	Direct address	Explain how speaking to the reader or listener shapes the relationship.
110	Inclusive language	Explain how words such as we invite readers or listeners to share a position.
111	Counterpoint	Consider an opposing point and connect your response to the argument.
112	Call to action	State what you want the audience to do after hearing or reading the response.
113	Sentence boundary	Check where a complete sentence ends and the next begins.
114	Paragraphing	Separate and connect ideas using meaningful paragraph breaks.
115	Proofread	Check whether spelling, grammar and punctuation convey the intended meaning.
116	Point of comparison	Use the same feature to compare how both writers present their views.
117	Give a reason	Connect the answer to a relevant principle or piece of evidence.
118	Reason for the shift	Explain why the change in focus or tone matters to the text’s effect.
119	Quotation	Use the exact words from the source where the task requests them.
120	Writer’s effect	Explain how a particular choice of language shapes the reader’s impression.
121	Audience	Identify who the writing or speech addresses.
122	Purpose	Identify what the communication is intended to achieve.
123	Register	Match the level of formality and style to the situation.
124	Form	Use the kind of response requested, such as a speech or report.
125	Relevant	Connected to the specific question or criterion.
126	Evidence	A fact, detail or observation that supports a claim.
127	Reason	The basis for a statement, choice or result.
128	Source	The particular text, figure, notes or data supplied for use.
129	Key word in a quotation	Identify the word that does the most work in the quotation and explain its effect.
130	Quote accurately	Keep the words you select faithful to the source.
131	Narrative gap	Explain what the reader is made to wonder because information is withheld.
132	Exact phrase from the source	Choose the wording that supports the answer when the question asks for it.
133	Same meaning	Preserve the original relationship, tense and other relevant meaning.
134	Word-level analysis	Connect a specific word to a plausible impression in the named part of the source.
135	Verb choice	Explain what the action word suggests about the movement, voice or attitude.
136	Recurring phrase	Explain how repetition of wording shapes meaning or emphasis across the text.
137	Language	Use clear and suitable vocabulary and grammar with appropriate range and control.
138	Incomplete sentence	Explain a deliberate fragment’s effect in a text or repair an accidental fragment in your own writing.
139	Address the named audience	Choose a tone and level of detail that suits the intended reader or listener.
140	Support your view	Give a reason or example relevant to the discussion question.
141	Present a reasoned case	Develop the position and show how the evidence supports it.
142	Word ending	Check which form or ending fits the surrounding grammar.
143	Word family	Use related forms to decide whether the sentence needs a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.
144	Cohesive reference	Work out what a linking expression or pronoun refers to.
145	Evidence from the text	Use a detail from the source or lines named by the question.
146	Writer attitude	Infer how the writer feels from the language and evidence used.
147	Emphasis	Explain why the writer draws attention to one idea over another.
148	Word order	Arrange the pieces so the sentence works grammatically.

Core instructions and answer checks

No.	Instruction or term	What it asks you to do
149	Recognise	Find a familiar feature in a new example.
150	Identify	Name or pick out the item the question specifies.
151	Select	Choose only the number of options requested.
152	Match	Pair each item with the option that corresponds to it.
153	Complete	Fill in what is missing while keeping the supplied structure.
154	Label	Attach the correct name to the indicated part.
155	Locate	Find the specified detail, point or region.
156	Indicate	Make the chosen feature or answer clear.
157	Record	Write the result in the space and form provided.
158	Answer	Respond directly to the question being asked.
159	Give	Supply the requested fact, example or result.
160	State	Express the required point directly and clearly.
161	Name	Supply the correct term, person or item.
162	List	Set out the requested items separately.
163	Define	Give the precise meaning used in the subject or question.
164	Describe	Report the relevant characteristics, events or pattern.
165	Outline	Give the main steps or points in brief.
166	Summarise	Select the central points and leave out minor details.
167	Explain	Connect the result to its cause, mechanism or reasoning.
168	Compare	Set the items side by side on the same relevant feature.
169	Contrast	Show how the items differ on a shared point of comparison.
170	Analyse	Break down the evidence and explain how its parts relate.
171	Interpret	Say what a statement, result or display means in context.
172	Infer	Use clues to reach a conclusion the material implies.
173	Predict	Use available evidence to say what is likely to happen.
174	Suggest	Offer a plausible answer suited to the information given.
175	Justify	Give evidence for the claim and explain how that evidence supports, qualifies or defends it.
176	Evaluate	Weigh relevant evidence or criteria before reaching a judgment.
177	Assess	Judge the extent, value or strength of something using evidence.
178	Discuss	Develop a structured response that considers the relevant issues.
179	Distinguish	Give the feature that lets the reader tell two things apart.
180	Support	Supply evidence that helps establish the claim.
181	Illustrate	Make an idea clear with a relevant example or diagram.
182	Demonstrate	Show how a fact, process or result can be established.
183	Determine	Work from the given information to establish an answer.
184	Calculate	Use numbers or other given information to work out a result.
185	Estimate	Find an approximate answer using the available clues.
186	Check	Test the answer against the original instruction or condition.
187	Arrange	Put items into the order or grouping requested.
188	Sequence	Put stages into a meaningful order.
189	Classify	Assign each item to a category using the stated rule.
190	Group	Put items with a shared feature together.
191	Order	Sort items by the criterion given in the prompt.
192	Omit	Leave out the indicated item or detail.
193	Include	Make sure the requested part appears in the response.
194	Exclude	Keep the named item or category outside your answer.
195	Refer to	Use the specified passage, figure or notes when responding.
196	Based on	Ground the answer in the material named in the question.
197	According to	Use what the specified source says.
198	In context	Use the meaning that fits this passage or situation.
199	Most likely	Choose the conclusion with the strongest support among the options.
200	Best supported	Prefer the conclusion backed most directly by the evidence.

What the examination requires

Use the HKEAA framework for your examination year

The 2027 framework lists Paper 1 Reading at 20%, Paper 2 Writing at 25%, Paper 3 Listening and Integrated Skills at 30%, and Paper 4 Speaking at 10%. School-based assessment accounts for 15% for school candidates under the framework. Check the current HKEAA instructions for your candidate arrangements. The public paper durations are 90 minutes, two hours, about two hours and about 20 minutes respectively.

Papers 1 and 3 require Part A and a choice

The framework directs candidates to attempt Part A and either B1 or B2 in each of those papers. It identifies B1 as the easier section and sets a Level 4 maximum for the relevant paper when A and B1 are attempted. B2 permits the full range. In Paper 3, match the practical writing task to the relevant information from the recording and written sources. The 2027 framework also describes an extended Paper 3 writing task of 100–200 words in the integrated section.

Paper 2 requires two writing responses

The framework gives two hours. Part A is a guided task of about 200 words. Part B is a longer response of about 400 words, with one question chosen from four. Check the text type, role, audience and purpose before planning. Those details determine which information belongs in the response.

Paper 4 uses group interaction and an individual response

The framework gives 10 minutes to prepare and an eight-minute group discussion for a group of four. It gives one minute per candidate for the individual response. Take part in the discussion, respond to other views and answer the examiner’s related question directly.

• Identify the action the question asks you to perform.
• Check the evidence, constraints and response format.
• Use the exact question and current paper instructions when checking the answer.

Worked examples of common examination instructions

These original examples show what belongs in a response when a question asks for a different action.

Select evidence for the named reader

An invented integrated task asks you to email a community centre manager about a proposed workshop. A booking note gives the available room and a recording gives the revised date. Include both if the manager needs them. Leave out background details that do not help the manager act.

Keep the source and inference separate

A practice passage says attendance rose after a library changed its hours. If the question asks for the trend, describe the rise. If it asks for a possible explanation, use the relevant detail and qualify the claim if the source does not establish causation.

Use the genre to shape the same information

Suppose a topic concerns reducing queues. A report to a manager might state the finding and recommend a trial. An article for students might explain what changes and how students can use the new arrangement. Check the requested reader and purpose before selecting the opening and level of detail.

Build on a discussion point

If a candidate proposes a Saturday workshop and another mentions staffing, respond to both the proposal and concern. A useful next turn might suggest one pilot session with a smaller group, explaining how that would make staffing easier. The response advances the group’s decision.

Answer the individual question in its own right

After a group discussion about school events, an examiner asks which option best suits new students. Give a choice, say why it suits that group and add one detail. Repeating the group’s conclusion without addressing new students misses the narrower question.

Use the Fencing Method to practise instructions

Start with one accurate answer or statement. Add a precise detail, then explain the connection the task asks for. Use a new question to check that you can perform the same action again.

1. I recommend a pilot workshop.
2. I recommend a small pilot workshop on Saturday.
3. I recommend a small Saturday pilot because the centre has limited staffing and can check demand before expanding.
4. Try another integrated task. State the action, add the source detail and connect it to the reader’s decision.

Read the eduKate Fencing Method for Vocabulary.

Practise and check your answers

Mark the source of each detail

For an integrated practice task, draw three headings on your planning sheet for the written information, spoken information and requested response. Link each essential detail to the source and to the sentence where it serves the reader.

Practise the group task and follow-up separately

For a group prompt, give a view and respond to another contribution. Then answer a related question on your own in one minute. Check that the individual response addresses the new angle and uses a relevant reason.

Practice 1. The task asks you to use written and spoken sources. What should you check?

Check that each required detail comes from the appropriate material and that the final response integrates them accurately.

Practice 2. What is the Paper 2 Part B choice in the 2027 framework?

Choose one of the four questions and write the longer response.

Practice 3. What should you do if the discussion asks for a decision?

Compare the relevant options, respond to other candidates and help the group reach the stated decision.

Practice 4. A Paper 1 question asks for a reason in one paragraph. Can you use a detail from any part of the text?

Use the paragraph or range the question specifies.

Frequently asked questions

What does B1 or B2 refer to here?

They are the HKDSE section options in Papers 1 and 3. Follow the HKEAA instructions for each paper.

Do I need to copy everything in the Paper 3 data file?

Select the information needed for the particular task and reader. Integrate relevant details from the specified sources.

Where do I check whether these requirements still apply?

Use the HKEAA framework for your examination year and the actual paper directions.

Official sources and next reading

• HKEAA 2027 English Language assessment framework
• HKEAA assessment frameworks by examination year
• HKEAA English Language FAQ on the B1 and B2 choices

Related guide in this series · AQA GCSE English Language examination instructions

Read eduKateSG’s 200-word vocabulary guide for more ways to group and practise vocabulary.

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