✍️ Short Answer Strategies
How to approach Section 2
📌 Key Principles
- 📋 Read the entire unit first — read the stimulus AND all questions before writing anything. This helps you anticipate what to look for.
- 🎯 Answer the question asked — identify the command word (describe, explain, analyse, evaluate) and respond accordingly.
- 📊 Reference the stimulus — always tie your answer back to the data, text, or graph provided. Unsupported claims score poorly.
- 📏 Match length to marks — 1 mark = 1–2 sentences. 3 marks = structured paragraph with evidence.
- 🔤 Use specific language — name data points, quote from text, cite numbers from graphs. Vague generalisations lose marks.
| 📝 Command: Describe |
State what the data/text shows, in factual terms. Reference specific values or evidence. |
| 🔍 Command: Explain |
Give the reason WHY. ‘Because…’ or ‘This is because…’ — causation, not just description. |
| ⚖️ Command: Analyse |
Break down the stimulus — identify patterns, trends, anomalies, relationships. State what they mean. |
| 📊 Command: Evaluate |
Make a judgement about quality, effectiveness, or significance. Support with evidence. Acknowledge limitations. |
| 🔗 Command: Compare |
State similarities AND differences. Use specific evidence for each. ‘In contrast…’ / ‘Similarly…’ |
🏆 High-Score Formula
Short Answer responses follow a clear structure: Claim → Evidence → Explanation. Every answer should have all three elements, even for 1-mark questions. The explanation is what separates high scorers from average ones.
💡 Pro Tip: For graph/data questions: always read the axis labels and units before writing. The most common SA error is describing a trend without referencing specific data values.
