Start with the command word

Every structured question is controlled by its command word. State and name want a short fact. Describe wants what happens in order. Explain wants reasons using cause and effect. Suggest wants applied reasoning on an unfamiliar context. Answering the wrong verb is the most common way to lose marks on content you actually know. The command word guides cover each one.

Match points to marks

The mark allocation tells you how many separate points to make. A 3-mark explain question needs three distinct, linked reasons, not one long sentence repeated. Plan a point per mark before writing, and check nothing is a restatement of an earlier point.

Write the application (AO2), not just recall

Higher marks increasingly test whether a student can apply knowledge to data or an unfamiliar situation. This is the AO2 skill, and it is where written answers most often fall short. Practise taking a familiar idea (for example osmosis or enzyme action) and applying it to a context or data set you have not seen, quoting figures where relevant. The assessment objectives guide explains what each one rewards.

Use precise scientific language

Everyday words lose marks where a specific term is expected: "the water goes in" instead of "water enters by osmosis down a water potential gradient". Build a habit of naming the process, the structures and the direction. Then check every written answer against a model response so the gap between knowing and writing closes.