Explain Questions

To answer an ‘explain’ question, you should show a clear link between the facts you give and the context (subject) of the question.

Your answer should have two parts to it:

• a relevant fact

•a consequence of this fact You will not access any marks for a simple fact that is not linked to the context of the question.

A good ‘explain’ answer will usually contain one of the following words:

•as

•so

•therefore

•because

For example:

Question: Explain a safety factor which should be observed when making apple sponge.

Acceptable answer: Securing the chopping board when preparing the apple, as this will prevent movement of the board resulting in a cut finger.

If the answer above had not referred to ‘preparing the apple’, it would not have accessed the mark, as there was no link between the fact and the context of the question (steps involved in preparing the apple sponge).