ICT exam command words, explained
Every year, students who know the ICT syllabus cold still lose marks — not on content, but on misreading what a question is actually asking for. "Explain" is not "state". "Distinguish" is not "describe". Here is exactly what each one requires.
State / Name
1 markසඳහන් කරන්න / නම් කරන්න
A short, direct fact — no explanation, no reasoning.
One line is enough. Writing a paragraph here wastes exam time for zero extra marks.
Example: "State one input device." → "Keyboard." Nothing more is needed or rewarded.
List
1 mark per itemලැයිස්තු ගත කරන්න
Several short facts, one per line — not sentences.
Number each point. A marker awards one mark per correct item up to the stated count.
Example: "List two output devices." → "1. Monitor 2. Printer"
Define
1–2 marksඅර්ථ දක්වන්න
The precise technical meaning of a term.
Use the exact syllabus definition where one exists — a vague paraphrase often loses the mark.
Example: "Define an operating system." → "System software that manages hardware and provides a platform for application software to run."
Explain
2–3 marksපැහැදිලි කරන්න
State a fact AND give the reason or mechanism behind it.
The single most common mark loss in A/L ICT: students state the fact but never say *why*. Every "explain" answer needs a "because".
Example: "Explain why RAM is volatile." → "RAM loses its data when power is switched off, because it stores data using electrical charge that needs continuous power to be maintained."
Describe
2–4 marksවිස්තර කරන්න
Give a detailed account of what something is or how it works, step by step.
More detail than "state", but you're narrating a process or structure — not yet comparing or justifying anything.
Example: "Describe how a barcode is read at a supermarket till." → walk through scan, decode, database lookup, price display, in order.
Distinguish / Differentiate
2–4 marksවෙනස හඳුනාගන්න
State at least one clear point of DIFFERENCE between two things.
Describing each thing separately — even correctly — earns almost nothing here. The mark is for the contrast itself, not the description.
Example: "Distinguish between RAM and ROM." → "RAM is volatile and can be written to, while ROM is non-volatile and is generally read-only."
Compare
2–4 marksසසඳන්න
Cover both similarities AND differences.
Unlike "distinguish" (differences only), "compare" wants both sides — what's alike as well as what's not.
Example: "Compare LAN and WAN." → note the shared purpose (connecting devices) as well as the difference in geographic scope.
Outline
2–3 marksසාරාංශයක් ලෙස දක්වන්න
The main points only, in brief — a summary, not full detail.
Depth is not rewarded here; breadth is. Cover more points more briefly rather than one point in paragraph form.
Example: "Outline the stages of the system development life cycle." → name each stage in one short phrase, in order.
Discuss / Evaluate
4–6 marksසාකච්ඡා කරන්න / ඇගයීමට ලක් කරන්න
Weigh up more than one side — advantages and disadvantages, or competing viewpoints — and typically reach a conclusion.
A one-sided answer caps out well below full marks even if every point in it is correct. The structure being asked for IS the mark scheme.
Example: "Discuss the impact of e-commerce on traditional retail businesses." → cover benefits, drawbacks, and a brief judgement.
Justify
3–5 marksසාධාරණීකරණය කරන්න
Give reasons that support a specific decision, choice, or opinion already stated in the question.
Answer the question that was actually asked — a justify question already picked a side; your job is to defend it with reasons, not to re-debate which side is right.
Example: "Justify the use of a database rather than a spreadsheet for a school's student records." → reasons specific to that scenario: data integrity, relationships between tables, multi-user access.
Want to see "distinguish" done properly, worked example by worked example? 10 fully worked pairs, free.
Drill these until they're automatic
Every subject's Practice section includes command-word drill questions — short scenarios that check whether you'd actually answer a "distinguish" or a "justify" correctly under exam conditions.
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