ICT exam command words, explained

සඳහන් 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.

ලැයිස්තු 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"

අර්ථ 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."

පැහැදිලි 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."

විස්තර 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.

වෙනස 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."

සසඳන්න

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.

සාරාංශයක් 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.

සාකච්ඡා 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.

සාධාරණීකරණය 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.