Reference
What each Mains directive actually demands
Most aspirants lose marks on questions they understood perfectly well, because they answered a different directive from the one printed. A “Comment” answered as an essay, a “Critically examine” that never commits — the content was there, the instruction was not followed.
Below is what a full-mark answer to each directive has to do, and the characteristic way answers fall short. This is the same brief our examiner marks against, so you can check it against any copy it returns.
The evaluative directives
These ask for a verdict. Presenting both sides and stopping is the failure — balance is the method, not the answer.
critically examine
A full-mark answer must examine both sides AND arrive at a reasoned judgement; the criticism must be substantive, not a token final paragraph.
The characteristic failure: balanced description that never commits to a view.
critically analyse
A full-mark answer must break the issue into its components, show how they interact, and judge which matter most and why.
The characteristic failure: analysis without judgement, or judgement without the analysis to support it.
evaluate
A full-mark answer must judge worth against stated criteria and reach a verdict, saying what the criteria are.
The characteristic failure: listing merits and demerits without ever weighing them or concluding.
assess
A full-mark answer must weigh the significance or extent of something and state how much it matters, with justification.
The characteristic failure: asserting importance without establishing degree.
comment
A full-mark answer must give a considered opinion on the specific proposition, supported by evidence — brevity is expected, evasion is not.
The characteristic failure: a general essay on the topic that never addresses the proposition itself.
justify
A full-mark answer must argue positively for the stated position with evidence, and meet the obvious objection.
The characteristic failure: presenting both sides neutrally when a defence was asked for.
The descriptive directives
These do not ask for your opinion. Volunteering one costs space you needed for coverage — and you are not marked down for withholding it.
discuss
A full-mark answer must present several distinct facets of the issue and connect them into an argument, giving the competing views real weight rather than one line each.
The characteristic failure: a list of points with no argument running through them.
examine
A full-mark answer must investigate the issue closely — how it arose, how it works, what it achieves and where it falls short — looking at both sides.
The characteristic failure: description of what the thing is, with no probing of how well it works.
analyse
A full-mark answer must break the issue into its constituent parts and show the relationships and causation between them.
The characteristic failure: narration in sequence rather than decomposition into causes and effects.
elucidate
A full-mark answer must make the concept clear through explanation and concrete illustration, so a reader unfamiliar with it would understand.
The characteristic failure: restating the concept in equally abstract language.
explain
A full-mark answer must set out how or why something works, with the mechanism made explicit.
The characteristic failure: stating that it works without showing how.
describe
A full-mark answer must give an accurate, well-organised account of the features or the sequence.
The characteristic failure: thin coverage, or opinion where none was asked for.
outline
A full-mark answer must give the key features concisely and in a clear order, covering breadth rather than depth.
The characteristic failure: going deep on one feature and omitting the rest.
enumerate
A full-mark answer must list the items completely and precisely, with just enough detail to identify each.
The characteristic failure: discursive prose where a precise list was asked for.
illustrate
A full-mark answer must make the point through specific, concrete examples rather than generalities.
The characteristic failure: asserting the general claim with no example that demonstrates it.
substantiate
A full-mark answer must support the claim with specific evidence — data, cases, provisions, reports.
The characteristic failure: reasoning that never touches evidence.
Find out whether your answer honoured its directive
Every copy we mark carries a directive note saying whether the answer did what the question asked — alongside six parameter scores and the points you missed. Attempt a real previous-year question, typed or photographed. 50 free credits on signup, no card.