How do you read Eduqas Component 3 command words and mark tariffs to pitch an answer at the right depth and objective?
Command words and mark tariffs: reading command words (explain, analyse, evaluate, justify) and the marks available to judge the depth, focus and objective of an answer, so structured questions and essays are pitched correctly (AO3 and AO4).
How to read Eduqas Component 3 command words and mark tariffs: interpreting explain, analyse, evaluate and justify and the marks available to pitch an answer at the right depth, focus and objective, so structured questions and essays meet the demand, for AO3 and AO4.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
Two signals tell you how to pitch an answer: the command word and the mark tariff. Command words (explain, analyse, evaluate, justify, discuss) tell you the kind of thinking required and which objective is in play; the marks tell you the depth and scope. Reading both correctly means you give an "evaluate" question a judgement (not just description) and a high-tariff question a developed answer (not a one-line response). This page is about reading the command and the marks to meet the demand for AO3 and AO4.
The answer
Reading the command word
The command word sets the kind of thinking and the objective.
- Explain (often "explain how you would stage"): make your staging choices clear and justify them (mainly AO3).
- Justify: give reasons for your choices, tied to the audience effect.
- Analyse: break a moment or choice down and show how it works.
- Evaluate / assess: weigh effectiveness and reach a supported judgement (AO4), not just describe.
- Discuss: a considered, balanced response.
Reading the mark tariff
The marks set the depth and scope. A lower-tariff question wants a focused answer on a few precise choices; a higher-tariff question (an essay) wants a developed, sustained answer, often a concept across more of the play, with evaluation.
"Evaluate how effectively a design could shape an audience's response" demands a judgement (AO4): the answer must weigh what works and what does not, with evidence, not merely describe a design. "Explain how you would stage a moment" demands clear, justified choices (AO3). Matching the response to the command is half the battle.
Try this
Q1. What does an "evaluate" question require that an "explain" question does not? [2 marks]
- Cue. A supported judgement weighing effectiveness (AO4), not just clear, justified staging choices (AO3).
Q2. How should the mark tariff shape your answer? [2 marks]
- Cue. It sets the depth and scope: a few precise choices for a low tariff, a developed, sustained answer (a concept across the play) for a high tariff.
Q3. Explain the difference between an "explain" question and an "evaluate" question, and how each should be answered. [8 marks]
- What the marker wants. Explain (make and justify staging choices, mainly AO3) against evaluate (weigh effectiveness and reach a supported judgement, AO4), with how the answer changes and each tied to its objective (AO3).
A note on application
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed. The command words and mark tariffs are set by Eduqas and reviewed periodically, so always confirm the current Component 3 question styles with Eduqas's own past papers and mark schemes, and answer as a theatre maker throughout.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas A690 P38 marksExplain the difference between an 'explain' question and an 'evaluate' question, and how each should be answered. [8]Show worked answer →
A knowledge task on command words (AO3).
Method. Define explain (make staging choices clear and justify them) and evaluate (weigh effectiveness and reach a supported judgement), and show how the answer changes: explain realises and justifies; evaluate also judges, with evidence.
Develop. The top band ties each command to its objective (explain to AO3, evaluate to AO4) and the depth the marks demand. Weak answers blur the commands.
Eduqas A690 P36 marksExplain how the marks available for a question should shape the depth of your answer. [6]Show worked answer →
An explanation task on mark tariffs (AO3).
Method. Argue that a low-tariff question wants a focused, specific answer (a few precise choices) and a high-tariff question wants developed, sustained treatment (a concept across more moments), so the marks set the scope.
Develop. A strong answer matches example tariffs to scope. Weaker answers write the same length regardless of marks.
Related dot points
- Answering as a theatre maker and open-book technique: realising the text in performance (specific staging and design choices tied to audience effect) rather than writing literary criticism, and using the clean open-book copy for accuracy and precise reference, not reading on the day (AO3 and AO4).
How to answer Eduqas Component 3 as a theatre maker: realising the set text in performance through specific staging and design choices tied to audience effect rather than literary criticism, and using the clean open-book copy for accuracy and precise reference rather than reading on the day, to earn AO3 and AO4.
- Structuring an evaluative essay: building the Section B essay around one directorial or design concept, sequencing evidence from across the play, and weaving evaluation and audience effect throughout so the answer is coherent and judged, not descriptive (AO3 and AO4).
How to structure the Eduqas Component 3 Section B essay: building it around one directorial or design concept, sequencing evidence from across the play, and weaving evaluation and audience effect throughout so the answer is coherent and judged rather than descriptive, for AO3 and AO4.
- Timing and exam strategy: dividing the 2 hours 30 minutes across the three sections in proportion to their marks, planning before writing, citing the text precisely, and leaving checking time, so knowledge is converted into complete theatre-maker answers (AO3 and AO4).
How to manage time in the Eduqas Component 3 exam: dividing the 2 hours 30 minutes across the three sections by their marks, planning before writing, citing the text precisely, and leaving checking time, so knowledge becomes complete theatre-maker answers, for AO3 and AO4.
- Staging a set text as performer, director and designer: writing about a set text from the three theatre-maker perspectives, making specific vocal and physical, conceptual, and design choices, and tying each to the audience to satisfy AO3 and AO4 in the exam.
How to write about a set text from the three theatre-maker perspectives in the Eduqas Component 3 exam: performer (vocal and physical choices), director (concept and staging) and designer (set, costume, lighting, sound), each tied to the audience to satisfy AO3 and AO4.
- Component 3 Text in Performance: a 2 hour 30 minute written exam in three sections on two complete set texts (one pre-1956, one post-1956) and an extract from a third, answered as a theatre maker, assessing AO3 and AO4 across 120 marks (40 per cent).
An Eduqas A-Level Drama and Theatre guide to Component 3 Text in Performance: the 2 hour 30 minute written exam, its three sections on two complete set texts (one pre-1956, one post-1956) and a printed extract from a third, answered as a theatre maker, assessing AO3 and AO4 across 120 marks (40 per cent).
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas A Level Drama and Theatre specification (A690) — Eduqas (WJEC) (2023)
- Eduqas A Level Drama and Theatre past papers and mark schemes — Eduqas (WJEC) (2025)