What do analyse, compare, discuss etc mean?

Before you begin to tackle your assessment, you need to make sure that you understand what it is asking you to do.

Every question has keywords, and identifying them will help you decide what the assessment is about and what you have to do. ‘Content’ keywords tell you about the topics to be focused on (eg different job roles, different health & social care organisations) and ‘process’ words tell what you must do with the content.

Some of the most common process words are shown in the table below:

Analyse	Break an issue into its constituent parts. Look in depth at each part using supporting arguments and evidence for and against as well as how these relate to one another.
Compare	Show the similarities and differences and, perhaps, reach conclusions about which is preferable.
Contrast	Focus on the differences, although you may also note that there are similarities.
Define	Give the exact meaning of a word or phrase. In some cases you may need to give different possible definitions.
Describe	Provide a detailed explanation as to how and why something happens.
Discuss	Explain, then give two sides of the issue and any implications
Explain	Clarify a topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurs, or what is meant by the use of this term in a particular context. Your writing should have clarity so that complex procedures or sequences of events can be understood; defining key terms where appropriate, and substantiate with relevant research.
Explore	Adopt a questioning approach and consider a variety of different viewpoints. Where possible reconcile opposing views by presenting a final line of argument.
Evaluate	Make a judgement about the merit of theories, or opinions, or about the truth of information, backed by a discussion of the reasoning involved and by evidence from the course materials.
Justify	Give reasons for a point of view, decisions or conclusions. Also mention any main objections or arguments against.
Summarise	Give a condensed version drawing out the main facts and omit superfluous information. Brief or general examples will normally suffice for this kind of answer.