How to Answer SEHS Essay Questions: Command Terms, Content, and Clarity

Evaluate or Discuss

These require judgement. You must consider strengths and limitations, compare perspectives, or weigh effectiveness.

Example expectation:
Assess the benefits of a training method while also addressing risks, limitations, or conditions under which it may be ineffective.

A strong answer makes a judgement, not just a list.

3. Use a Structure That Supports the Command Term

Clear structure helps examiners see that you understand the task.

A reliable structure includes:

• Introduction
  Restate the question using the command term and briefly indicate the focus of your response.
• Body paragraphs
  Each paragraph should address one clear idea and explicitly serve the command term (describing, explaining, or evaluating).
• Conclusion
  Essential for evaluate or discuss questions. Summarise your judgement clearly and directly.

Avoid generic conclusions for descriptive questions—these are often unnecessary.

4. Select SEHS Content Strategically

High-scoring answers use relevant content, not excessive content. Choose examples that directly support the command term.

Useful content areas include:

• Physiology: energy systems, cardiac output, VO₂ max, fatigue mechanisms
• Psychology: motivation, arousal regulation, feedback, motor learning
• Training principles: overload, specificity, recovery
• Applied examples: endurance athletes, team sports, training environments

Real-world contexts strengthen evaluation questions, but they must be clearly linked to theory.

5. Write With Precision and Control

Clarity is rewarded in SEHS.

Strong responses:

• Use correct terminology accurately
• Avoid unnecessary jargon
• Stay tightly focused on the question
• Do not drift into explanation when only description is required
• Balance positives and negatives when evaluating

Marks are often lost through over-writing or answering a different question than the one set.

6. Example: Applying the Strategy

Question:
Evaluate how hydration status and mental focus influence endurance performance.

Approach:

• Introduction: Signal evaluation and identify both physiological and psychological factors.
• Paragraph 1: Evaluate hydration by linking dehydration to cardiovascular strain and thermoregulation, while acknowledging risks of over-hydration.
• Paragraph 2: Evaluate mental focus by discussing motivation, pacing, and attentional control, alongside potential cognitive fatigue.
• Conclusion: Weigh the relative importance of physiological stability and psychological resilience for sustained endurance performance.

This structure ensures balance, judgement, and relevance.

7. How to Practise Effectively

To improve consistency:

• Practise writing responses using one command term at a time
• Compare your answers to markscheme language
• Rewrite responses by changing the command term and adjusting depth
• Time your practice to improve clarity under exam conditions

Focused practice on command terms often leads to rapid score improvement.

Final Advice

Strong SEHS answers are not about writing more—they are about writing appropriately. When you master command terms, align your content precisely, and structure your responses with intent, your work becomes clearer, more targeted, and easier to reward.

If you control the command term, you control the question.