“Examine” — what the examiner wants
How to answer a Cambridge Computer Science question that starts with Examine (9618): Cambridge's definition, what a full-mark answer contains, the mistake that loses the mark, and how often the word has come up in 5 current-syllabus past-paper questions.
Cambridge's definition
“investigate closely, in detail”
What earns full marks
Look closely at how something works or what it implies, with detail at every step.
What loses the mark
A surface-level overview.
A question that uses it
Examine how pipelining improves the throughput of a processor.
In real past papers
Current-syllabus questions only (2210 / 0478 from 2023, 9618 from 2021); a question set under both 2210 and 0478 counts once.
5
questions
0
parts open with it
—
median marks a part
By paper
- 9618 Paper 25 of 251 questions · 2%
Topics where “Examine” comes up most
Recent questions that use it
Open any one to read it and mark your answer against the official mark scheme.
Marks shown as “a / b”: a = marks in parts that open with “Examine”, b = the whole question.
Don't confuse it with
The definition follows the command-word table in the Cambridge syllabus; the guidance is ZAK's. Statistics come from the real past-paper question bank (command words are read from each question's wording). Command words and past papers are © Cambridge Assessment International Education.