“Write” — what the examiner wants
How to answer a Cambridge Computer Science question that starts with Write (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 491 current-syllabus past-paper questions.
Cambridge's definition
“write an answer in a specific way”
What earns full marks
Write the pseudocode, program code, SQL or assembly the question asks for — in exactly the form it specifies. Declare variables, use the given identifiers, meet every bullet point.
What loses the mark
Writing pseudocode when program code was asked for (or the reverse); ignoring an identifier the question told you to use; missing a bullet point.
A question that uses it
Write pseudocode for the function CountVowels() that takes a string and returns the number of vowels in it.
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.
491
questions
1090
parts open with it
3
median marks a part
By paper
- 2210 / 0478 Paper 13 of 210 questions · 1%
- 2210 / 0478 Paper 290 of 262 questions · 34%
- 9618 Paper 164 of 270 questions · 24%
- 9618 Paper 2127 of 251 questions · 51%
- 9618 Paper 3111 of 353 questions · 31%
- 9618 Paper 496 of 96 questions · 100%
Typical marks per part: 2 marks (23%), 3 marks (18%), 4 marks (14%), 1 mark (11%).
Topics where “Write” comes up most
- AS LevelProgramming80 questions
- O Level / IGCSEProgramming72 questions
- A2 LevelFurther Programming69 questions
- A2 LevelComputational Thinking and Problem-Solving51 questions
- AS LevelData Types and Structures41 questions
- A2 LevelData Representation35 questions
- AS LevelDatabases30 questions
- A2 LevelHardware and Virtual Machines28 questions
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 “Write”, b = the whole question.
Don't confuse it with
- Complete“add information to an incomplete diagram or table”1 mark per entry or row
- Draw“draw a line to match a term with a description”1 mark per correct line
- Sketch“make a simple freehand drawing showing the key features, taking care over proportions”2–3 marks
- Develop“take forward to a more advanced stage or build upon given information”2–6 marks
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.