Fiducia TogetherScientific vocabulary
Using the right word. In science the word IS the mark.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Science mark schemes award specific terms, and near-synonyms usually do not score.
Where it applies
All three sciences.
How it works
Terms have precise meanings that everyday usage blurs — weight and mass, speed and velocity, heat and temperature, denatured and killed, evaporation and boiling.
Examiners' reports name the same confusions every year.
How to use it in your work
Learn the pairs that are commonly confused and be able to state the difference in one sentence each.
When a question says 'name' or 'state', give the term and nothing else.
Re-read your answer for words like 'thing', 'stuff' and 'goes' and replace them.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.