NEBOSH Exam technique – the P.E.E. Principle
This guidance is designed to help you apply the P.E.E. Principle (Point, Evidence, Explanation), where relevant, to structure your answer and gain good marks in NEBOSH scenario-based assessments. This exam technique is applicable across courses like the NEBOSH National and International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, and the NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals.
Why Use a Systematic Approach?
The things that NEBOSH expect you to include in your answer will be made clear by the question and any supplementary note. There is no trickery intended; the question wording will use plain English in a health and safety context. However, having a systematic method that you can use to answer a question can save you time and effort and make sure that every point you make counts. This is part of what is called ‘exam technique’. Exam technique helps you answer consistently and efficiently.
One of these techniques is the P.E.E. Principle. It can be used for certain types of questions. It is not a new concept, and it is not unique to health and safety. P.E.E. has been used in schools, colleges, and universities for decades as an efficient way for learners to answer many types of questions across all subjects. It is also widely used by question writers to write the corresponding mark schemes for certain types of questions.
Watch our video on the P.E.E. technique.
What is the P.E.E. Principle Structure?
The P.E.E. Principle consists of three key elements, which work together to help you structure each of your answers.
Point: the point to be made. This is not simply retrieved from the scenario but arrived at through logical inference from the evidence in the scenario.
Evidence: the evidence that supports the point being made. This is retrieved from the scenario.
Explanation: the reason(s) why the evidence supports the point. This is not retrieved from the scenario but is a way of logically connecting the point made with the evidence. It provides the ‘so what?’.
The point: Logical Deduction
A common pitfall in scenario-based exams is that some learners simply copy evidence or information from the scenario and present it as their answer. Simply copying and pasting paragraphs of evidence or information from the scenario and providing them as an answer will not attract any marks. The intention is to test the learner’s ability to understand the health and safety implications in the scenario and then apply that knowledge in practice by using the P.E.E. principle in their answers.
By carefully reading the scenario and extracting relevant evidence, you can combine this information with your knowledge and understanding of health and safety — including principles, guidance, codes of practice, and best practice — to deduce the Point, which is the main idea or argument that directly addresses the question and you want to make in your answer.
The Evidence: Linking to the Scenario
Another common pitfall is that some learners simply state knowledge (the Point) gained from the course without linking it to the scenario, which does not demonstrate the application of knowledge in practice. To gain marks, your Point must clearly connect to the scenario provided and directly address the question.
The Evidence should be relevant and directly support the point being made. This is retrieved from the scenario. Many learners demonstrate this basic skill of identifying key information, but it must always link clearly to the point you are making rather than simply listing facts.
The Explanation: Demonstrating Understanding
The Explanation is what connects your evidence to your point and shows the examiner your reasoning. Without the ‘Explanation’ part, the question could simply be testing whether you can read. In that case, anyone could answer it, even without any health and safety knowledge, so it would not be a valid test of applying health and safety knowledge. It is the ‘Explanation’ that turns your answer into something which really demonstrates your understanding by showing why the evidence supports the point.
Practical guidance on P.E.E.
You will not have to use the P.E.E. technique when answering some questions. It will depend on the context of the question and how obvious the connection is. Sometimes the point you are making, and the explanation are so closely connected that no further explanation is needed.
You should be guided by the question wording and/or other relevant statements (see question types) to decide whether to apply P.E.E. Remember there is no mystery to this. Adopting a P.E.E. approach simply helps you to be more systematic in structuring your answer to the certain types of question.
P.E.E is useful when answering certain types of questions that require you to make a logical conclusion, explain your answers and cite evidence to support it. Unsurprisingly, P.E.E can also be an efficient way to structure the corresponding mark schemes. So, depending on the question, the mark scheme will have a combination of theoretical technical points as well as points for evidence cited from the scenario. There may also be points available for showing how the evidence supports the point you are making – the explanation part of P.E.E.
In some NEBOSH scenario-based questions, the guidance to learners section states:
“Your responses to most of these tasks should wholly, or partly, draw on relevant information/evidence from the scenario. The task will clearly state the extent to which this is required.”
This directly connects to the P.E.E. Principle. The NEBOSH requirement to use scenario evidence is built into the P.E.E. approach: simply stating knowledge (the Point) gained from the course without linking it to the scenario does not demonstrate application in practice. The Point is the main idea or argument you want to make, derived by logically interpreting the scenario in the context of your health and safety knowledge. The Evidence component ensures you refer directly to the scenario, while the Explanation shows your ability to interpret that information and apply your knowledge effectively in context.
NEBOSH also advises:
“Avoid writing too little as this will make it difficult for the Examiner to award marks. Single word answers or lists are unlikely to gain marks as this would not normally be enough to show understanding or a connection with the scenario.”
This clearly implies the need for Explanation. Without explaining why the evidence supports your point, you are unlikely to demonstrate understanding or make a meaningful connection to the scenario. The Explanation component is therefore essential to show your reasoning, link the scenario evidence to your point, and ensure your answer meets NEBOSH expectations for applying knowledge in context.
Conclusion: Mastering P.E.E. in NEBOSH
In summary, applying the P.E.E. principle is a fundamental exam technique for structuring answers to NEBOSH scenario-based questions clearly and effectively. This is the definitive answer to the question: What is P.E.E. in NEBOSH? By making a Point, supporting it with relevant Evidence from the scenario, and providing a brief Explanation, you demonstrate your understanding and ability to apply health and safety knowledge in practice, helping you avoid common pitfalls and achieve higher marks in NEBOSH assessments, whether you are taking the NEBOSH National General Certificate, NEBOSH International General Certificate or the NEBOSH Diploma.