The DECIDE SMART Mnemonic
Part of Decision Making Skills · GCSE GCSE Geography revision
This memory aid covers The DECIDE SMART Mnemonic within Decision Making Skills for GCSE Geography. Revise Decision Making Skills in Decision Making & Issue Evaluation for GCSE Geography with 15 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 12 of 15 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
Topic position
Section 12 of 15
Practice
15 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
🧠 The DECIDE SMART Mnemonic
There are 11 key steps in the complete decision-making process. The mnemonic DECIDE SMART gives you all 11 in order — use it as a checklist before you begin any decision-making answer.
| Letter | Step | The Key Question |
|---|---|---|
| D | Define the decision clearly | "What exactly is being decided? Where? By whom? By when?" |
| E | Evidence from the Resource Booklet | "Which specific statistics support or challenge each option?" |
| C | Consider ALL stakeholders | "Who is affected? Do not skip the ones you disagree with." |
| I | Identify the trade-offs | "What does each option sacrifice? Who loses out with each choice?" |
| D | Decision: state it clearly first | "Sentence 1 of your answer = your recommendation." |
| E | Explain your reasoning | "Why these criteria? Why do they matter for this specific place?" |
| S | Stakeholders: RAVES analysis | "Role — Attitude — Values — Evidence — Significance" |
| M | Matrix: compare options systematically | "Score all options against the same criteria. Weight your priorities." |
| A | Acknowledge opposing views | "What is the strongest argument against your recommendation?" |
| R | Reach a justified conclusion | "3C: Claim → Criteria → Conclusion with trade-offs" |
| T | Trade-offs: state explicitly what you sacrifice | "Explain why the gain is worth the loss — in geographical terms." |
Memory trick for DECIDE: The first six letters cover the core framework steps — what you do before writing. The last five letters (SMART) cover how you execute the answer — what you do while writing. Decide, then write SMART.