OCR GCSE Computer Science Paper 2 Practice 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

The SQL statement that is used to determine the structure of a table is "DESCRIBE." When you use the DESCRIBE command, it provides detailed information about the columns in a table, such as the names of the columns, their data types, and whether they allow NULL values. This command is particularly useful for understanding the setup of a database table, especially when you need to know how to properly interact with the data it contains.

Other commands do not serve this specific function. For example, the SELECT statement is primarily used to query and retrieve data from a database, rather than to provide structural details about a table. The SHOW command, while related to displaying information, is not universally available across all SQL databases for obtaining a table's structure. Similarly, "TABLE" is not a valid SQL command used to retrieve structural information; it lacks functionality on its own in the context of information retrieval about table structure.