Writing Essays In Exam Conditions This workshop will: - Introduce you to common examination formats - Offer a model for managing the time allocated for the exam on the day - Provide tips on essay-writing techniques during an exam Teaching points: 1. Various examination formats 2. Self-assessment of your examination skills 3. Settling in 4. The Meek technique 5. Answering the questions 6. Managing your time in exams 7. Techniques and tips for examinations 1
1. Various examination formats Essays are possibly the best known written examination format (some exams are not writing-based, such as presentations, and laboratory and other practicals) but there are others which will be discussed first. Multiple-choice: these usually require you to choose one answer from a selection, although the question may ask you to choose more than one answer. Do not forget to. Use the method for showing your answer as stated in the instructions Answer the questions you are sure of first to give you confidence and to maximise your marks If you are unsure of the answer, first reject those you know are incorrect. This increases your chances of answering the question correctly Do not leave any question unanswered a guess might just get you a mark *Some tutors may use negative marking which could mean you lose a mark if you don t answer a question or get one wrong. Check with your tutor before your multiple-choice exam if negative marking is being applied and ask for a full explanation of how it works. Technical: these require you to apply set procedures or formulae to resolve given problems. Unlike essay-based answers, there is little opportunity for personalised approaches as there is usually a set, or correct, answer. Do not forget to. Pay attention to the details, e.g. use the units of measurement required and make sure these are clearly identified in your answer and any diagrams If you must include diagrams, use a sharp pencil and proper measuring tools Make it easy and clear for the marker to award marks, e.g. write solution and differentiate where appropriate Show and highlight the method you are using Short answer: these tend to require descriptive responses as opposed to essaybased exams which tend to be more analytical. You could be asked to List items, e.g. key aspects of a piece of equipment Provide the main aspects of a theory Give the details of a simple experiment or specific procedures, e.g. how to manipulate a limb Provide the main similarities and differences between two items, groups, theories etc. 2
Do not forget to State your points clearly Order your points so the most important or significant are first Avoid waffle no padding out Be succinct no unnecessary material 2. Self-assessment of your examination skills Activity 1: Self-assessment Before concentrating on writing essays effectively in exams, complete the self-audit below by ticking the appropriate box. Do I Y N Read the whole paper carefully? Follow all instructions? Answer the correct number of questions in full? Plan time well, so that I can check through my answers? Know exactly how long I have for each question? Share out time according to the marks available? Use all of the available time? Read each question at least twice? Spend time working out what all the questions mean? Ask myself what the examiner is looking for? Spend enough time considering the best questions for me? Feel confident about what I am expected to do? Find questions that are similar to ones I have practised? Find I have revised enough topics? Know what a good answer looks like? Know which writing style is appropriate? Know the correct format or layout? Plan my answers (on paper or in my head)? Develop a clear argument (where appropriate)? Use examples from the course materials? Avoid irrelevant detail and going off at tangents? Get to the point quickly? Avoid flowery language and vague introductions? Include an introduction and a conclusion? Keep focused on the exam during the exam? Check my answers for mistakes? Check my answers to see if they make sense? Adapted from Cottrell (2003) 3
If you answered no to any of the above, go through the relevant sections of this handbook in your own time and work out what you need to practise. 3. Settling in Lots of people are nervous before an examination, including some people who say they do not. Being a little nervous is a good thing as it means you care about your performance. You will have attended lectures, completed coursework, revised and practised on past papers (hopefully). Make sure you slept well, you re not in a rush, will have eaten, have all the necessary equipment (pens, pencils, etc.), and be fairly calm. It will all be over very soon - as King Solomon said (allegedly): This too shall pass So you are in, have organised your desk and are ready. You do not need luck, you will be fine. You have been told you can start, so what do you do first? 4. The Meek technique Before answering that question, we will look at the Meek technique. Many students, quite rightly, allocate a certain amount of time to answer each question and allow time at the end for revisions. However, the vast majority of students tend to run dry answering the question approximately ¾ of the way through the time they have allotted to it; by this time they are likely to have accrued the vast majority of their marks. The rest of the time allocated to that question is usually spent looking into space trying to find inspiration or beginning the following question early. If you were to plot how many marks you would gain over the time allocated to an answer on a graph, it would look like this: Marks gained % You can see there is a massive drop-off in mark-gain in the last quarter of the time you ve allocated. The technique described below has been shown to improve marks 3/4 4 Time
by up to 10%. It is simple to implement but does take a little practice (past exam papers can be helpful with this). Below is a full list of the steps required, and we will then look at each one in turn. Step 1: Do a mind dump of everything you can think of relating to each question s topic on to a mind map in 5 minutes. Step 2: Based on the amount of information you ve dumped for each question, select the question/s you think you will answer best and create mind maps for each, adding anything else you can think of. Step 3: Draw boundaries around the strongest themes and label each theme with a number representing the order you will write them out in the essay (n.b you are likely to have leftover weak themes). Steps 2 and 3 should take 2 minutes for each question. Step 4: Now allocate writing time for each question; subtract the time already spent from the whole exam time, then divide the remainder by the number of questions you must answer. Step 5: Allocate three quarters of the time for writing so you will have 25% left over for each question Step 6: Now start writing! Use the whole of the three quarters time allocated and move on to the next question immediately and so on. You will have x no. minutes left at the end to go back to each questions mind maps to add more points to each answer. Step 7: Make sure YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION. After practising this system and knowing the format of the exam, you will have a template of the time you have for each step and will not need to work it out on the day. TALKING POINT Let s do this together based on the following questions: a) Evaluate the HE student loan system s impact on individuals and the UK economy. b) Critically analyse the steps taken by universities to widen access to Universitylevel education. c) Explore how HE institutions have internationalised their student population and curriculum. d) Discuss the various student support provision for HE students with disabilities. 5
Activity 2: Your subject Choose four topics relating to your course subject and follow the steps. Step 1: Mind dump mind map in 5 minutes using this page Your course 6
Step 2: Select three of the topics and create mind maps for each. Step 3:Draw boundaries around the themes you will use. You have 2 minutes for each First topic 7
Second topic 8
Third topic 9
Step 4: If your exam is an hour long, deduct the time you ve already taken doing the mind maps above and see what s left.. Now divide that number by three so you have an amount of time for each answer.. Step 5: Work out what ¾ of that is..and what a ¼ is.. Step 6: At this point you would start writing solidly for x minutes per answer (in this example.minutes) and then have 4 mins per answer (in this example..minutes) at the end to go back to your mind maps and add the extra weak themes and so collect your extra marks! Step 7: Don t forget to answer the question by looking for key and command words. Your mark allocation grid should now look like this: Marks gained % 3/4 Time 5. Answering the questions You must remember to answer the question which means you must check the exact wording of each question what is it asking you to do? Key words and especially command words will give you clues. Command words tell you what the marker wants you to do and how they want you to do it. These are definitions of a question which is asking you to answer either using description or critical analysis: Descriptive questions/tasks Test your knowledge of a subject and your ability to present ideas in a clear and organised way. You are expected to identify the component parts, main elements and distinguishing features of any topic under discussion. Critically analytic questions/tasks Test your knowledge of a subject but they are more concerned with your ability to get below the surface of a subject. You are expected to examine it from different perspectives or points of view and (if applicable) to propose alternative ideas, models, and practices. 10
Activity 3: Command words Which command words would you find in a descriptive or analytical question? In pairs or small group, decide which go into which box. Discuss Illustrate Demonstrate Comment on Consider Show how Examine Compare and contrast Identify Describe State Summarise Evaluate Interpret Trace Justify Explain Criticise Outline Distinguish between Descriptive Classify Define Critically analytic Account for Analyse Just like in your assignments, everything you write has to be relevant to the question. Avoid the temptation to just write everything you know about the subject by making sure you tailor your answer to the specific question. Do not think you are saving time or covering all the angles by writing down everything you know about a subject. Marks are given for critical analysis (breaking down and evaluating), argument (taking a stand and supporting it with reasons/points), and selection (pinpointing what to write about). Keep checking your mind map to stay focused so you do not repeat yourself, waffle or forget something. Tick off each point as you address it. Write your answer as if you were writing an essay. It should have: An introduction A main body (paragraphed) with the points you wish to make supported by evidence A conclusion drawing together your reasoning 11
Do not try to be clever and include jokes, or over-long quotations, or lists of questions, or anything else bizarre or new (unless specifically asked to do so). This is not what is expected and makes it difficult for the marker to find the points you wish to make. Whilst this might seem difficult, include references in your answers. Check with your course tutor whether this is expected: if it isn t, simply providing the names and years of some key works/theories/policies may impress your marker. If it is, ensure you know exactly what is expected, for example, does the marker wan to see a full reference list at the end? Always read through your answers to edit and proofread. Make sure it is legible and makes sense if it does not make sense to you, it will not to the markers. 6. Managing your time in exams Make sure you keep an eye on the clock to ensure you stay on track for the amount of time you have allocated to your questions. A common mistake is to spend too much time on your first answer, and rushing the following ones which will have an impact on the marks you receive. The Meek technique should ensure you do not start writing your answers until you are sure you are going to finish them. However, you must choose well as writing only half an answer will only gain a maximum of half the marks. Start writing as quickly as you can, even if your plans are not complete. Could you be putting off starting to write your answer? What do you do if you're running out of time? Let s say you have time left to do one question, but two questions are left. Which one do you choose? The way to maximise your marks is to do the first half of both of them. You gain marks faster at the start of a question than at the end. If you do not have time to write full sentences, but you do know what to include, just write bullet points. If you do not have time to do the calculations, write and explain what calculations you would do. You may get marks for method. Write a quick sentence such as Due to time constraints I am unable to finish this answer but would have included the points found on the mind map coloured/numbered/etc. 12
7. Techniques and tips for examinations Check how many questions you need to answer for each section and in what order (if appropriate). Use your first pages as your mind maps pages. Write on every other line for editing and proofreading purposes. Write on every second page to indicate where extra information you have just remembered should be inserted when you are editing. Take in coloured pens to show markers where additional information is inserted and colour-code your mind maps. Take a bottle of water in with you. Sip it slowly throughout the whole examination as it will help to keep you calm. Your brain and body need to keep hydrated and there is research suggesting this can make a significant difference to your grades. Check the back of the paper to see if there are further questions - many people forget to do this. If there are four marks available for the description of XXX, then the marking scheme will probably have four key points. Mention them all, and you get the marks. Often, tutors will have a list of five or six points, and give one mark for each of them, up to a maximum of four. One thing you can be (reasonably) certain of: if you have not made four key points, you have missed something. Do not panic if your mind goes blank: the technique above minimises the risk of this as you can just go back to your mind map. What you need will probably come back to you later- and if it does not, it may not be critical. Find a point of calm. Breathe slowly. Never leave an exam early as there is always a way to improve your paper. Check, and check again. When you have finished, go back to the beginning, and try to answer the questions in different ways, and check they agree with your original answers. Perhaps you could add more explanations. REMEMBER: there is enough time as your tutors do not set exam questions which cannot be completed in the allotted time. Don t forget, many students have done it before you and many will do it afterwards. 13
This workshop focused on writing in exams; if you need support in planning your revision or with revision strategies, please visit our website or us via Chesham B0.23. If you feel your anxiety may interfere with your ability to perform well in an examination, you may wish to check out the self-help resources on the Counselling Service website or contact them for more information about any workshops they may be run on this: www.bradford.ac.uk/counselling. References Camilla Training Aspects Ltd. (2015) Dumper and dump truck. Cardenden, Camilla Training Aspects Ltd. http://www.camillatraining.co.uk/articulated%20dumptruck.htm Accessed 20 August 2015. Cottrell, S. (2003) The study skills handbook. 2nd ed. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Cottrell, S. (2007) The exam skills handbook. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Cyzewski, E. (2015) Boundary value analysis in software tsting. Columbus. http://edcyzewski.com/2015/03/09/i-limited-my-time-on-facebook-and-this-is-whathappene/ Accessed 20 August 2015. Palgrave Study Skills. (2014) Exam techniques. Basingstoke, Macmillan Publishers Ltd. http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/exams/techniques.asp Accessed 18 March 2014. Pearce, D. (2014) Exam techniques, tips and tricks. York, University of York. http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~dajp1/exam_hints/exams.html Accessed 18 March 2014. Tingo. (2015) Keep calm and answer the question. http://www.tingoed.com/bodrep- --teaching-the-writing-process.html Accessed 20 August 2015. 14
Answers Activity 3: Command words Descriptive Critically Analytic Classify Define Demonstrate Describe Explain Illustrate Identify Outline Show how State Summarise Trace Account for Analyse Comment on Compare and contrast Consider Criticise Discuss Distinguish between Evaluate Examine Explore Interpret Justify Descriptive terms Define Describe State Classify Identify Demonstrate Illustrate Show how Outline Summarise Action expected You are expected to locate, identify, and present the main features, elements, or components of the topic under discussion and, if applicable, the underpinning theoretical knowledge of the subject. As above, plus you would be expected to present and explain examples to show that you understand how something works, e.g. how a theory, model, idea, or practice can be applied to a given situation. You are expected to identify and summarise the main points of the topic under discussion. Trace This means that you identify and outline the stages of development of the topic under discussion. Account for You would clarify why something is as it is, or what Explain happened in any given situation. Critically analytic terms Discuss Examine Explore Evaluate Consider Interpret Comment on Action expected If you see any of these command terms you are expected to identify and explain the main features of the subject under discussion, including the main theories, ideas, models, or practices underpinning the topic. If applicable, you would be expected to know of and weigh up any counter-arguments and to make connections between different ideas, models, or practices. 15
Analyse Criticise This involves a detailed scrutiny of the topic in question. This could include explaining the origins, structure, organisation, or development of the topic in question, the positive and negative features of it, and the connections between theories, ideas, models, and practices. You would also demonstrate your awareness of any flaws in particular points of view, and your knowledge of alternative viewpoints. Justify This involves making out a case and giving reasons to support a particular viewpoint, position, judgement, or decision against other possibilities. Compare and contrast Distinguish between This involves a close study of the differences between one idea, phenomena, or situation, and another. You would need to identify the structure or features of one and make comparisons with another. You may be required to make a judgement on which is more applicable or relevant for the situation in question. 16