The information here is taken from the OCR exam board but is applicable to all examinations.
The first few minutes….
When the invigilator utters the magic words, ‘You may now turn over the page’, avoid the temptation to rush in. Adopt a calm, methodological approach by doing the following:
- read the instructions and make sure you understand them (e.g. how many questions from how many parts, how many questions in total, do the questions attract the same proportion of the marks?)
- write out your personal details
- read the whole paper, checking both sides of the page, so that you don’t miss anything
- plan how you are going to use your time – allocate time for each question relating to the number of marks it has. Make a note of this plan and stick to it.
Selecting questions
Look for questions that relate to those parts of the course that you have revised. Read the questions carefully before you attempt to answer – what exactly is it asking? Does the question have more than one part? Make sure that you underline key words in the question – looking for the command words. Having done all this, is the question about what you think it is and do you still want to answer it if you have a choice?
Writing essay style questions in exam conditions
Writing extended response answers in examinations is similar to writing essays. Spend a few moments planning your answer before you write it.
Think about the following points:
- You need to have a structure, with a proper introduction and conclusion, and cover points in an organised way. It may be best to write less on each point and leave out some of the background.
- You need to include analysis of the points being raised and reflect upon them critically. Show understanding of different, and possibly opposing, points of view. Read the question carefully.
- You must demonstrate relevant knowledge by using terms, ideas and concepts from the course. Evidence and examples are important ways of supporting the points you make. Always ask yourself, is what I am including relevant to the question?
- It is possible to use quotes or make reference to key thinkers in the field as part of your evidence. In an examination, you do not need to include a bibliography and references.
- Use proper sentences and paragraphs rather than bullet points. Keep your writing concise, but always spell words out properly and never use ‘texting’ abbreviations.
If your mind goes blank
- Don’t panic
- If you have a plan you’re less likely to go blank in the middle of a question, but should this still happen, go on to the next question and come back later to the one you were tackling
- Another way of avoiding these blank moments is to jot down notes whenever ideas come into your head in somewhere else on the examination paper
Computing Department 