Exam techniques – essay / short answers

•4 golden rules

•Answer the question

•Answer the question

•Answer the question

•ANSWER THE QUESTION

•Don’t just write everything that you know about

the subject!

Exam techniques – essay / short answer question

• Read the question & unpack it carefully.

• Underline key instruction words and paraphrase the question.

• What does the examiner want?

• Plan & organise essays before you start writing!

• Keep it relevant. Keep checking that what you are writing relates to the question.

• Keep thinking – am I answering the question?

• Make sure you put in the obvious points as well.

• Why are environmental factors and climate change more important that traditional security threats such as nuclear proliferation or aggressive states with large militaries?

1)Climate change creates higher temperatures, desertification, floods, water shortages, rising water levels and more extreme weather patterns.

2)States should focus attention more on the environmental effects of climate change than traditional security threats as they are immediate, global and a real threat.

Past exam questions

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poor marks in

exam• Not answering the exact question

•Poor time management

•Failing to weight the parts of the answer correctly

•Failing to provide evidence to support an answer or providing irrelevant evidence

•Not considering the topic in sufficient depth

•Illegible handwriting

•Poor English

•Lack of logic or structure to the answer

•Factual errors / lack of knowledge

Exam techniques -

Multiple choice

•Engage and focus - paraphrase the question.

•Use the process of elimination

•Does the answer you have chosen completely answer the question? If not, it may not be correct.

•If all else fails, trust your instincts and go with which one ‘feels’ right.

•Skip the difficult ones and come back later. There may be something in the test that jogs your memory.

•Make sure you come back to any questions you missed!!!

•Answer ALL the questions!!! Guess!!!!!

Look after yourself!

•Physically

•Try to stay healthy -vitamin tablets, exercise, sunshine etc.

•Mentally

•Keep the exams in perspective

•Talk to a counsellor at Bond if you want suggestions for nerves

The night before…

•Don’t cram!

•Get a good night’s sleep. There is a strong correlation between sleep and academic outcomes (Johns et al 1976; Medeiros et al 2001; Trockel et al 2000)

•The most important thing is to be alert for the next day.

•Make sure the car is full of petrol, everything is packed (spare pens, tissues, pencils etc) alarm clock set in plenty of time.

Stress

•Fight or flight

•Can help you perform at your peak level

•Too much affects performance