Exam preperation

Question 1

Things to remember in the exam:

Answer 1

Make a small plan at start of questions. Show evidence of further reading, knowledge of topics not covered in lecture, cite a few papers, critical thought e.g. pros/cons/uncertainties etc, academic terminology, originality, intro/main body/conclusion, paragraphs, good spelling & grammar.

Question 2

How can you include critical thought in the exam?

Answer 2

Discuss debates in the literature, uncertainties, pros and cons of e.g. proxies, give your views if appropriate.

Question 3

How is the exam structured? (Sections, time etc).

Answer 3

2 hour long exam. Answer 1 of 3 questions from section A (past climate changes) for an hour ish, answer 1 of 3 questions from section B (present and future climate changes) for an hour ish.

Question 4

Important references to note at the start of the exam:

Answer 4

(Wanner et al., 2008) – Holocene climate change, Intertropical Convergence zone, ENSO.

(Rafferty, 2014) – MWP.

(Matthews and Briffa, 2005) – LIA.

(Li et al., 2016) – Importance of multiple proxies, tree rings, boreholes.

(NASA, 2018) – GeoCarb.

(The Guardian, 2018) – 2017 US climate hazard record.

(National Geographic, 2017) – Desertification, China Great Green Wall.

(Vonberg, 2017) – Mitigation.

(Woolf et al., 2010) – Biochar.

Question 5

How many pages and points are you aiming for?

Answer 5

5 ish pages per question, between 4-6 ish key ideas per question depending on how well developed they are.