Exam Techniques and Useful Information

Question 1

Breakdown and tips for each section of the BBKA Module 2 paper

Answer 1

Familiarisation and Exam Technique
1. Open up and perhaps print off a couple of the past papers I sent through to familiarise yourself with the format. If you take the exam online in April you will have one hour and forty five minutes. Experience suggests that time is always tight.

2. Section A requires one word or short phrase answers. Allow no more than 10 minutes.
3. Section B requires you to answer four out of five questions. Most questions will be broken
   down into sections with the marks shown for each section in the right hand column. In most cases this means one mark per point though occasionally it means half a mark per point. You will not be given extra marks if you add extra points! Bullet point answers are best.

Two points
• Take care in selecting which question to discard.
• Do not allow yourself to get bogged down in a question. 12 minutes per question should suffice, perhaps a few minutes more when typing.

4. Section C. There are 30 points on offer in this section so deciding which question is best for you is key. Sometimes it is a very simple decision, more often it’s not! More descriptive answers are required but you will still need to assume that it is a mark for each correct point.
5. It is also worth considering in which order to tackle the sections. I think everybody does Section A first. The debate is whether to do Section B or Section C next. With 30 points on offer I do Section C before B.
6. Time planning. Time available is 105 minutes.
   • 10 minutes for Section A.
   Time left 95 minutes.

• 12-15 minutes for Section B = 48 to 60 minutes.
This leaves 35 minutes min for Section C and a read
through.

7. Pass Mark. The pass mark is 60%. 70%+ earns a
   Credit and 80%+ earns a Distinction!

Question 2

When Studying Pollens in Honey a good reference book is Apis through the looking glass.

Answer 2

Apis through the looking glass.

Question 3

Critical temperatures

Answer 3

10-14 degrees C ideal to store honey in bulk in airtight containers, in a dry environment.

14 degrees C Optimum temperature for granulation.

32 degrees C safe temperature to warm set honey in bulk to.

50 degrees C safe temperature to warm liquid honey to in bulk for 24-48 hours before bottling.

60 Degrees C for 45minutes is a safe temperature to warm jarred honey to before applying labels for sale.