General Exam Skills Flashcards
What is the first thing you should do in the exam?
Skim and highlight the questions to focus your reading.
How long should you spend reading the sources?
15 minutes.
Read and highlight the sources before answering any questions.
If you really struggle with a question, what is the best thing to do?
Plan if it’s a longer question.
If you’re still struggling, go to the next question, but make sure you leave time to go back to it.
What should you do before answering questions 4, 5 and 6?
Take up to five minutes to plan your answers.
This will make you quicker in the long run, as you will focus your thoughts.
How long should you spend on Section A?
One hour.
If you haven’t completed question 4 after an hour, spend no more than five minutes finishing it, then move on. You can always make time to go back to it at the end.
What should you make sure you have for the exam?
A highlighter and a pen that will be comfortable to use for an extended period of time.
What if you don’t know how to start question 5 or 6?
If it’s a ‘writing to describe’ question, set the scene using pathetic fallacy.
If you are informing, advising or arguing, write a paragraph to introduce the topic or your point of view.
If you have time left at the end of the exam, what should you do?
Proofread all of your answers to check for errors (such as missing evidence, punctuation or paragraphs).
You might not want to do this, but you will most likely spot a few errors that need correcting.
How long should you spend on question 1?
12 minutes.
How long should you spend on question 2?
12 minutes.
How long should you spend on question 3?
12 minutes.
How long should you spend on question 4?
24 minutes.
How long should you spend on question 5?
25 minutes.
How long should you spend on question 6?
35 minutes.
Give yourself the appropriate amount of time for this question, as it is worth the most marks.
