Examinations Prepared by Mr Scullion in April, 2006 - 60 slides

Learning objectives

• Draw attention to bad practices that would undermine your performance in tests

• Suggest strategies that will help you to gain all the marks you are capable of getting

Learning outcomes

• You will recognise the need for strategies

• You will pay more attention to literacy – better recognising the benefits of good comprehension skills and clear sequenced writing that uses appropriate jargon

• Examination Preparation: Mistakes you might make!

• 1. Spotting Questions

• Spotting questions is by far one of the most common mistakes many students make when preparing for a test or exam paper. It is also the worst mistake you can commit before sitting a paper.

• For subjects that require much memory work, such as science, many students try to take the easy way out by trying to spot what questions would appear in the paper. Such students believe that they can read their teachers’ or examiners’ minds. Are you trained in telepathy or fortune-telling? We don’t think so.

• Instead of spotting questions, you should spot topics if you must.

2. Cramming too much information.

Unfortunately for most of us, our brains can often only retain 10% to 20% of the information that we read. More unfortunately, we cannot control what will be that 10% or 20% of information that we will remember!

• So, instead you should concentrate on understanding what is written in those pages. If you can understand what each topic in your textbook is about, why would you even need to memorise all those pages?

• When trying to memorise – it is best to work in 20-minute bursts with several minutes of a break in between

Examination Mistakes

Failing to scan through the questions onceFailing to allocate time for each questionStarting with the most difficult question

Jumping straight into answering a question without proper planning

Misinterpreting a questionProducing an incoherent answer

Poor (lazy) writing styleWriting illegibly

Writing too much or too littleFailing to answer all the unanswered questions in the

last few minutesReading and writing too slowly

Forgetting to answer unanswered questionsFailing to check your answers

Failing to bring along required stationery or items

Jumping straight into answering a question without proper planning

Below are the suggested steps in planning an answer to aquestion:

• Always spend a half-minute or more thinking through a question.

• Underline the key words in the question

• Make quick notes in point form as you brainstorm for all the relevant points and ideas that come to your mind.

• Using scientific words select out the key points.

• Taking account of the space provided, now write your answer concisely without repeating the words of the question

• I would recommend starting with ”the obvious” and building upon it.For example, in explaining why copper is used in electrical wiring:

• Copper is a good conductor of electricity and it is ductile, meaning that it can be stretched out without breaking.

Misinterpreting a question

• The only way to avoid misinterpreting a question is to read through the question at least twice. Underline the key words in the question. Make sure you understand what those keywords mean. Some examples of keywords which some students have problems with are:

• Describe

• Outline

• State

• List

• Explain

• Evaluate

• Discuss

• Where a question contains a few parts, and your answer to two of the parts are similar, you must immediately realise that you have misinterpreted at least one of the partial questions. Proceed to correct your answers.

Producing an incoherent answer

• One of the worst things you can do to put off the teacher or examiner marking your paper is to write incoherently. That is, your thoughts and ideas are badly expressed and very difficult for the marker to understand. In short, your writing does not make sense.

• The thing about incoherent writing is that students who write like that do not realise that only they themselves understand what they are writing about!

• The only way to make sure that you do not write incoherently in a test or exam paper is to write more often.

Poor writing style

What is your writing style in a typical test or exam paper?

• "What writing style? I don’t even have enough time writing!" you may say.

• Well, think again. The reason why you may experience insufficient time for your test and exam papers could be because you have a poor writing style. Or because you have no writing style at all.

• That could also explain why a classmate got a higher score than you did for the same question when both of you had similar answers. It’s a matter of style.

• An easy-to-read writing style makes good reading.

Writing illegibly

• Illegible handwriting is a common cause of low test and exam scores for many students. Terrible handwriting makes reading more difficult and sometimes causes misunderstanding.

In particular, you should:

• Plan your answers, so that you do not have to resort to inserting lines of text and arrows.

• In some cases you might leave a blank line after each line of text, so that you may insert additional words where necessary.

• Write in black ink or dark blue ink.

Let’s learn with the real thing!

• I have chosen a number of past paper questionsThese are available on an accompanying handout

• They were chosen to illustrate where your literacy skills will play an important role

• They highlight problems where misunderstanding can undermine your science learning

• They highlight the necessity for you to think out your answers well – sometimes drawing together knowledge from different topics.

• They highlight the benefits of clear writing – even scientists need to be able to string words together!

Question: Low emphasis on literacy.Some of the answers are wrong! Our Question1

Correct Answers

Plain Language Our Question 2

Answer: 4 Marks – 4 Points

In (b) what is the Examiner getting at?Our Question 3

Answers

• They are too large or

They need to be small

• To be absorbed orTo get into the blood

What is the Examiner getting at?Too little thought by this student!

Our question 4

Expected answer

Any two accepted from these 3:

• To receive a fertilized egg or implantation

• It is where the embryo will develop

• It must have a good blood supply

“Too quick on the fire” - stop and think! Our question 5

• Iron ore has recently been discovered near to the village of East Castle. An iron mine is being established.

• Give two advantages and two disadvantages for the village likely to arise from the mining.

Expected answers• Advantages:

More work for the villagersMore business for local shops

Do not accept cheap iron or more iron for villagersDo not accept increased tourism or more people coming.

• Disadvantages:Eyesore or scars countrysideMore noise and dust pollutionMore congestion on the roads

Do not accept pollution

Metals have lots of uses- but can you match the best properties to uses?

Our question 6

• Explain why copper is used in making electrical cables

• Explain why steel is used to make saucepans

• Explain why saucepan handles are often made of plastic or wood

Expected answers

• Copper is a good ELECTRICAL conductor

• Copper is ductile and be stretched into wires

• Steel is malleable, so it can be shaped

• Steel is a good THERMAL conductor

• Plastic and wood are THERMAL insulators so the handle remains cool for lifting.

Observations – information gathered by your senses.Our question 7

• What is observed when magnesium powder is added to an aqueous solution of copper sulphate?

• What is observed when sodium metal is added to water?

• Describe and explain the significance of what the botanist Brown observed when he observed a pollen grain in water with his microscope

Expected answers• The grey magnesium powder turns pink/red.

Do not accept copper is formed• The blue solution fades in colour or goes colourless

Do not accept changes colour.Click here to see what happens

• The sodium floats, bubbles vigorously, generates heat, turns UI in water blue/violet

• Do not accept hydrogen is formed or sodium hydroxide is formed – not observations!

• Click here to see what happens

• Brown saw the grain continue to move around erratically. [You could draw a diagram to reinforce your description.] It allowed him to conclude that particles of water, much to small to be seen, were colliding with the grain making it change its direction time and time again. This demonstration provides evidence to support the Particle Theory and the Kinetic Theory of matter.

Click here to see the movement. Click here to see the cause!

Recall Christina Rossetti’s poem “Who has seen the wind?”

Who has seen the wind?By Christina Rossetti

• Who has seen the wind?• Neither I nor you:• But when the leaves hang

trembling• The wind is passing thro'

• Who has seen the wind?• Neither you nor I:• But when the trees bow

down their heads• The wind is passing by.

• Questions:

• 1. What is the poem about?• 2. What is wind made of?• 3. Where is wind? Where do

you find the most wind? Is wind air?

• 4. What is air?• 5. Does the wind move? How

do you know wind moves? • 6. Why do the trees bow their

heads?

Particles in explanation – sequencing!Our question 8

• When a bottle of perfume is opened in a classroom the smell spreads throughout the room.

• In terms of particles, explain why this happens

Expected in the answer

• When opened, some liquid perfume evaporates. Even a tiny drop will produce millions of scented vapour particles.

• Air particles whizzing around the room collide with then time and again and spread them out in all directions

• The scented particles enter noses where they trigger smell receptors

Definitions – a point for every markOur question 9

Define what is meant by the followingchemical terms:

• Compounds [2 marks]

• Isotopes [2 marks]

• Bases [2 marks]

• Thermal Decomposition [2 marks]

Note with two words, define both words!

Expected answers:• Compound are made from two or more elements

(1) chemically combined (1)

• Isotopes are different atoms of the same element with the same number of protons (1) and different numbers of neutrons (1)

• Bases are chemicals that can neutralise (1) an acid (1)

• In thermal decomposition a compound is broken down (1) using heat (1)

An “interpret” and “explain” questionAre there any words you don’t fully understand? Our Question 10

Answers required

Why didn’t they accept “plants cannot grow”

What would you underline in (b)? Our question 11

Expected answers to (b) …breathing in

The diaphragm goes down (or flattens)

The ribs go up (or out)

Do not accept “ribs expand”!

Why do they not accept “ribs expand”?

Click here to see an animation of breathing – start at the half-way point!

Organizing your thoughts – sequencing steps Our question 12

Expected answers• Filter the liquid

• Heat the solution

• to evaporate the water

Do accept “leave a few days”Do not accept “sieve”.

Mind maps or concept maps are good for advancedPlanning. Here is an example:

Which words best identify the task?Our question 13

(d) Give two reasons why dry ice is better than ordinary ice for transporting packages of materials that need to be cold.

Expected answers

• Colder than Ice

• Does not get wet

Accept “it has a lower melting point”

Accept “it does not become liquid”

Do not accept “it is lighter”

Try b(i) – what are we being asked?Our question 14

Expected answers

Now let’s try some Extension Papers!

• These only test the most difficult topics.

• Our best students typically score in the 50s

• Those achieving Level 8 will have scored more than 170 marks out of 220

• Level 8 students have reached a standard that indicates they would already pass Double Award Science!

Read all parts before starting!To avoid repeating yourself Our question 15

Expected answers

Visualising what you are reading Our question 16

Expected answers

“what happens to the particles”? Our question 17

Understanding the question – then applying your knowledge Our question 18

A lengthy description – sequencing! Our question 19

You are given two samples of blue paint. One from an original painting, the other from a suspected forgery. Both samples of paint are soluble in methylated spirits. With the aid of a diagram, describe an experiment you could carry out to show if the blue paint is the same in both paints.

5 marksSpot the danger!

2 marks for “aid of a diagram”

What should be included?

Reflect and use common senseOur question 20

Bluebells and primroses are plants that formtheir flowers in early spring. In what ways does this help them to survive in parts of the wood that have a closed canopy during the Winter?

Perhaps a little lateral thinking is needed.These plants have done a lot of their business for the year before most others even get started

Expected in the answer

Capable of picking up subtle clues Our question 21

Expected answers

Underline the important words Our question 22

Expected answers

Heating Ice: Visualisation helps Why does the temperature stop rising? Our question 23

A block of ice was removed from a freezer and heated up at a steady rate. The temperature was recorded every minute. Can you explain why the temperature stopped rising for a period of time before once again starting to rise?

Expected in the answer

• The temperature stops rising during the time period that the ice is melting.

• While melting, bonds have to be broken between the molecules. The energy being supplied by the heat is used for this instead.

• When the ice has fully melted the heat starts to warm the water once again.

Prepared by Mr Scullion in April 2006

Magnesium + Copper Sulphate = Magnesium sulphate + Copper

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