Writing answers directly off your cheatsheet in the exam

[parabola]

Can you do this?

[tony3272]

If it answers the question properly (do you mean like definitions and stuff?) then it's fine. It's not like VCAA are going to try and find out where you pulled your answers from.

However, you should be careful not to be too general with your answer. In  the assessment report for our midyear exam it was mentioned that people did just rewrite things from their cheat sheet but did not relate it to the question (e.g giving a definition for gravitational motion but not saying how it affects object A ) and hence did not get full marks.

[Lasercookie]

VCAA has complained in just about every assessor report for the past few years about students just writing answers from their cheat sheet. I would assume their only way of guessing this has been done is if students have provided a ridiculously detailed answer that's pretty irrelevant to the question.

What I do is make sure I answer the question properly and that I don't provide any irrelevant information. If it's a three mark question, you only need to provide approx. three dot points.

e.g. If the question asks how does Young's experiment support the wave model (I think Q1 from the 2010 VCAA L&M section asked this), don't write about the particle model if you've already discussed how the wave model supports it (though I think proving that it supports the wave model by providing evidence that the particle model doesn't; that could be a legitimate answer - I don't know).

Actually, that's a good example in that paragraph there. That bit I added about how you could answer using the particle model is an irrelevant point

[parabola]

Yes, for definitions. You need to leave your cheat sheet with your exam though don't you? So they'd know if you copied an answer word for word?

laseredd, at the TSFX lectures they said it is valid to explain how the particle model does not explain Young's experiment as a point in your answer.

[b^3]

Yes, for definitions. You need to leave your cheat sheet with your exam though don't you? So they'd know if you copied an answer word for word?

laseredd, at the TSFX lectures they said it is valid to explain how the particle model does not explain Young's experiment as a point in your answer.

We didn't for mid year, I still have my cheat sheet at home, somewhere....

[Lasercookie]

Yes, for definitions. You need to leave your cheat sheet with your exam though don't you? So they'd know if you copied an answer word for word?

laseredd, at the TSFX lectures they said it is valid to explain how the particle model does not explain Young's experiment as a point in your answer.

You don't hand in your cheat sheet at the end of the exam.

My irrelevant point was that it would be a valid way . I looked back, it wasn't VCAA 2010. I can't remember which question I'm thinking of.

Either way it was just an example about how much detail you need to go in, if you treat it as a fictional question (one that deals asks only for the wave model) providing that extra discussion would be unnecessary and not score you any extra marks.

Back to that that VCAA question, that is a good (and correct) example of the level detail you need to provide. I provided this pretty detailed answer that explained what both of the models predicted. Then I looked at the assessor's and it was like two sentences:

"Young’s double slit experiment demonstrated interference, which was a wave effect. The particle model predicted that
two bands would appear on the screen behind the slits."

That was all that was required to sufficiently answer the question. Anything else was irrelevant and would not contribute to extra marks.

[tony3272]

"Young’s double slit experiment demonstrated interference, which was a wave effect. The particle model predicted that
two bands would appear on the screen behind the slits."

That was all that was required to sufficiently answer the question. Anything else was irrelevant and would not contribute to extra marks.

Just to add to this, marks are awarded for 'good physics'. So if you go ahead and provide unnecessary and irrelevant working then, although you can't be awarded any marks for it, you run the risk of losing marks if what you provide is wrong.

[HarveyD]

would saying that the particle model does not explain these effects be insufficient? do you have to be specific about the two bands bit?

[paulsterio]

You are able to write answers from your cheatsheet, but you have to be discerning and intelligent and ANSWER THE QUESTION - just enough information to relevantly and fully explain and address all aspects of the questions in which it was asked...don't just write something word for word like a textbook would write it, use that as information and guidance to form your own points which answer the question, deviate from it, add more information that is relevant, take out bits that don't answer the question

Use your cheatsheet as a source of information, not as something you copy from!