Exam Answer Techniques?

[drcrowthorne]

Hey guys, just wondering, with regard to answering techniques in the exam, I have a couple queries:

• If a student demonstrates a concept, as opposed to answering it explicitly, does the student get the mark?
• If a student answers a question, and it isn't an answer as according to the examiners guide (for instance, the question asks, what is a structural protein, and the student answers "Tubulin", as opposed to the suggested answers, "Collagen, keratin, silk... etc.", would the mark be given? Like, if the actual answer is a technicality?
• How do you guys go about/how did you guys go about answering exam questions, like, the process you guys take?
• What's the most effective thing people doing the Bio Unit 3 exam can do with their reading time?

Cheers,

Drcrowthorne

[Russ]

If a student demonstrates a concept, as opposed to answering it explicitly, does the student get the mark?

Depends on how you do it, but generally no. If the question is define the term negative feedback and you say "glucose production in the blood will decrease glucagon production" then no. If you define it alongside an example, then yes.

If a student answers a question, and it isn't an answer as according to the examiners guide (for instance, the question asks, what is a structural protein, and the student answers "Tubulin", as opposed to the suggested answers, "Collagen, keratin, silk... etc.", would the mark be given? Like, if the actual answer is a technicality?

If it's an actual answer, yes.

How do you guys go about/how did you guys go about answering exam questions, like, the process you guys take?

Differs for everyone, I usually address the main question by giving an answer and then start linking evidence or discussing the mechanism by which it occurs etc

What's the most effective thing people doing the Bio Unit 3 exam can do with their reading time?

I normally have a quick scan of the SAQs to see if there's anything there that I have no idea about. If there is, I'll spend a minute thinking just about that question. If not, back to the MCQs and do as many as I can before writing time starts.