Writing examination answersFMS MRes

Dr Helen Webster

Writing Development Centre

Your questions?

On a post-it note, write down your question about writing for exams

?

Today’s session:

What exams really test Implications for revision:

Revising for memory Revising for understanding

In the exam: Time management Question analysis Quick planning and structure Writing and editing Checking

After the exam

What exams really assess

What examiners want:

We want you to pass and show your best

• We want to give you marks.• We want to see what you know,

not what you don’t know• We have realistic expectations

of what can be done in an exam• We want you to answer the

question we set you• We’re not trying to catch you out• We want to be fair and unbiased

What do exams test?Bloom’s Taxonomy

Knowledge

Understanding

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

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Coursework writing vs exam writing:Working knowledge

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Marking CriteriaMRes MARKING GUIDELINES: EXAMINATION ANSWERS

Notes on the overall guidelines: When marking, please bear in mind that this is a Masters Level Degree and not a MD/PhD or an undergraduate degree. Markers are asked to take note of the University guidelines on plagiarism.

Distinction Level

100% - 90%

Outstanding. No better answer conceivable at Masters level in the available time. Factually correct. Comprehensive with extensive evidence of critical thinking and analysis. Evidence of extensive reading of relevant literature. Very logical structure, very well written and presented. Strong evidence of original thought and structure of argument.

90% –80%

Excellent answer displays comprehensive knowledge of the subject with excellent use of relevant literature. Logical structure, well written and presented, displaying varying degrees (use scaling) of original thought, cogent scientific argument and critical thinking.

80% - 70%

Very Good. Content essentially without any major flaws. ALL major points included and some clear evidence of (a) critical and (b) original thinking and (c) supplementary reading.

Merit Level

69% – 65%

Good, comprehensive answer with a few “minor flaws.” Thorough understanding and good use of relevant material including some evidence of at least 2 out of: (a) critical thinking; (b) original thinking; (c) relevant supplementary reading. Well written

64% - 60%

Quite Good. Satisfactory in addressing the question; including many major points. As for 69-65%, with less evidence of (a), (b), (c) and/or less well written.

Pass Level

59% -55%

Fairly Good. Mainly "correct", based on relevant material, demonstrating an adequate general understanding, clearly attempting to address the question and to show the relevance of cited material, with omission of a few major points and/or with minor errors.

54% - 50%

Adequate. As for 59-55%, but with more minor errors and/or significant omissions and/or less clarity in addressing the question and/or demonstrating the relevance of cited material.

Fail Level 49% -45% Poor answer with an overall superficial approach. Essentially an incomplete with major omissions in several areas and evidence of a poor understanding of the subject.

44% - 40% Poor answer with a even more superficial approach, and/ or more errors/or omissions and/or evidence of a deficiency of effort and/or poor understanding.

39% -35% Very poor answer as above with an overall marked deficiency in content of understanding and application.

34% - 10%

Even more marked deficiencies in content (on a variable scale marking from 34% to 10%) of understanding and application and presentation.

0% A complete absence of relevant content.

Implications for Revision

How do you revise?

What are your own strategies for revision?

The Revision Process

select

break down

Learn

revisit

test

Practise

apply

synthesise

Organise

rework

evaluate/select

“I can’t learn everything - How do I know what to revise?”

Module handbooks, etc: course aims and objectives.

Lecture notes: Listen for hints about what is core knowledge and what is there for illustration only.

Text books: Compare with lecture notes to establish the overlap; this is core knowledge.

Past papers: what would you need to know to answer the questions, and what depth would be reasonable for an exam answer?

Future papers: what kinds of questions can you imagine setting?

Revising for Knowledge: Memory

Process:

Encoding Storing Retrieving

Principles:

Chunking Mnemonics Testing Repeating Overlearning

Revising for Understanding: Active Learning

4 Essential principles:

Select and prioritise (your working knowledge!) Reduce and expand Apply material to questions, test your ability to explain

it Re-work material into another form

Text to bullet points, bullet points to mind-map, mindmap to index cards, index cards to table, table to voice recording, recording to diagram etc

Revising for higher skills: Past Papers

Practice using your knowledge and understanding with past papers

Make up your own questions using past papers as a template

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/resources/exam-papers/

Revising for higher skills:

Apply it for different purposes, imagine different uses

Analyse it, break it down, see how parts relate to one another

Synthesise it with another source or topic

Evaluate it

Before the exam

In the Exam

The Very First Thing you must do!

Check the rubric: Are you in the right exam? How many questions do you have to do? Do you have any choice out of the questions? How many marks are they worth? How long do you have? How long should you allow

To read the whole paper and choose questions To answer each question To check your answers

Anatomy of an Exam Question

Find the Focus and the Instruction as well as the Subject

Different types of assignment

The traditional essay question

OPEN: Why is a non-synthetic (biological) scaffold the most appropriate solution to a tissue engineering problem?

CLOSED: Do you agree that a non-synthetic (biological) scaffold is the most appropriate solution to a tissue engineering problem?

The traditional essay instruction

‘Discuss the technical and medical barriers to employing stem cells in tissue engineering’.

The scaffolded instruction Discuss the preparation of synthetic tissue engineering scaffolds

using templating and non-templating approaches (50%). Describe, using examples, when using a non-synthetic (biological) scaffold might be a more appropriate solution to a tissue

engineering problem (50%)

Instruction Words

Account forAnalyseAssessCompare and contrastComment onConsiderCritiqueDefineDescribeDiscuss

EvaluateExplainExamineIdentifyIllustrateJustifyReviewShowSummariseState

If you were the examiner…

…What question would you set?

Devise a question suitable for testing a candidate’s working knowledge knowledge and higher skills in exam conditions

What would your marking criteria be?

Break the process down!

The Writing Process: Select your first question Analyse the question Decide how to approach the question

Decide what to include/what to leave out Make a note of the main points Decide how you will structure the answer

Write the answer Content: Keep your answer closely focused Style: Write clearly and concisely

Check your answer before submission

Planning and structure: longer questions

1. Quickly note down the content you think is relevant

2. Organise the order in which you will structure it

3. Write it up

4. Cross the notes out!

If you were sitting the exam…

…what would your answer to your own question be?

Create a plan for an answer to your own exam question

The Introduction:Your reader’s perspective

What are you doing? Why are you doing this? How will you do this?

Plan The Introduction

What are you doing? How do you interpret the topic and the question? Context, background and definitions (what does your reader need explaining, before they can make sense of your essay?), any limitations.

Why are you doing this? Interpret the question (problematise, justify. Why is this question worth asking?

How will you do this? Signpost structure (How are you going to answer – in what order?) and methodology (which models and theories will you use?)

Conclusions: Q & A

What is biofilm? How do biofilms develop and what problems do they cause for the management of periodontitis?

Biofilm can be described as X, it is most likely to develop in this way, and these are the problems it causes because of these reasons.

‘Contentious Quotation’ Discuss and critically evaluate this view.

The statement is largely untrue, for these reasons, but there is still some truth in it, for other reasons.

The Conclusion

Return to the broad overall perspective from the narrow detail of the main body

Revisit the question, your answer, and the main steps by which you reached it

Do not include new material You could consider the wider

implications and significance of your argument

Paragraphs and structure

Self assessment can also develop skills which make a student more attractive to prospective employers. Employers value students with skills in self assessment because these types of skills are relevant to a wide range of employment contexts. They want graduates who can accurately assess their own competencies in performing tasks. Students who can do this are well placed to take on responsibilities and adapt readily to roles in work places. The value in developing these types of assessment can be seen to go beyond meeting immediate educational needs. Students who have developed an autonomous approach to learning are well set up for life-long learning which will continue throughout and beyond their working lives.

Topic sentence: Introduction of the paragraph’s main idea

Main body in which the initial assertion is developed and explained

Conclusion to be drawn from the above points

Signpost word

Microstructure:Paragraphs

ONE POINT per paragraph. Use a TOPIC SENTENCE to show what the

subject and purpose of the paragraph – this is basically your point. This first sentence is crucial.

Use SIGNPOST words to show your argument

DEVELOP the point (first sentence) in the body of the paragraph – details, examples, etc

CONCLUDE the paragraph

Signpost words - Types of link

A sequence of points (firstly, secondly, thirdly)* To add more examples or details (moreover,

furthermore, in addition, for example, for instance)* To focus on specifics or to broaden and generalise

(specifically, in particular, in general, for the most part) To introduce a comparison or contrast,

disagreement (similarly, likewise, in contrast, however, although, on the contrary)

To introduce reasoning (therefore, hence, thus. consequently)

Writing up and checking your answers

We don’t expect perfection in an exam! Legibility, clarity, relevance are more important than style

and strict accuracy You might want to write on every other line or leave a

margin for making edits If you run out of time, jot notes and bullet points– you

may get some marks for this Build in time to check your answers at the end:

have you answered all the questions you need to? Does your answer actually answer the question? Do you want to add, change or cross anything out?

After the exam

If you want to compare your experience with other people after the exam, don’t take it too seriously!

And finally…

Do have a (happy) Christmas break!

The Writing Development CentreRobinson Library

Please book appointments online:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc