Overarching all the techniques, strategies and details I’ve covered in my 2016 Exam Marker Video Diary is the fact that sitting exams and performing well in them is a SKILL in itself.
And the best thing about a SKILL? It can be learned.
For some it comes easier than for others. But the great news is that everyone can work on, develop and excel in this skill when they get the right training and coaching.
Back to Basics!
**Warning!… Some may not like this post.
But my purpose is to ensure that students attain every mark and grade they are capable of.
And these elements are essential to that.
So here goes…
I’ve seen many students drop one (or more!) grades in an extended response because they’ve done great in one section/part, but in the second part they’ve given little to no response.
This can have a huge (and what feel a little unfair) impact when it comes to the mark scheme and gaining credit. But it’s how many mark schemes are structured and therefore better to accept it and have the awareness to combat this nuance!
Allocating time or space in the exam to each part of a response within a question as equally as possible will mean the hard work in one part is not wasted in terms of hitting the mark scheme criteria.
I explain what I mean in this Day 4 Video Diary.
Vague = bad
Specific = GOOD!
That’s me being clear and concise 😉
To get top grades or marks in an exam answer, students must leave nothing to be ‘filled in’ or inferred by the marker. Therefore terminology and descriptions need to be specific. Detail is key here and I give you some examples now in Part 2 of this year’s Exam Marker Video Diary.
Welcome to Day 1 of my 2016 Exam Marking Video Diary!
Yaaayyyy!!!
I seriously get very excited about exam marking and that is probably why I made not one, but two videos today that I have merged together for you 🙂
Makes me sound like a super-geek, I know (and I am a little bit anyway, so hey) but it is exam marking that has always been THE biggest source of revelations when it comes to tutoring and coaching students for their best grades and performance.
Exam marking is getting inside the ‘black box’.
Where all the nitty gritty is discussed in training – why this response got a D, how that answer got an A.
Anyway… today I introduce you to the criteria and skills covered in the unit I’m marking and why this video diary will be relevant for ANY student, in ANY state who will be sitting exams in ANY subject.
It’s that time of year again!
The QLD Year 12 students have completed their QCS (QLD Core Skills) exams and so now it’s time for us markers to kick in and get training and marking!
Here’s the intro to this year’s Exam Marking Video Diary…
I often talk about the importance of command words in tasks and questions, but it’s probably no surprise that there’s a little more to perfecting exam technique. (In fact there are 6 different key elements).
What about the smaller, less obvious elements that are clues to crafting a great answer?
This week I look at the less obvious points to look for – just like the subtle observations that Sherlock is so famous for in his deductions.
Watch the video to get some specific examples I came across lately that caught some students out.
When we’re all so short on time these days, I like to be able to make use of my ‘dead time’ in any way I can!
And there are many ways for students to do this too.
Find out how I used a car break-down to my advantage and my top ways for your teen to use their time on a bus journey to help them reduce their stress and get more done.
Model answers/responses are a gold mine of information and inspiration when it comes to figuring out how to write fab answers.
They can also sometimes appear a little overwhelming or ‘out of reach’.
So how can your teen get the most out of them?
What should they really look for and how should they dissect them to actually provide practical and tangible info and guidance?
We all have things we (maybe secretly) ‘geek-out’ on, right? Things that are super-interesting to us, things that we get excited or on our soap-box about when we get going on them! Politics, literature, tech-y stuff… pokemon???!
For me, my not-so-secret confession for an obsession most would find dull is exam marking.
Here is how and why I got so obsessed with this and how your teen can benefit from my geek-y-ness!
