Exam Skills and Essay Writing

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Exam Skills and Essay Writing
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Examinations
As part of the Step-Up programme you will be
examined both by multiple choice questions and by
essay style questions. Generally, all
examinations within a university will be essay
style questions.
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Note-Taking
In order to be able to write effectively you have
to be able to take useful notes. You must be
able to recognise the main or most relevant ideas
from a body of text. Effective notes of these
ideas give you a permanent record which you can
return to if necessary and give you the
information you need to include in your own work.
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Note-Taking

• Effective note-taking requires
• Recognising the main ideas
• Identifying what information is relevant
• Have a system that works for you
• Reducing the information
• Where possible, put in your own words
• Recording the source of the information

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Note-Taking
Identifying the main ideas. Look for indicators
in the text. E.g. definition, identifies,
evaluates, illustrates, proves etc. Identifying
the relevant information. You have access to
masses of information. This makes it difficult
to sort through and obtain the most relevant
information.
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Selecting Information

• Some of the questions you have to ask yourself
  are
• Will this be useful to me?
• Does this add to my knowledge?
• What will I use this information for?
• How recent is the information?
• How reliable is the information?
• Is it understandable?
• Do I really need it?

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Understanding and Learning Material
Everyone will have their own best way to learn
and understand information. Visual Aural Read Kine
sthetic
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System of Note-taking

• This is a skill that is going to be unique for
  everyone.
• Some examples are
• Using symbols and abbreviations. (, , gt, lt,
  etc)
• Using diagrams
• Flow charts
• Mind maps (key words)
• Note cards
• Dictaphone

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Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism the unacknowledged use of someone
elses words, work or ideas. A charge of
plagiarism can have severe consequences,
including expulsion from some universities. It
is very difficult for teachers, lecturers or
examiners to distinguish between deliberate and
accidental plagiarism. Make sure you give credit
where credit is due this can be for something
some one said, wrote, developed, e-mailed, drew,
or implied.
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Avoiding Plagiarism

• If you want to use textual or visual information
  from a WWW site the same rules apply. In some
  cases you may need to obtain permission from the
  sites owner before using its contents.
• Everything that comes directly from the text has
  to be in quotation marks and referenced.
• Paraphrase (presenting someone elses work in
  your own words) has to carefully checked to
  ensure that you are not just rearranging or
  replacing a few words. You must still
  acknowledge the source of the information.

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Essay Writing

• The basic structures of all essays are the same.
  It involves gathering and organising information,
  expressing this information and presenting an
  argument.
• Be prepared
• Tackling the question
• Researching your essay
• Planning your essay
• Writing your essay
• Reviewing and editing your essay
• Learning from your essay

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Be Prepared
Know the title of the essay. Is there a due date
(coursework)? How long do I have for each
question (exam)? Is there a word limit? Is there
a particular style the essay should be presented
in (e.g. scientific report, business plan)? Does
it need to be word processed/ do I need a colour
printer?
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Tackling the Question

• Break down the title of the essay to make it more
  manageable.
• Example Students today are faced with more
  problems than students twenty years ago.
  Discuss.
• Students school students or university
  students?
• What problems do today's students face?
• How is that different from 20 years ago?
• What caused these problems/differences?
• How do these problems compare?

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Key Words
Compare look for similarities and
differences Contrast set in opposition to bring
out differences Criticise give your judgement
with evidence or reasoning Define set down the
precise meaning of a word or phrase Describe
give a detailed or graphic account Discuss
investigate or examine by argument or
debate Evaluate make an appraisal on the worth of
something Explain make plain, give reasons
for Outline give the main features or general
principles of something
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Researching Your Essay
Now you have looked at the question it is time to
look for the answer. Course reading lists Other
books, papers, reports etc. Internet CD-ROMS and
DVDs TV, documentaries etc.
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Planning Your Essay

• You have all the information, now you need to
  bring it all together and express it in a
  coherent way.
• Essays usually take the form of
• Introduction comment on the subject and the way
  you are going to approach it. Define any key
  terms that you are going to use in your answer.
  Usually 2-3 short paragraphs.

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Planning Your Essay

• Main Body present your main points, argument,
  and state/ talk about any supporting evidence you
  are bringing to your answer. Present your
  information as logically and coherently as
  possible. Reference where needed
• This part of the essay will need the most
  thought. This section needs to presented well,
  readable and allows for the logical progression
  to your conclusion.

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Planning Your Essay
3. Conclusion Brings all your evidence together
into a logical finish. Add any final comments
or opinions. Possibly summarise your main points/
reiterate why you believe your argument to be a
valid one. You may have need to include a
reference section. Research to find out the
acceptable method of referencing.
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Writing Your Essay

• All the research is finished and your plan is
  ready. Now you have to write the essay.
• Getting started is the hardest part it becomes
  easier after.
• For coursework you dont have have to start at
  the beginning and write straight through to the
  end.
• Form your notes into sentences and paragraphs.
• Organise the paragraphs into a logical order.
• Use easily understandable language.
• Avoid repeating yourself.

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Editing Your Essay
If you have the time leave the essay for a while.
You are more likely to spot mistakes,
grammatical errors etc if you come back to look
at the essay fresh. If you can, ask someone else
to read it, and afterwards ask them if they can
follow your arguments.
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Learning From Your Essay
As a part of coursework your essay will generally
be returned to you with your marks and some
examiners comments. These comments should point
to areas of the essay that could have been
improved but they should also highlight the good
areas of the essay. The key point from feedback
like this is to use it to learn from the
experience. Whatever happens do not be
disheartened essay writing takes time and
practice.
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Exams

• No one can do well in an exam without
  preparation.
• Structured revision is required. Find out about
  your exams
• What time you will have to complete them
• How they are structured
• Where they take place
• Where your seat is
• Are there past papers available?

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Revision
Some of the main comments we hear from students
are I leave revision to the last minute and
then get in a flap I just read and re-read my
notes but they dont stick I am never sure
where to start I dont have much time to
revise Its hard to concentrate at home There
are so many other things on my mind I dont
know if Ill have enough time to cover all the
topics
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Before the Exam
Know where your exam is. Have pens, pencils,
calculator (if allowed) all ready. Try to avoid
stressful situations prior to the exam. Make
sure you are there with plenty of time. Eat
something bananas or bread, not junk food. If
you have a good luck charm take it along (within
reason). It is very helpful to have an idea of
how the exam is going to be laid out (MCQ, Essay,
Mixture of both?).
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Multiple Choice Questions
Very different from essay style questions. Read
each question very carefully. The wording of the
questions is often designed to mislead you. Try
to answer the question without looking at the
options. Dont change from your original
answer Be aware if there is negative marking or
not.
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Entering the Exam Room

• Find your seat and settle down, organise your
  materials.
• MAKE SURE you enter your name and other details
  correctly.
• Once you are allowed to start the exam turn your
  paper over and read the instruction VERY
  carefully. Make sure you know how many questions
  you have to answer and whether they have to be
  from specific sections of the paper.
• Read through all the questions, mark the ones you
  can do. Then go back and decide finally what
  questions to answer.
• Allow yourself time for this starting period.

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Planning
It can be very beneficial to sketch a quick plan
for the questions you are going to answer. You
can do this at the start of the exam or at the
start of each question. Make a quick note of any
key words, quotations and diagrams that you may
need to answer the questions. Remember the
outline of an essay introduction, main body and
conclusion.
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Time
Always be aware of the time. Know how much time
you have for the full exam and break this down to
individual questions. NEVER leave a question
unanswered. You have automatically lost a large
percentage of the overall marks. If you are
running out of time on your last question right
down quick notes/ bullet points on what you do
know. Best advice set aside certain period of
time for each question. When that time is up
move on to the next question.
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Answering the Questions
Do not write out the question again. Try to write
in a legible style, and avoid long complicated
sentences. Do not just write everything you know
about the particular subject. Focus on the
specific questions and what the question is
asking. The teachers or lecturers have probably
given you some idea of what they expect with
regards to referencing or using quotations make
sure you know what is expected.
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During the Exam
Try to stay relaxed. Keep an eye on the time. If
you become stuck on a question leave it, move on
and return to it after you have answered the next
question. Give yourself a minute or two between
questions. This can help you put the last
question aside and focus your mind for the next
one.
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Ending the Exam
Try and allow yourself 10 minutes at the end of
the exam to check your exam script and tie up any
unfinished questions. Check to see that you
writing will be readable by others. Make any
corrections, adjustments or additions that you
feel are necessary. (make sure they are clearly
marked). Use all the time available. Try to avoid
dissecting the exam with your classmates after.
This is a complete waste of time and can cause
even more stress.
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Homework
750 word essay. Discuss the importance of Health
and Safety within a work place. Arthur C. Clark
Competition.