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Improving exam technique

WJEC Geography Spec B Feedback from the June 2010 exam Higher Paper. Improving exam technique. The key points emerging from the June 2010 Unit 1 exam are given in the Examiners Report. This report can be downloaded from the WJEC website at: http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/11488.pdf.

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Improving exam technique

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  1. WJEC Geography Spec B Feedback from the June 2010 exam Higher Paper Improving exam technique

  2. The key points emerging from the June 2010 Unit 1 exam are given in the Examiners Report. This report can be downloaded from the WJEC website at: http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/11488.pdf Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination • Nearly all the candidates completed both questions, • with little evidence of time management issues • In the case study questions, there was a lack of • maturity and sophistication in the response of many • candidates • Many candidates habitually re-write the question in • the first one / two lines of the space available, which • does not gain credit • Candidates need to improve their exam technique • when asked to identify trends and use figures from • graphs • Candidates need to improve their exam technique • when using a map to describe distributions

  3. The first sub-section question in Q1 and Q2 required candidates to...................... Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination Describe the distribution of....... - Drought affected areas in the USA

  4. Each question was worth 3 marks (10% of the entire question) Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination The candidates were given 6 lines in which to write their response A significant minority failed to attempt the question! Many answers were of very poor quality! Many who did attempt the question, only used a couple of lines for their response!

  5. In both Questions 1 and 2 candidates were asked to describe trends using graphs The trend of Sao Paulo’s population – 1970 through to 2010 ............... Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination The trend showing water levels in Lake Mead 1941 - 2008 Both questions suggested that figures should be used within the answer........................

  6. The Sao Paulo question was worth 2 marks, with 3 marks for Lake Mead question Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination 4 and 6 lines respectively were available for the candidate’s response Many candidates gave inaccurate figures (if any) Answers tended to lack a logical sequence or flow A key factor was that they clearly struggled with the notion of identifying ‘the trend’

  7. Questions requiring the ability to: • Describe distributions from a map, and • Identify trends from a graph.......... • will continue to feature on exam papers • in both Unit 1, 2a and 2b the Problem • Solver......... Action points following the 2010 Unit 1 Examination The rest of this presentation has been designed for use with your students .......... Please download it for free from the WJEC website

  8. Throughout your exam paper, maps will be provided in the source material Examiners may ask you to look at the patterns you can see on the map. They ask you to describe the distribution of things like ............. Improving exam technique ...the world’s great cities Patterns of drought in the USA

  9. .... Where the tropical rainforests are found Improving exam technique ... Where different climate zones can be found, in this case, in Australia

  10. Describe the distribution of the tropical rainforest, or put differently..........what is the pattern of the tropical rainforest across the earth? Improving exam technique • Try to use the names of the continents when you • describe the pattern • Try to refer to points of the compass or lines of • latitude (such as the Equator / Tropic of Cancer etc) • Try to say if they are scattered or clustered

  11. Improving exam technique • The tropical rainforest is mostly found in three continents i.e. in South America, Africa and Asia √ • It is clustered around the Equator, between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn √ • The largest single area is in South America√ This would be at least three marks!

  12. Describe the distribution of the hot and humid tropical climate of Australia, or put differently.......... where can you find the hot and humid climate zone in Australia? Improving exam technique • It is mostly found on • the northern edge of • Australia √ • There is none in the heart (central part) of Australia. √ • Nearly all of it is found across the • states of Western Australia, • Queensland and the Northern Territory √ This would be at least three marks!

  13. ...now it’s your turn........... Describe the distribution of the world’s ten largest cities........ or put it another way... What do you notice about the pattern of the world’s great cities? (3 marks) Share your answers with the class. Did you gain at least three marks? Improving exam technique

  14. ...and now for another area where you can improve your exam technique... Using graphs Examiners may ask you to look at the graph and identify trends, or in other words, what do you notice about the changes taking place over time, with regard to........ Improving exam technique The level of water in Lake Mead The population of Sao Paulo in Brazil?

  15. ... or perhaps the trend over time of the average price of a house in the UK Improving exam technique ...or the trend over time of the lake level for Lake Colac in Victoria, Australia

  16. Describe the trend in the price of an average house in the UK from 1998 through to 2008 use figures in your answer Improving exam technique • Try to give the overall change first (was it up or • down or did it stay the same)? • Was the rate of change always the same or did it • fluctuate - a little/a lot? At a particular point in time? • Are there any anomalies (things that don’t fit the • normal pattern)?

  17. Improving exam technique • The overall trend is that house prices have gone up √ by around £95 000 √(it was £65000 in 1998, in 2008 it is £160000) • There was a particularly fast period of growth in the period 2001 to 2004 √ • In October 2007 house prices started and then continued to fall √ from a high of £185000 down to £160000 in 2008 √ A fantastic answer, worth loads of marks

  18. What is the trend of the lake levels for Lake Colac in the period 1990 through to 2010? Use figures in your answer Improving exam technique • Lake levels have dropped overall √ by 2.5 metres √ • Within each year there are significant highs and • lows √ • In the period 1991 – 92 lake levels actually went • up to a high of 117.9 m above sea level √ • Between 2001 and 2006 lake levels surface stayed • about the same at 116 m above sea level √ • In 2010 the lake level was at its lowest at only • 114.5 m √ Another outstanding answer

  19. ...now it’s your turn........... Describe the trend shown by the graph. Use figures in your answer (3 marks) Share your answers with the class. Did you gain at least three marks? Improving exam technique Graph to show the amount of water stored in Lake Mead 1941 - 2008

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