AS General Studies

1. AS General Studies 2007

2. AS General Studies 2007 14th May Monday Scientific Domain 21st May Monday Social Domain Cultural Domain Papers – 1 hr 15 mins

3. AS General Studies The Cultural Domain 2961 Read an article and answer short questions which test how well you have understood it. Make an argument on a related aspect of the same topic. Write about some aspect of contemporary culture.

4. AS General Studies Last year: interview with Desmond Tutu Questions on meaning of words, implication of what he said Giving your own interpretation Writing a talk (about 150 words) to start a discussion

5. AS General Studies Essay on leisure and travel UK and our place in Europe Television and its effects Always in two parts – short and long. Two ways in which television programmes have changed everyday life – cookery, gardening, DIY, antiques Two positive and two negative view of the values portrayed by “reality” television shows.

6. AS General Studies The Scientific Domain 2962 Answer short questions which test how well you have understood some information presented in a graphical or numerical form. Read an article on broadly scientific subject and answer short questions, or write short answers to questions of a general nature Write about some aspect of “science” – in its broadest sense.

7. AS General Studies Last year: calculate interest, given formulae to do so Questions about information on premium bonds Identify an example, and give one advantage and one disadvantage of renewable energy source method of contraception mission to another planet genetic engineering organ transplantation

8. AS General Studies Essay on sports and why people participate in them Use of mathematical techniques in real life and why you should learn them at school Travelling by motorway and disadvantages of some ideas to reduce congestion Always in two parts – short and long. Give three examples of why people might or might not prefer to use motorways Examine disadvantages for the environment of widening motorways, road charging and improving railways to improve mobility

9. AS General Studies The Social Domain 2964 Read information on a social or political topic and answer short questions which test how well you have understood it. Comment on some aspect[s] of the article. Write about some aspect of “society” – in its broadest sense.

10. AS General Studies Two Labour Party documents from 1945 and 2004 Questions on meaning of words Identify differences in policies stated and suggest reasons Explain why some people might disagrees with statements from each document

11. AS General Studies Essay on why some people are paid more than others and to what extent money is an incentive Essay on voting and the value of a referendum Essay on housing and house pricing Always in two parts – short and long. It would take cashier 750 days to earn the weekly wage of an entertained. How can the difference be justified? Employers want more effective and efficient workers. To what extent is it just a matter of paying them more?

12. What are they looking for? ·AO1 demonstrate relevant knowledge and understanding applied to a range of issues, using skills from different disciplines ; ·AO2 communicate clearly and accurately in a concise, logical and relevant way; ·AO3 marshal evidence and draw conclusions; select, interpret, evaluate and integrate information, data, concepts and opinions; ·AO4 demonstrate understanding of different types of knowledge and of the relationship between them, appreciating their limitations.

13. What can I do to prepare? Read the newspapers.  Watch the news/listen to the radio. Take an interest in programmes of a broadly scientific nature on television and radio. Read “New Scientist”, “The Economist”, “New Society” etc. Read the BBC website, especially these categories: Religion and Ethics Science and Nature Society and Culture Use AS Guru on www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/generalstudies /

14. What do I need to do to do well?  Use the knowledge you have intelligently.  Be prepared to draw on your AS/A2 subjects.  Write clearly and appropriately.  Take care with spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, language etc  Think about what you’re saying. Try to give a reasoned view – don’t just voice your prejudices  Read questions carefully and follow instructions.

15. Longer Answers Read the question. Identify the key words and respond to them. Plan your answer, however briefly. Structure your answer. The examiners like traditional structures – introduction, development, conclusion. Don’t let one aspect dominate your answer. Planning helps to stop your repeating yourself. A range of ideas and perspectives is a strength. Think carefully about your expression. A common complaint is that the language is too close to spoken English. Don’t inflate your vocabulary, but choose your expressions carefully and use a formal register. The examiner will reward analysis much more than description.

16. Practice Materials If you really want to look at specimen material, you can look on the web at www.ocr.org.uk.  The quickest way to find it is to put “OCR General Studies Specimen” into a search engine. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to read the file. I will leave some past papers with Mrs Bourne.

17. Why do we do it? Financial advantage to school Gets you in the swing of the real examination season Good examination practice/wake up call Points for some you Lever for some of you Good indicator of general level of ability to reason and argue