Improving your grades

in AS and A2 Sociology

NGfL - Cymru

Common myths

• The exams will be harder this year• The grade boundaries will be higher• Examiners have to fail so many• Examiners often make mistakes• Examiners don’t make mistakes• My script was probably marked wrongly• It’s impossible to get an ‘A’• Revising doesn’t work for me• I work better if I leave it to the last minute.

NGfL - Cymru

No-one wants you to fail

• Markers are teachers and examiners• Many are parents• They went through this process

themselves• They want the examination to be fair

to everyone equally• They do their best to help you

through the system• The rules are there for everyone

NGfL - Cymru

People are disappointed because

• They don’t appear to know the work

• They haven’t prepared fully

• They don’t write enough

• They don’t understand the examination process itself

• They have poor exam technique• They organise their time badly in the

examination

NGfL - Cymru

What do examiners want?

• Evidence of basic knowledge about the course content

• Evidence of understanding of the questions

• Well-planned answers that are relevant to the question

• Good English and clear writing

NGfL - Cymru

Activity

• What are the assessment objectives that you are working towards?

NGfL - Cymru

Focus on AO1

You need to be able to:

• Refer to studies and research

• Refer to knowledge about British society

• Refer to theory

NGfL - Cymru

Focus on AO2

You need to be able to:

• Answer the question directly

• Use evidence to support your points

• Make clear judgements on the value of your evidence.

NGfL - Cymru

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 1

Revise and understand your work.

NGfL - Cymru

Examiners follow a set of rules

• All questions go through a rigorous checking process

• All questions relate directly to the specification

• All markers apply the same mark scheme.

• The markscheme uses assessment objectives that are in the specification

NGfL - Cymru

This document is in the specification.

Band 4 will be grade A and B answers.

You will need to be at the very top of Band 1 or the bottom of Band 2 to get into the grade boundaries

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 2

Look at the specification

NGfL - Cymru

Examinations are

• Set by practicing teachers• Checked by teachers• Marked by teachers

• In addition teachers are, by their nature, people who are very good at passing examinations.

NGfL - Cymru

Don’t try this trick!

‘Don’t know. Had c**p teacher.’

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 3

Listen to your teacher; view her as a friend.

NGfL - Cymru

Activity

• Write down the first five words you think of when you think of examinations.

NGfL - Cymru

Don’t panic

• Lots of students are totally panicked by examinations.

• This is normal; everyone gets spooked.• Examiners will take this into account.• All marking is positive; you will not

have marks deducted for errors• The more you know about the

examination, the less scary it is

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 4

Calm down, take exercise, avoid caffeine and control your negative emotions.

NGfL - Cymru

Activity

• Think of as many possible examination questions as you can on the topic of ethnic inequality.

NGfL - Cymru

Questions

• There are only so many questions that can be asked.

• Examiners repeat themselves• Most questions that require

evaluation will focus on:– How?– Why?– Whether?

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 5

Look at past papers, mock papers, markschemes.

NGfL - Cymru

Read this…

NGfL - Cymru

Handwriting

• Bad handwriting is rude to the examiner.

• The examiner is under instructions to read every word and to translate if necessary.

• This doesn’t make them happy at all.• In addition, there are mark bands

that take spelling into account.

NGfL - Cymru

The quality of written communication will be limited, with frequent errors of punctuation, spelling and grammar

The quality of written communication is very good with few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation or grammar

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 6

Write good English and use sociological language.

NGfL - Cymru

Time planning

• Each question is allocated a number of marks

• The examination is for a limited time. • Many candidates write for a very

long time on c) questions and leave d) questions done very badly.

• This leads to scrappy work and errors.

NGfL - Cymru

Examples …

• Of course, Marxism is bad for society.

• Family diversity is caused by having too many families.

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 7

Plan your time in the examination.

NGfL - Cymru

Command words

• Explain – develop a description, show detail, talk about how and why, give reasons or examples

• Identify – pick out the main points• Outline and explain – pick out the

most important points and then talk about reasons or examples

• Discuss – talk about all sides of an argument.

NGfL - Cymru

Instructions …

• Using the extract above … refer to the stimulus item in some way

• Using relevant examples … mention studies or facts

NGfL - Cymru

How to upset the marker

Irrelevant answers

Twisting the question Going off on

a tangent

Ignoring the instructions Misreading

the question

NGfL - Cymru

Rule 8

Answer the question.

NGfL - Cymru

The Golden Rules

1. Revise and understand the work2. Look at the specification3. Listen to your teacher; view her as a friend.4. Calm down, take exercise, avoid caffeine and

control your negative emotions. 5. Look at past papers, mock papers,

markschemes.6. Write good English and use sociological

language7. Plan your time in the examination.8. Answer the question