The Basics
There will be 3 six mark questions on each exam paper you sit, one for each unit.
You will be marked on your spelling, punctuation and grammar.
You don't need to write six points to get six marks.
They almost always have two parts for you to comment on - Make sure you don't talk about only one of these!
Watch the video to see how to tackle these questions.
You will be marked on your spelling, punctuation and grammar.
You don't need to write six points to get six marks.
They almost always have two parts for you to comment on - Make sure you don't talk about only one of these!
Watch the video to see how to tackle these questions.
How they are marked
The examiner has four different bands of mark they can award:
Level 0: Insufficient or irrelevant science. Answer not worthy of credit. This gets you 0 marks.
Level 1: Basic answer is given that might identify one key point or give a very basic overview of a method/process with gaps in the description. Quality of the written communication impedes communication of the science. For this level you get 1-2 marks.
Level 2: Slightly more detailed answer given. This may be identifying a key point and giving a basic overview of the method/process. It might be giving both an advantage and a disadvantage. The key difference between the level 1 and level 2 is that there is a bit more detail in your answer or you have considered two aspects of the answer. The quality of written communication may partly impede the communication of science. This will get you 3-4 marks.
Level 3: You have answered all aspects of the question. Usually there will be a couple of ideas they want you to discuss and the level 3 answer has them both covered and with relevant scientific detail. Your quality of written communication is good and does not impede the communication of the science. This will get you 5-6 marks.
The instructions to the examiners is to start at the highest mark and work down the list if all the items for that level are not in the answer. Spelling is not a major issue so don't panic. I have marked one of these questions where not a single sentence was used, it was just a bullet point list of words in a table and because it answered all aspects of the question, the student got 5 marks out of the 6.
Level 0: Insufficient or irrelevant science. Answer not worthy of credit. This gets you 0 marks.
Level 1: Basic answer is given that might identify one key point or give a very basic overview of a method/process with gaps in the description. Quality of the written communication impedes communication of the science. For this level you get 1-2 marks.
Level 2: Slightly more detailed answer given. This may be identifying a key point and giving a basic overview of the method/process. It might be giving both an advantage and a disadvantage. The key difference between the level 1 and level 2 is that there is a bit more detail in your answer or you have considered two aspects of the answer. The quality of written communication may partly impede the communication of science. This will get you 3-4 marks.
Level 3: You have answered all aspects of the question. Usually there will be a couple of ideas they want you to discuss and the level 3 answer has them both covered and with relevant scientific detail. Your quality of written communication is good and does not impede the communication of the science. This will get you 5-6 marks.
The instructions to the examiners is to start at the highest mark and work down the list if all the items for that level are not in the answer. Spelling is not a major issue so don't panic. I have marked one of these questions where not a single sentence was used, it was just a bullet point list of words in a table and because it answered all aspects of the question, the student got 5 marks out of the 6.
Example
Peter and Rachel can use a model called collision theory to explain how factors affect the rate of a reaction.
They know the rate of reaction increases when
Explain why, using collision theory.
They know the rate of reaction increases when
- the temperature of the acid increases
- magnesium powder is used instead of magnesium ribbon.
Explain why, using collision theory.
How to answer it...
First of all, underline or highlight the things you have to talk about in your answer. In this case it would be:
So we can see that there are two parts to our answer. One part about temperature and rate of reaction and the other about surface area and rate of reaction. So break your answer up into those two parts. Since they state you need to explain why using collision theory...Make sure you use those ideas!
Have a go at answering the question now and then click here to see how the marks were awarded.
- why the rate of reaction increases when the temperature increases using collision theory
- why the rate of reaction increases when magnesium powder is used instead of magnesium ribbon using collision theory
So we can see that there are two parts to our answer. One part about temperature and rate of reaction and the other about surface area and rate of reaction. So break your answer up into those two parts. Since they state you need to explain why using collision theory...Make sure you use those ideas!
Have a go at answering the question now and then click here to see how the marks were awarded.