Paper 1 - N21 (6 weeks to go!)
Tuesday 14 September 2021
By Vivien Jack
With six weeks until the November exams, I thought I would do this week's countdown on the top six examination tips I give to students every year.
- Bring your calculator to every exam (yes, even for languages, the arts etc.), then you will never forget to bring your calculator for the exams that need one. Not all exams allow the use of a calculator, but at least there will be one left in your bag for those exam that absolutely require the use of a calculator (both Paper 1 and Paper 2 in Business Management, for example).
- When drawing diagrams, use dark lead pencils (e.g. 2B or 2HB) to ensure the examiner can see the diagram as examination responses are scanned for e-marking. The same advice goes for pens. Write in dark blue or black ink only to ensure your answers scan clearly.
- Use the 5 minutes reading time wisely by reading the questions before reading the stimuli material. The questions indicate which Business Management theory should be written about. This will help you decide which questions to answer when making selections for Paper 1 Section A and Paper 2 Sections A and B. Reading the stimuli (case study materials) after will then confirm whether your preliminary selections are the right choice for you.
- Remember the importance of time management. Allocate your time wisely in the exam to maximise the number of marks. In many cases it is better to attempt all required questions adequately than to try to write highly detailed, perfect responses for some questions and leaving out the remaining questions (wholly unanswered) because you ran out of time.
- For Paper 1 Section B, responses should refer to the additional unseen material AND the pre-released case study, particularly for AO3 questions. Too often, students forget to refer to the pre-released case study, thus lose the opportunity to show effective application for higher marks.
- After Paper 1, try to list all the topics that were on the paper. It is unlikely that they will be assessed again on Paper 2 the next day. That will help narrow down the topics that need to be revised the night before the Paper 2 examination.
Please note that I’ve adapted this advice to the amended requirements for the November 2021 BM examinations.
Would love to hear from others about your favourite examination tips for students in the comments.
For Megamin Mining application activities (and answers), you may be interesting in the November 2021 Case Study Pack and PowerPoint Pack available from L7E (www.level7education.com).
All the best!