AS exam question advice

Section A: Short, structured questions (4-9 marks each)

When answering structured questions, you should follow these guidelines:
Read through all parts of the question before attempting to answer. This will help
you to avoid repetition in later answers (especially question a parts (i) and (ii)) and
allow you to get an overview of how the question is developed.
tudy any resources (graphs, maps, photos) carefully.
!efore you start writing, ma"e sure that you understand precisely what each
question is as"ing you to do.
#ivide your time realistically and ad$ust the length of your answers to the number of
mar"s. % & mar" question is unli"ely to require more than '( lines, whereas a )
mar" question requires a full %& page answer.
*or ) mar" questions, which may run to +( answer lines, you will need to plan.
,a"e a list of the "ey points and specific located examples you will include in your
answer. -owever, you do not need an introduction or a conclusion.
.ou should spend /( minutes on each structured question, $ust over '( minutes of
which is on the ) mar" question.
Section B: Extended ritin! questions (essa"s)
%n important feature of 01R % 2eography is its emphasis on e3amples from in-depth
case studies. %ll of the essays (e3tended4writing questions), and at least the ) mar"
structured question, require speci#ic located example(s). *or this reason, generalised
answers cannot achieve the highest levels of attainment.
.ou should allow yourself appro3imately /( minutes for the essa". 0f the $% marks, a
ma3imum of5
&' marks is for knoled!e and understandin!
o case study facts, figures, place detail
o "eywords 6 phrases
o developed arguments showing clear comprehension
% marks is for anal"sis and application
o have you tac"led the question set7
( marks is for skills and communication
o essay structure (you must have an introduction and, crucially, a conclusion)
o accurate spelling (especially of "eywords 6 phrases)
o grammar 8 use of paragraphs, clear sentences.
93tended4writing questions tend to be biased towards the content of the last two
:questions for investigation; for each topic in the specification. %s a result, they focus more
on opportunities, challenges and management responses.
93tended4writing questions have a number of common features:
They require description and e3planation.
They require some evaluation (i.e. the questions often include some conditional
words, such as :might;, :may;, :could; or :can;).
They always require detailed e3emplification usuall" #rom at least to located
case studies.
)lannin! essa" ansers
.ou should reserve 4- % minutes for thin"ing time and for writing a brief plan of your
answer. The plan should *rie#l" outline the general content of each para!raph and the
case study examples you intend to use to support your answer via a list of "eywords 6
places.
Remember that essay structure, especially your conclusion, contributes to nearly a third of
the mar"s (s"ills and communication criteria above). 1areful planning is therefore
important.
.our essay should have three main components:
an introduction
a main body
a conclusion.
+ntroduction
define any "ey terms used in the question, such as :human activities; and :conflict;
indicate the broad structure of your answer. e.g. list the human activities and the
conflicts they create.
<ame the case study located e3amples you are going to discuss.
The introduction should be brief and businessli"e: #our or #ive lines should be sufficient.
,ain *od"
This is where you develop the general ideas in your introduction. 9ach point in your plan
should be developed into a paragraph, each with a clear messa!e, supported by an
example from one of your case studies.
e.g. how urbanisation might give rise to increased flood ris" (conflict). The connection
between urbanisation and flooding would be e3plained and then illustrated with reference
to specific e3amples, such as the Rhine in 2ermany 6 -olland. 0ther paragraphs could
concentrate on how other developments increase flood ris" 6 conflicts, again using
e3amples.
-onclusion
% brief summar" of the points developed in your answer. Where appropriate, it may need
to include some evaluation. e.g. -ow much do human activities result in conflict7 #o you
thin" the strategies discussed can provide long term sustainability7 #o you thin" the
challenges are worth overcoming in order to gain the opportunities7
=f you are not great at writing essays, at the ver" least, start your final paragraph, >=n
conclusion5?. The e3aminer cannot claim that you have not concluded your essay@