Essay-Type Exams

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• Essay-Type Exams
• Presented by
• Dr Derek Richards
• Adapated from Mark Mathews workshop

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Todays Workshop

1. How to do well
2. Structure of essay type question
3. Where marks are lost
4. Practice
5. Exam writing

Sources Exam Guide, SU Student Learning How to
Do Badly in Examinations, Dr. Frank Bannister
How to Succeed in Exams.. , McMillan Weyers
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Grading
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Grading
I Thorough, deep understanding Critical thinking,
insight, creativity Well written Nearly all
points II.I Good grasp of subject Critical
Analytical thinking Logical Clear
Presentation Nearly all key points
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Grading
II.II Solid Answer Knowledge beyond lectures Good
on facts Writing good, some structure III Knowledg
e Facts, but little insight Narrow/ No critical
thought Poorly written / incoherent F Little
Factual Content Errors
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How to Do Well
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Answer the Question

• Demonstrate that you understand the question
• The structure is as important as what you know
• More is not necessarily better

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• Understand what is being asked
• Only answer the QUESTION
• Do not include irrelevant material
• Underline keywords Cause Effect
• Explain Discuss
• Compare Contrast

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How to do well

1. Provide Analytical Answer (not descriptive)
2. Describe the context situation
3. Discuss the implications (theoretical
   practical)
4. Display evidence of reading/ thinking around
   debate
5. Do not just assert something is true, prove it.
   What facts, figures, examples, tests, etc. prove
   your point?
6. Cover all sides

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Essay Structure
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Step-by-Step Method

• Read Question
• Capture your ideas
• Do quick outline
• Start writing
• Add new ideas to outline

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Structure for essay writing

• Introduction
• Main body divided into paragraphs (make one
  point, expand and give evidence)
• Conclusion
• Adapted from Rosenwasser, David and Jill
  Stephen. Writing Analytically. 3rd ed. Boston
  Heinle/Thompson Learning. Inc, 2003. Seattle
  University Writing Centre. For more information
  Hacker, Diana. A Writers Reference. 5th ed.
  Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2003.

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Develop an Outline

• Discuss the different services a junior college
  offers a community.
• Outline
• Introduction
• Body
• Vocational education
• Continuing education
• Personal development
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• The introduction is about the question not the
  answer
• Restate question in your own words
• Find and use the key words
• Show you understand the question
• define the key words/concepts/theories etc (see
  handout on key verbs).

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Restate Question as Statement

• "Discuss the different services a junior college
  offers a community.
• A junior college offers the community at least
  three main types of educational services
  vocational education for young people, continuing
  education for older people, and personal
  development for all individuals.
• From http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/73
  7/1/

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Main Body

• Develop points from outline
• Paragraphs
• One point per paragraph
• Explain point
• Evidence to support point

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Conclusion

• Conclude the essay by emphasising how each
  part you have described makes up the whole,
  summarise the points made,to answer the question.
• From http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/73
  7/1/

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Where marks are lost
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How you lose marks

• Re-interpreting the Question
• Writing out the question
• Pointless Definitions / Quotes
• Poor English
• Bullet Points
• Lack of structure (aka Brain Dumping)

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How you lose marks

• Taking a long time to get to the point
• Irrelevance
• Repetition
• Present what you know
• Add Value
• Get to the point

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Over-complication

• What is meant by each of the following data
• mining terms? In each case, include a
• simple example to illustrate your answer.
• Decision trees
• Clustering
• Accuracy
• Coverage.
• (8 Marks)

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Over-complication

• Decision trees are used in data mining as a way
  of progressively
• breaking down data into groups. As this happens,
  the number in each
• classification may be noted. A customer database
  may break down as
• 70 male, 30 female. The males may be divided
  into those that
• spend over 1,000 a year with us (90) and those
  that do not (10).
• The same subdivision for female shows that only
  2 of females spend
• over 1,000 with us. The high spending males
  break-down into 77
• under 30 and 23 over 30 years of age. When
  females are divided
• into high and low spending, it might be found
  that 80 of high spenders
• are repeat customers and 20 are not. Low
  spending females, on the
• other hand, might be 90 non repeating customers.
  A parallel analysis
• of high spending male customers might show that

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Padding

• Work breakdown structures are important. They
  are used in all projects including civil,
• mechanical and electrical engineering projects as
  well as software projects. Work
• breakdown structures decompose the work to be
  done in a project into successively
• smaller components. The result is a hierarchical
  structure. This is usually done by the
• project manager, but may be done by sub managers
  or engineers. Being able to prepare
• a work breakdown is an important project
  management skill and needs experience.
• Specialist engineers may be required to complete
  a WBS where specialised work is
• involved. The work breakdown structure enables
  the project manager to estimate more
• accurately and later on helps in controlling the
  project. A typical breakdown may start
• with a project being divided into phases, stages,
  activities and tasks. The lowest level in
• the breakdown is usually a task though
  occasionally task may be further subdivided into
• sub-task or even steps. The number of tasks in
  a project can be very large. The absence of a
  work
• breakdown structure can cause problems in a
  project as it may not be possible to estimate
  accurately
• or assign work effectively. If the work
  breakdown structure is not complete in some way,
  then the
• project is almost certain to overrun. One
  project manager was quoted as saying that a good
  work
• breakdown structure is of monumental
  importance. A proper work breakdown structure
  is normally
• coded with a simple numeric coding system. The
  work breakdown structure may also be reflected in
  a
• Gantt chart. A Gantt chart is a sort of
  horizontal bar chart used for showing the timing
  and duration of
• the various stages of a project.

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How to get from here to there
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Practice
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Would you sit your driving test without ever
driving a car?
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Practice makes perfect
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Practice Exam Skills

• 50 how well you know your material
• 50 performance in exams
• Knowing something is not the same as being able
  to do it when the situation demands it.
• You need to practice in a simulated environment.

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Steps to Practice

• Get sample exam questions
• Practice your starting procedures
• Practice analysing questions (5 mins)
• Practice generating ideas (5 mins)
• Practice developing a structure (5 mins)
• Practice writing Introduction (5 mins)
• Practice past exam questions (timed and un timed)
• Mark your own answers as critically as possibly

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• http//www.tcd.ie/Local/Exam_Papers/summer_nonTSM.
  html

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Study preparation

1. Generate a list of major topics using your notes
   and past exam papers.
2. Create a chart or summary sheet of the main
   topics.
3. Generate ideas and plan an outline for each
   question
4. Follow a structure and review your essays (time
   spent and quality of your answers)

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Not practicing leads to..

• Poor Handwriting
• Brain Dumping
• Irrelevant Material
• Poor Structure
• Running out of time
• Anxiety

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Exam Writing
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Equal time for equal marks

• Leave time at beginning (to plan) and end (to
  check) paper.

Question 3 40 minutes
Question 4 40 minutes
Question 2 40 minutes
Question 1 40 minutes
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• Maximum gains for time are in
• the early stages of your answer
• Plan your time in advance
• Rehearse producing quality
• work in time available
• Equal Time for Equal Marks

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Writing

• Keep your writing simple
• Short sentences
• Practice writing
• Avoid unsupported value judgements
• - World War II was really important.

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Think about your examiner
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Make your writing legible!!
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Tour Guide

• Use signpost words to develop your argument
• This is the broad area, but these are the key
  issues because
• Headings to delineate sections

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A good answer is

• Well Focused
• Answers the question completely,
• Avoids "padding."
• Well Organized
• Plan - outline
• Introduction which restate the question, states
  the point(s) you are going to make and also, if
  possible, how you are going to proceed.
• Body that makes clear, well supported, relevant
  points
• Conclusion which summarizes the material covered
  and emphasizes your main points.
• Well Supported
• Use facts, figures, examples, tests, etc. prove
  your point.
• Well Packaged
• Use conventions of language in your field.
• Adapted from http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res
  ource/737/1/

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Remember!
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Main Points to remember!

• REVISION BEFORE THE EXAM
• Rehearse look at old exam papers
• Practice producing quality work in time available
  e.g. If questions are 20 mins long, practice
  writing answers for 20 mins

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Main Points to remember!

• IN THE EXAM
• Answer the question asked key words
• Equal time for equal points plan time in
  advance if possible
• Do an outline as a guideline
• Write clearly, simply and legibly

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http//www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/student-lear
ning/undergraduate/topics/exams/
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Watch out for upcoming workshops

• Science Exam Skills Wednesday 27 March
• Exam Taking Strategies Tuesday 2nd , Thursday
  4th, Wed 10th April
• Exam Nerves how to overcome them Tuesday 9th
  April

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Student Learning Development
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