Exam technique and writing points

[Nikki]

Hi,
This is my 3rd attempt for SP1. I still struggle to understand where I lose marks.I write double the points as the marks allocated and in points under sub headings and they seem to be covered in the examiner reports too,but I dont know why I am not getting credit for my points.Can anyone provide a general rule of thumb on how many different ideas should I generate for lets say a 10 mark question related to product design factors. Do i need 10 different headings and describe those briefly to make 20 points or I can even go for fewer headings (say 6-7)and write in more detail to make 20 points?
Are the examiners looking for specific ideas to be covered? Also, I think that they only provide credit for an idea upto a limit (eg-2-3 points) and they want more variety on the ideas I suppose. I just struggle to find the right balance.

 

[Mark Willder]

Hi,
This is my 3rd attempt for SP1. I still struggle to understand where I lose marks.I write double the points as the marks allocated and in points under sub headings and they seem to be covered in the examiner reports too,but I dont know why I am not getting credit for my points.Can anyone provide a general rule of thumb on how many different ideas should I generate for lets say a 10 mark question related to product design factors. Do i need 10 different headings and describe those briefly to make 20 points or I can even go for fewer headings (say 6-7)and write in more detail to make 20 points?
Are the examiners looking for specific ideas to be covered? Also, I think that they only provide credit for an idea upto a limit (eg-2-3 points) and they want more variety on the ideas I suppose. I just struggle to find the right balance.

Hi Nikki

We need to take each question on its merits. So what works for one question won't necessarily work for another in terms of the detail we need to give. For example, the command verb will be very important - a "Describe" question will need more detail than an "Outline" question - type "command verbs" into the search box on the IFoA website for a guide to their different meanings. Some questions provide a lot of background detail, and if that is the case we would expect to be giving more detailed answers based on this background (although plenty of generic points can score too as long as they are relevant).

But in general, I think you are taking the right approach by aiming for 20 points for a 10 mark question. Using headings as you suggest is great too.

Balancing breadth against depth can be tricky. I would usually be aiming for breadth first. As you've said, it is possible that the total marks available under a particular heading is capped, so having more headings with less depth is often better than having fewer headings with more depth. There are exceptions to this though, eg if we're asked for the "main/key factors" then we don't want to waste time on factors with relatively little impact.

Looking at your product design example in particular. If the question asks about the factors the insurer should consider, then a starting point might be Chapter 7, Section 1 which has 12 different sub-sections (noting that 1.13 just says the 12 subsections can conflict). So we might want to use these to give 12 headings as a starting point to our answer. Depending on the specific situation given in the question, some of these headings might be more important and so need more detail then others.

More advice on how to tackle questions is given in ASET, which includes our comments on exam technique for the last four years. It's a bit late now, but for future subjects you might find it useful to get a mock exam marked to give you feedback.

I wish you the best of luck with the exam.

Mark

 

[Nikki]

Thank you so much Mark for such a detailed answer