Answering technique

[rave23]

Hi just going though questions and just want some clarification on how much to write when you have the following buzwords.

List - assuming that you write 2 points for one mark
Describe - 0.5 mark for the point and 0.5 for explaining
Discuss- same as describe

Please can someone confirm if my understanding of this correct. Thanks

 

[Stuart Underwood]

Hi rave23,

Some thoughts below:

List - assuming that you write 2 points for one mark

I would think this is sensible - I would aim for twice as many points as there are marks available, and more if you are unsure about of any of the points on your list. It's possible that a really important item on the list could be worth a whole mark, but I wouldn't bank on this, I think it's safer to aim for [1/2] per point.


Describe - 0.5 mark for the point and 0.5 for explaining

I would think that this could sometimes be the case, but not necessarily always. So for some "describe" questions, you could still need up to 20 distinct points, just with a bit more detail than "state" or "outline".


Discuss- same as describe

"Discuss" is likely to be similar to "describe" in terms of the level of detail required, but not in terms of the instruction itself. "Discuss" normally requires to you look at pros and cons, eg if you are asked to "discuss" a proposal, it is usually necessary to look at what is good and what is bad about it.

Hope that helps

Best wishes
Stuart

Stuart Underwood
ActEd Tutor

 

[rave23]

Thanks Stuart for this.

How would you know for the describe question that you would need to put 20 points down. The reason why I am asking this is that is that I get confused when this applies.

 

[Stuart Underwood]

Hi rave23

There are no hard and fast rules - it depends on the question.

In particular, whether a point should be worth 0.5 or 1 (explained) depends on things like:
- how important is the point?
- is there an obvious way of expanding the point?
- is there a specified number of points to describe?
- ... or a Core Reading list of items to describe (eg like the 6 main financing methods)?
- is there a clue in the question as to what is required?
- how many marks are on offer?

For example consider the following point:

Purchasing insurance removes or reduces risks, for example longevity, investment, inflation and expense risks.

Depending on the question, I could write this as:
- a single point worth [1/2] ...
- ... or [1] (if it's an important idea) ...
- ... or even as five [1/2] mark points (with elaboration) if it appears the question required me to discuss each of the risks in detail ...
- ... or as follows for two [1/2]s

Purchasing insurance removes or reduces risks ...
... for example longevity, investment, inflation and expense risks.

But which one? This is your choice ...

... as Subject SA4 for many students is the subject on which they will qualify, one of the key skills the Examiners are looking for is your ability to use actuarial judgement. The length, breadth and depth of your answer is an area where you will need to apply judgement.

Thankfully you don't need to 100% correct every time!

Reading past solutions to the Examiners' Reports could also be helpful with this, as this would be a good guide to follow.

Best wishes
Stuart

Stuart Underwood
ActEd Tutor