CP3 - April 2018 paper

Discussion in 'CP3' started by Viki2010, Jul 31, 2018.

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  1. Viki2010

    Viki2010 Member

    Hi, I am a little confused here.

    Question 1 states: "draft a paper to the investment committee of 600 to 750 words"

    My interpretation was that "a paper" means a report.

    Why is the examiner's solution to this question in a format of a formal letter?

    Does "a paper" mean a formal letter?

    :(:eek:o_O:confused:
     
  2. Viki2010

    Viki2010 Member

    Also, the paper did not request any charts but the examiner's report did include it.
    Are we supposed to always include visual aids even if not asked for explicitly in the instructions?
     
  3. Helen Evans

    Helen Evans Ton up Member Staff Member

    A paper or a letter would have been acceptable formats for the answer to this question. In the marking schedule the examiners make the comment "while we expect that most candidates produced a paper, a letter is equally acceptable" and I would interpret "paper" in this context as meaning a report.
     
  4. Viki2010

    Viki2010 Member

    Thank you Helen for your response.
    What is your view for the inclusion of the chart?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 1, 2018
  5. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    The examiner should have lost marks for drafting a letter, which is not a paper and for making a chart which wasn't asked for. It can't be right that candidates have to guess whether letter is OK or whether they should be making a chart, especially when IFoA fail so many on these exams.
     
  6. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    It's a bit late to state that there, it should be stated in the question.
     
  7. Ace123

    Ace123 Member

    Given that visual aids were in the examiners report for the September exam, and are included under effective communication tools in the syllabus, I think it's fair to assume that you should be including them when answering an CP3 exam.
     
  8. Helen Evans

    Helen Evans Ton up Member Staff Member

    I would always be considering including visual aids, even if not explictly asked for in the question. I would expect in most (if not all) questions the examiners will have framed the question in a way that you can produce a helpful graphic. Note the examiners were not prescriptive about exactly what was shown in the graphic, but you did need to ensure that the graph in the question wasn't just cut and pasted in!
     
  9. Viki2010

    Viki2010 Member

    There are 5 marks for the chart in the marking scheme. The chart was not asked for and I have not included it. I failed by exactly 5 marks!!! :confused:
     
  10. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    Viki I sympathise, this is simply not fair at all. For years IFoA have blamed students for not following precise instructions in a question and do their own thing yet here you're expected to do just that.
     
  11. Helen Evans

    Helen Evans Ton up Member Staff Member

    Hi Viki, my sympathies too, frustrating. I think the key issue is that we should still consider the appropriateness of visual aids in our communication even if the qn does not explicitly ask for them to be included.
     
  12. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    I'm reliably informed if this happened on a GCSE, A level or even University exam paper then the teachers/tutors would take the issue up on behalf of students. They wouldn't leave students alone to suffer. What are acted tutors doing about this- don't you work closely with IFoA, why can't you ask them to reconsider the marking given that chart wasn't asked for?
     
  13. Jamie Brown

    Jamie Brown Member

    Not quite sure why this is such an issue. It said produce a paper. Producing a letter in the ex' report is odd but if a paper could get as many marks then who cares. It's the content of what's written in the paper/letter that counts. It doesn't really matter whether it says Dear Sir at the top. And then it's up to you whether you include a chart or ot. If you think it will help explain then do; if you think it will confuse then don't. The question doesn't say don't include any. I'd bet my house that some people passed including a chart amd some people passed not including one. You need to see through the detail and appreciate the big picture.
     
  14. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    Aren't there marks for proper format anymore?
     
  15. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    That's not relevant. If there are marks for making a chart then at the very least the question should have let candidates know that. The question lacked clarity and there's no excuse for that.
     
  16. Viki2010

    Viki2010 Member

    I think there are 2 issues with the paper and the examiners report.

    1. There are marks for the format. The requested format was "a paper" but the examiner has produced "a formal letter", which based on the CP3 materials and using common sense these are 2 different formats.....
    It is hard to predict what to do in the next sitting. If I'm asked to produce " a formal letter", can I produce "a paper" and be ok or vice versa?

    2. The chart is usually a bit more time consuming and if not asked why should anyone include it given the pressure of the exam time-frame? There are 5 marks for the chart in CP3.
    I will make sure to include a visual aid in the future even if it is not being asked for because I know now that there are marks that can be lost....
     
  17. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    If people knew there were 5 marks available for doing one then clearly everyone would do it. This is the point you're missing.
     
  18. Helen Evans

    Helen Evans Ton up Member Staff Member

    Hi everyone

    Picking up some of the points here:

    Viki - in relation to future exams and format ... if the question asks for a letter I would produce a letter (and I wouldn't expect that the examiners would be happy with other formats). If the question asks for a paper then I would produce a report (and if the Examiners are prepared to be flexible and accept a report or letter then I've still picked up the formatting marks).

    As I've mentioned in an earlier post I don't think it is unreasonable for the examiners to not explicitly request a graph and instead expect us to weigh up whether the inclusion of one would enhance our communication (and therefore be credited) and it is very likely that there will be material that can be usefully shown in this way.

    I do understand that we may have different views on this, if you still have concerns then you may want to raise them with the Profession.
     
  19. almost_there

    almost_there Member

    It is totally unreasonable. Candidates are there to score marks to pass the exam and deserve to know what there are marks for. It's a pity acted tutors don't stand up for their customers in the same way teachers/tutors at school/university do.
     
  20. Tarbuck

    Tarbuck Member

    If you're complaining about marks not explicitly asked for in the question in CP3 you are going to have a hell of a time with the SAs.

    I heard they also do something similar on the mathematical CT exams to - they give marks for working despite only asking for the final answer! How are people supposed to expect these things?
     
  21. Ace123

    Ace123 Member

    Or candidates could just read the syllabus and see that it says visual aids are part of effective communication, and it is a communication paper...
     
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