Improving your grades in GCSE Sociology

1. Improving your grades in GCSE Sociology

2. Common myths • The exams will be harder this year • The grade boundaries will be higher • Examiners have to fail so many • Examiners often make mistakes • Examiners don’t make mistakes • My script was probably marked wrongly • It’s impossible to get an ‘A’ • Revising doesn’t work for me • I work better if I leave it to the last minute. NGfL - Cymru

3. No-one wants you to fail • Markers are teachers and examiners • Many are parents • They went through this process themselves • They want the examination to be fair to everyone equally • They do their best to help you through the system • The rules are there for everyone NGfL - Cymru

4. Rule 1 Revise and understand your work. NGfL - Cymru

5. People are disappointed because • They don’t appear to know the work • They haven’t prepared fully • They don’t write enough • They don’t understand the examination process itself • They have poor exam technique • They organise their time badly in the examination NGfL - Cymru

6. What do examiners want? • Evidence of basic knowledge about the course content • Evidence of understanding of the questions • Well-planned answers that are relevant to the question • Good English and clear writing NGfL - Cymru

7. Activity • What are the assessment objectives that you are working towards? NGfL - Cymru

8. Focus on AO1 You need to be able to: • Refer to studies and research • Refer to knowledge about British society • Refer to theory NGfL - Cymru

9. Focus on AO2 You need to be able to: • Answer the question directly • Use evidence to support your points • Make clear judgements on the value of your evidence. NGfL - Cymru

10. Rule 2 Look at the specification NGfL - Cymru

11. Examiners follow a set of rules • All questions go through a rigorous checking process • All questions relate directly to the specification • All markers apply the same mark scheme. • The markscheme uses assessment objectives that are in the specification NGfL - Cymru

12. Rule 3 Listen to your teacher; view her as a friend. NGfL - Cymru

13. Examinations are • Set by practicing teachers • Checked by teachers • Marked by teachers • In addition teachers are, by their nature, people who are very good at passing examinations. NGfL - Cymru

14. Don’t try this trick! ‘Don’t know. Had c**p teacher.’ NGfL - Cymru

15. Rule 4 Calm down, take exercise, avoid caffeine and control your negative emotions. NGfL - Cymru

16. Activity • Write down the first five words you think of when you think of examinations. NGfL - Cymru

17. Don’t panic • Lots of students are totally panicked by examinations. • This is normal; everyone gets spooked. • Examiners will take this into account. • All marking is positive; you will not have marks deducted for errors • The more you know about the examination, the less scary it is NGfL - Cymru

18. Activity • Think of as many possible examination questions as you can on the topic of ethnic inequality. NGfL - Cymru

19. Rule 5 Look at past papers, mock papers, markschemes. NGfL - Cymru

20. Questions • There are only so many questions that can be asked. • Examiners repeat themselves • Most questions that require evaluation will focus on: • How? • Why? • Whether? NGfL - Cymru

21. Rule 6 Write good English and use sociological language. NGfL - Cymru

22. Read this… NGfL - Cymru

23. Handwriting • Bad handwriting is rude to the examiner. • The examiner is under instructions to read every word and to translate if necessary. • This doesn’t make them happy at all. • In addition, there are mark bands that take spelling into account. NGfL - Cymru

24. Rule 7 Plan your time in the examination. NGfL - Cymru

25. Time planning • Each question is allocated a number of marks • The examination is for a limited time. • Many candidates write for a very long time on c) questions and leave d) questions done very badly. • This leads to scrappy work and errors. NGfL - Cymru

26. Examples … • Of course, Marxism is bad for society. • Family diversity is caused by having too many families. NGfL - Cymru

27. Rule 8 Answer the question. NGfL - Cymru

28. Command words • Explain – develop a description, show detail, talk about how and why, give reasons or examples • Identify – pick out the main points • Outline and explain – pick out the most important points and then talk about reasons or examples • Discuss – talk about all sides of an argument. NGfL - Cymru

29. Instructions … • Using the extract above … refer to the stimulus item in some way • Using relevant examples … mention studies or facts NGfL - Cymru

30. How to upset the marker Ignoring the instructions Misreading the question Irrelevant answers Twisting the question Going off on a tangent NGfL - Cymru

31. The Golden Rules • Revise and understand the work • Look at the specification • Listen to your teacher; view her as a friend. • Calm down, take exercise, avoid caffeine and control your negative emotions. • Look at past papers, mock papers, markschemes. • Write good English and use sociological language • Plan your time in the examination. • Answer the question NGfL - Cymru