Study Skills Core Modules
Revision & Exam Practice
Revision & Exam Practice Tip #6 - Answering exam questions
The truth about exams is:
- they are not designed to catch you out,
- they provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your abilities,
- examiners like giving marks to people who do what is asked of them,
- they can be completed in the allotted time, and
- everyone’s memory is sufficient for what they need to learn to get a good grade.
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Exam questions come in a variety of styles: multiple choice, tick box, short answer, long answer, essay style, etc. Understanding exactly what is being asked of you is the most important first step in getting good grades.
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Command Words
To make sure you understand what the question is asking you to do, it may be useful to clearly highlight the command word on the exam paper just so you’re clear what they are asking (see the BUG technique below).
A variety of command words may be used:| Account for | Explain why something is the way it is. |
| Analyse | Explain your view of why the main points of an idea, text or process are important. Do not just describe. |
| Calculate | Show the method and obtain a numerical answer. |
| Compare | Write about the differences and similarities. |
| Conclude | Make a decision after thinking something through. |
| Contrast | Show the differences between two things. |
| Criticise | Analyse and make a judgement or give an opinion. Do not just be negative, give a considered view. |
| Define | Give a brief explanation of what something means. |
| Describe | Say what something or someone is like or give an account of events. |
| Discuss | Explain the advantages and disadvantages of something, and give your opinion. |
| Evaluate | Make a judgement about the quality of something, taking the evidence into account. |
| Explain | Give reason WHY something is as it is or HOW it operates. |
| Give reasons for | Explain using words like because to make clear WHY things happen. |
| Identify | Point out the required features or reasons. |
| Interpret | Explain what you understand to be the meaning, or what someone else intended the meaning to be. |
| Justify | Give good reasons for. |
| Summarise | Give the main points of an idea or an argument. |
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Tips for Answering Questions
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1. Read the question twice.
2. Use the BUG technique. This is a metacognitive technique designed to help you correctly interpret questions. The BUG technique stands for:
- Box
Put a box around the command word(s). This also serves as a quick reminder when you come back to the question at different times. - Underline
the key words in the question. This will help you sort out not only the content expected, but also any limitations, e.g. only a specific timescale, or only one side of an argument to be analysed. You will also be weighing up which words you think are important and eliminate words that are not so vital. - Glance back and check
have you missed out any words which are important and change what you have to do? This is an often overlooked step by students, anxious to get started with their answers. But this is the part which helps you to develop critical thinking skills, and it is an important self-check to ensure you have done the previous two steps properly.
3. Check the number of marks available. If you have already been practising with past papers, mark schemes and Chief Examiners' reports, you should have some idea of whether it is a mark per point or marks for particular levels of ability/knowledge.
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4. Use the space provided as a rough guide to how much you should be writing.
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5. For longer answers, take some time to think and plan your answers. See the section on long answer questions in the Exam Preparation module of this course.
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6. Attempt every question. If you're stuck on a question, leave it and come back to it later. If all else fails, just make a guess. Try not to leave blanks - you can't lose marks for an incorrect answer, but you might gain some marks from a good guess!
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7. Do not rush to finish the exam. There are always some people who finish early. But it is better to plan and answer questions properly than rush your work (potentially making silly mistakes) and then sit around waiting for the end. If you do manage to finish early, make good use of the time to read back through your answers.
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For additional advice on answering exam questions, take a look at these resource sheets from the National Extension College's Learning Skills Guide: