WJEC Biology for A2 Level: Revision Workbook

Common exam mistakes 1. Misreading the question! Sounds obvious I know but READ the question carefully – know your command words! 2. Not including enough detail You should budget on a minimum of one mark a point, so if the question is out of 5, make at least 5 points, making sure to include your biological knowledge. 3. Using incorrect terminology Reliability is NOT the same as accuracy! 4. In maths answers ALWAYS show all your working Credit is given if the examiner can see your steps even if you do end up with the wrong answer, so always show your working in full AND remember your units. If you don’t you could lose a mark! 5. Spelling errors Spelling of key scientific words MUST be right; for example, examiners won’t accept ‘meitosis’ for meiosis because it could be confused with mitosis! The general rule is examiners will allow phonetic spelling so long as it can’t be confused for something else. However, for the extended question the quality of your extended response IS assessed. 6. Describing data Remember to quote data from graphs/tables in your answer WITH units. 7. Running out of time Exam papers are written to give you plenty of time. If you get stuck, move on BUT remember to come back to it later. Every year marks are lost because some questions are left blank! 8. Drawing graphs Full marks are rarely awarded for graphs. Common errors include: • Incorrect labels on axes • Missing units • Sloppy plotting of points • Failing to join plots accurately • Non-linear scales. Have a go yourself – can you spot the mistakes? concentration of hydrogen peroxide 50 5. 0 1 0 . 0 20 . 0 25. 0 3 0 . 0 3 5. 0 40 . 0 45. 0 volume of oxygen produced in one minute 0 . 0 1 0 0 1 50 Mistakes are: • No units on either axis. • No value for origin on horizontal axis. • Vertical axis is nonlinear, i.e. gaps are unequal. Also make sure that you draw range bars and can explain their significance. 12 | WJEC Biology for A2 Level: Revision Workbook | Introduction Copyright: Sample material