Missing piece to big marks

KNOWING how to answer exam questions can give someone an edge over their peers.

Oftentimes, students know the answers but lack the right exam answering techniques to tackle the questions.

In fact, they tend to overlook this often underestimated method to scoring in their subjects.

So what are answering techniques? It is a method students use to craft their answers – while adhering to the right formats, terminologies and steps – so that they can check all the boxes examiners are looking for.

This is where the knowledge of an experienced teacher comes in as they are more familiar with the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam requirements – both questions and marking schemes.

In Uni Enrol’s SPM Masterclass, experienced teachers will share their answering formulas to give students a perspective on providing optimal answers.

Right format for free marks

By just adhering to the correct format for answers, students can score marks allotted for it in the exam marking scheme.

For example, in the formal letter section for the English exams, writing dates in full like 27 September 2020, will give students one mark, instead of writing 27/9/2020 which carries zero marks.

For subjects such as Chemistry and Physics, answering in a different unit from what is required, although correctly converted, will still cause students to lose marks. For example, answering in kilogramme instead of gramme.

Easy marks to score

For subjects such as Accounting and Mathematics, marks are given when the correct steps are shown even if the answers are incorrect.

In Accounting, moving the figures to the correct account set-up such as “capital account” and “realised profit and loss account” can already provide marks.

Someone can easily obtain at least four out of 20 marks by doing this alone.

This is one way to “capitalise” on the easy-to-collect marks provided in exams to reward the understanding of basic concepts.

Get noticed by examiners

For essay or structured questions, especially in subjects such as Bahasa Melayu, English and History, it is best to separate each point into its own paragraphs so that examiners can easily distinguish where they should award marks.

Examiners go through hundreds of papers and may easily overlook them if the script is not well planned and looks untidy.

Watching for clues

Read each question carefully and look for keywords that serve as clues to answers.

For example, if a Physics question states that a ship is floating, it is a clear indication telling a student that the buoyant force of the water is the same as the weight of the ship. This is crucial to solving the question.

Pay attention to the marks allocated to each question as they also serve as an indicator of the length of an answer.

If a question carries six marks but asks students to provide only two points, it means that the answer should contain an explanation, elaboration or examples for each point.

It is important for students to keep in mind that every fact, elaboration and example given carries marks even though the questions do not explicitly instruct them to do so.

Teachers’ proprietary formula

Teacher Haslindar Nor Ismail’s BASuH method (Baca, Analisis, Subjek, Huraian) is a step-by-step way to tackle higher order thinking skills (HOTS) questions so you can obtain full marks.

Students can watch her videos on Uni Enrol’s YouTube channel and can additionally join her Masterclass to learn more.

Teacher Nurshashimah Nawawi will share her FHC (Fakta, Huraian, Contoh) method to answer HOTS questions in the History exam.

The SPM Masterclass is designed to cover these techniques, as well as past year exam analysis.

There will also be discussions on popular and challenging topics by experienced teachers.

To avoid disappointment, students should register early as spots are limited.

For details about the Masterclass and how to register, go to unienrol.com/spm-masterclass or call 03-5613 7225, Monday to Friday, between 9.30am and 6pm.

This article is part of Uni Enrol’s SPM Masterclass to be held in November 2020.