Extended Response practice questions.

A question worth 9 marks opens with the command term 'Discuss'. Which structure of answer can reach the top markband?

• A list of every relevant technical term, each with a one-sentence definition.
• A description of how the system named in the question works, following the data through it.
• One side argued in full, with the other side named in the final sentence.
• Both sides argued with reasons, followed by a conclusion that weighs them.

Answer: Both sides argued with reasons, followed by a conclusion that weighs them.

'Discuss' asks for a balanced review that considers a range of arguments, so a one-sided answer cannot reach the top band however detailed it is. The conclusion has to follow from arguments that have already been made rather than introduce a new one.

In a 9-mark extended response on a networking scenario, a candidate writes three paragraphs of correct general theory about protocols but never mentions the organisation named in the question. What is the likely consequence?

• Full marks, because the theory is accurate and directly relevant to the named topic.
• Marks in the lower bands, because the response is not applied to the given context.
• No marks at all, because the response answers a different question.
• Marks capped at half, because the command term was not restated.

Answer: Marks in the lower bands, because the response is not applied to the given context.

The upper markbands require the argument to be tied to the scenario, so accurate but generic theory stays in the lower bands. Naming the organisation and its constraints in every paragraph is what turns knowledge into applied analysis.

Which opening sentence of an extended response is most likely to earn credit straight away?

• Automating berth allocation would cut waiting time, but it moves accountability away from the planner.
• This essay is going to discuss all of the advantages and the disadvantages of automating berth allocation.
• Automation is a very important topic in modern computer science and in society.
• There are many arguments on both sides of this question, as will now be shown.

Answer: Automating berth allocation would cut waiting time, but it moves accountability away from the planner.

An opening that already states a position and names a real trade-off begins to score in the first line, while an announcement of intent describes the answer instead of giving it. Examiners credit content, not signposting.

An extended response worth 9 marks is well argued but covers only the benefits of the proposal. Which single change adds the most marks?

• Adding a definition of every technical term that appears anywhere in the answer.
• Rewriting the existing benefits in more precise technical language.
• Adding the drawbacks and a conclusion that weighs them against the benefits.
• Adding a labelled diagram of the system described in the question.

Answer: Adding the drawbacks and a conclusion that weighs them against the benefits.

Balance is the criterion the one-sided answer fails, so supplying the missing side together with a weighed judgement lifts it by whole bands. Polishing the language or adding a diagram improves an answer that is already balanced but cannot repair a structural gap.

A nine-mark response sets out both sides of an argument carefully and then stops without saying which option is better. What is the effect on the mark?

• It is unaffected, because both sides have been covered fully
• It loses one mark from whatever band it would otherwise reach
• It is placed in the lowest band, because no conclusion has been reached
• It cannot reach the top band, which requires a supported judgement

Answer: It cannot reach the top band, which requires a supported judgement

The top band asks for a conclusion that follows from the argument made, so a balanced answer without one is capped below it however good the analysis is. The remedy costs two sentences: state which option is preferred and name the reason from the argument that decides it.

A candidate wants to use a technical example in an extended response. Which use of it is most likely to earn credit?

• Applied to the organisation in the question and its consequences drawn
• Described accurately for a paragraph before the argument resumes
• Named in passing so that the examiner sees the terminology is well known
• Compared with three other examples of the same kind of technology

Answer: Applied to the organisation in the question and its consequences drawn

Marks for application are given for connecting a piece of knowledge to the situation described, so an example that is correct but free-standing earns knowledge credit only. The test to apply is whether the paragraph would still make sense if the organisation were a different one; if it would, the application is missing.