Exam Strategy practice questions.

With four minutes of a Paper 1 left, a candidate has narrowed one question down to two options and cannot separate them. Which action best protects the mark total?

• Enter one of the two, as wrong answers are not penalised
• Leave the answer blank, because an incorrect entry deducts a mark
• Choose the longer option, since it is usually the more complete
• Pick the option whose wording most resembles the taught notes

Answer: Enter one of the two, as wrong answers are not penalised

Paper 1 uses no negative marking, so a blank and a wrong answer both score zero while a choice between the two surviving options has an even chance. Option length and familiar wording describe how the paper was written, not which statement is true.

A Paper 1 stem reads 'Which property is NOT a mechanical property?'. Which working method is the most reliable for this question type?

• Choose the option that carries the most technical vocabulary
• Confirm the three options that do fit and take the remaining one
• Read the options first and fit the stem to whichever looks familiar
• Answer the stem as though the word NOT were absent

Answer: Confirm the three options that do fit and take the remaining one

A negative stem is settled by verifying the three true statements, so the answer is reached by elimination rather than by impression. Reading past the NOT is the commonest way to lose an otherwise easy mark.

A three-step calculation asks for a final answer given to two significant figures. When should the rounding be applied?

• To each intermediate value, so that the arithmetic stays simple
• To the data taken from the table before any calculation begins
• Only to the final value; the intermediate steps stay unrounded
• To the final value and to the value carried into the last step as well

Answer: Only to the final value; the intermediate steps stay unrounded

Rounding early propagates the error through every later step and can shift the reported digit. The instruction in the stem fixes the precision of the reported answer alone, not of the working.

A candidate reaches the end of an SL Paper 1 with eight minutes to spare. Which use of the remaining time is most likely to gain marks?

• Rewriting the answer letters more neatly on the sheet
• Returning to the questions that were flagged as uncertain
• Rereading the questions that were answered confidently
• Checking that the candidate details are correctly entered

Answer: Returning to the questions that were flagged as uncertain

Re-reading questions that were already settled rarely changes an answer, while the flagged ones are where a second reading of the stem still has value. Time spent on presentation adds nothing in a multiple-choice paper.

A Paper 2 question reads 'Describe the trend shown in Figure 2' for three marks. What does the command term require beyond naming the trend?

• A judgement on whether the trend is desirable
• A recommendation for the designer to act on
• A cause for the trend supported by theory
• An account of the pattern with values quoted

Answer: An account of the pattern with values quoted

Describe asks for the pattern itself, set out in enough detail to earn each mark, and data-response marks are tied to quoted figures. Giving a reason instead answers a different command term and scores nothing here.

A four-mark question ends with the words 'using the data in Table 1'. Which answer meets that instruction?

• One that quotes values with units from the table
• One that describes the table in general terms
• One that repeats the headings printed in the table
• One that refers the examiner back to the table

Answer: One that quotes values with units from the table

The instruction makes the data part of the mark scheme, so figures with their units must appear in the answer. General statements such as the table shows an increase leave those marks unclaimed.