Some exam writing advice from someone who wants to beat her head against a desk because of how rough these exams are.
If you are asked to define something, make sure your response includes a noun. Do not immediately talk around it, start by thinking "how would I explain this to someone who has not taken this course."
Pay attention to how many marks something is worth. I have students who are writing two sentences for a question that is worth 8% of their final grade. What the hell can I do with that?
Highlight the key words in the question, so you actually know what you need to answer. Don't start word vomiting everything you remember related to a key word, make sure you know what you need to do.
If you don't remember something, approximate. If you can't remember a full name, use initials. If you can't remember the percentage, don't guess and get it wrong, use a ballpark number instead. Not remembering details is less detrimental than putting in the wrong information.
Take a minute to rough out an outline for your essay. There needs to be some structure. If you only string keywords together and the sentences and organization don't make sense, you haven't demonstrated an understanding and I cannot give you marks for this.
Do your fucking readings oh my god. The amount of essays I have read that are meant to respond to a reading where students don't mention the reading, let alone tie it to other ones? I am despairing.
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