Writing a good response (1 Viewer)

[lyounamu]

Hello, I think I would appreciate some advices on how to write a good short response. Reading over my past exams, I suddently realised that I spend too much time writing over the given spaces.

Every single quetion went over at least 2 or 3 lines. I still got good marks but I would want some advices on how to write the questions in the shortest form possible but still get the full marks.

I am sorry if my question was too ambiguous or general.

 

[Zephyrio]

What is this for?

AOS comprehension?

I think that writing succinctly comes with practice.

 

[lyounamu]

What is this for?

AOS comprehension?

I think that writing succinctly comes with practice.

I am talking about exams in general. How do you write when you get a short response question?

 

[veloc1ty]

Don't repeat the question, only answer what is required for the verb (e.g. identify can be 1 word, at most probably a sentence).

 

[lyounamu]

Don't repeat the question, only answer what is required for the verb (e.g. identify can be 1 word, at most probably a sentence).

Thanks. I tend to repeat the question over and over again and that takes up one big line in my answer. Better reduce that.

 

[Aerath]

I tend to summarise everything I wanna write about in the first sentence. The next few sentences are then just giving evidence of my answer in my first sentence.

 

[lyounamu]

I tend to summarise everything I wanna write about in the first sentence. The next few sentences are then just giving evidence of my answer in my first sentence.

That's a good idea! I better take note of this.

 

[veloc1ty]

By the way, which subjects in particular do you have this problem?

Funnily enough, my teachers say I write too little (mainly physics - I get away with full marks while writing half as much as the person next to me).

 

[lyounamu]

By the way, which subjects in particular do you have this problem?

Funnily enough, my teachers say I write too little (mainly physics - I get away with full marks while writing half as much as the person next to me).

Biology & Business Studies, please.

 

[bored of sc]

Knowing what the question means! Not striving for perfection! Making sense! Writing so that everything you write relates directly back to the question!

But it's easier said than done... short answers can be frustratingly hard at times.

 

[kaz1]

Be specific in your answer.

 

[Rhanoct]

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what exactly they want (you could write 1+ pages on a 3 marker and still only get 1-2). Best bet is to know your syllabus and try to find the 3 best points to suit the q (if it's out of 3 that is).

Also, keep in mind "list" doesn't require sentences.

 

[Aplus]

Keep it concise and stick to the facts. No irrelevant information needed.

 

[shelby.]

knowing your syllabus really well, and basing your answer on syllabus points with concise explanations always has helped me in business studies.

 

[selablad]

Yeah, the main thing is to get to the point and start answering the question as soon as possible. It doesn't need to look nice or sound sophisticated or anything (that is what essays and such are for), just communicate your understanding of the topic.

I also have trouble with waffling too much so one of my teachers suggested doing little challenges every day during study so you control what you're saying more, eg if you have a homework question, tell yourself "I have to answer this in 20 words or less while still communicating all the information" and yeah, after lots of practice you notice that you are much more concise

 

[lyounamu]

Thanks for all the responses so far. However, I would really appreciate some specific advices on how to "structure" the short answer question like this:

1. answer the question briefly
2. explain it
3. prove it

Are there any suggestions?

 

[minijumbuk]

Use your brain before your pen. It really helps. I used to just freak out when I stop at a question, and I'd just write random crap while thinking. After a while of thinking, I find that everything that I have written as the answer was crap, and I cross it all out, and write it again.

So ya, think before you write.

For subjects like science, all you have to do is...pretty much regurgitate what you learnt. The short responses test your flexibility with your scientific knowledge, while long responses are the regurgitations. In your response, you should tell them everything you know about what they are asking. Do not, however, drift off the question. Just keep showing your knowledge of that area they are asking. Don't be afraid to use the dot-point --> explanation format.

 

[lyounamu]

Use your brain before your pen. It really helps. I used to just freak out when I stop at a question, and I'd just write random crap while thinking. After a while of thinking, I find that everything that I have written as the answer was crap, and I cross it all out, and write it again.

So ya, think before you write.

For subjects like science, all you have to do is...pretty much regurgitate what you learnt. The short responses test your flexibility with your scientific knowledge, while long responses are the regurgitations. In your response, you should tell them everything you know about what they are asking. Do not, however, drift off the question. Just keep showing your knowledge of that area they are asking. Don't be afraid to use the dot-point --> explanation format.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Mark576]

Who here uses dot-point responses when answering short-response questions? Wondering, 'cause I probably should try this.

 

[shaon0]

Hello, I think I would appreciate some advices on how to write a good short response. Reading over my past exams, I suddently realised that I spend too much time writing over the given spaces.

Every single quetion went over at least 2 or 3 lines. I still got good marks but I would want some advices on how to write the questions in the shortest form possible but still get the full marks.

I am sorry if my question was too ambiguous or general.

I always find that the short answer questions are the easiest and i normally get full marks for that section. My best tip for you is to repeat in the first line what the question has asked and answer it in relation to the question.
I kind of have the same problem as you so i always try to fit it into the lines given, example: one line=identify,two lines maybe recall/describe, three lines=analyse, four lines= synthesise and 5 lines= evaluate.
Note: You can go over board but not too much.