Failed 5 times in P7, missed out the high pass rate in Dec 2014 & Jun 2015

If you want advice from a tutor, may I suggest that you post your request on the Ask the Tutor page! I came across this post only by chance.

Here’s a bit of correspondence I had with “Fred” who was in the same position as you and who was concerned about memorising ISA / IFRS numbers and titles. My answer dealt with that point very quickly and then moved on to give advice about exam approach.

You may find it helpful

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MikeLittle

Keymaster
Topics: 5
Replies: 12584
Fred, why are you wasting time trying to memorise verbatim the IASs? There’s no need to remember / quote neither the title, the number nor even the detailed content – believe me!

Are you writing enough? 16 marks = 16 points = 16 paragraphs

Are you sticking rigidly to time allocation?

Are you stopping answering a 16 mark question after 28.8 minutes (and that includes the planning time of 8 minutes)

Are you answering the question? “State what further procedures ….” is radically different that “State what evidence you should expect to find ….”

Are you addressing the verb used in the requirement – a big difference between “identify” and “explain” (and others too)

Are you planning IN THE ANSWER BOOKLET what points you are going to make in the written answer

Are you spending the appropriate length of time in the planning process? 16 marks = 8 minutes planning

Are you re-reading the question requirement after you’ve finished the planning process to make sure that your plan hasn’t wandered off tangentially and that, if you were to write out fully the points that you have planned, you will be answering the question, the whole question and nothing but the question (shmG)?

Are you? Really? Honestly? Sure?

| QUOTE EDIT | MOVE | SPLIT | TRASH | SPAM | REPLYOctober 21, 2015 at 1:49 am

Fred

Participant
Topics: 1
Replies: 5
Your points are an eye opener. I don’t give enough points. I don’t remember giving an equal amount of points for marks. I will work on your comments better. Please what other areas should I look out for. P7 is my last paper and I don’t want to fail again! Help me pass Mike!

| QUOTE EDIT | MOVE | SPLIT | TRASH | SPAM | REPLYOctober 21, 2015 at 8:43 am

MikeLittle

Keymaster
Topics: 5
Replies: 12584
Fred – I’m amazed that you’ve got this far without even the most basic exam technique! I have to take my hat off and salute you on this great achievement. Well done

But now for P7

When you’re planning, make the points in bullet form – just one or two words sufficient to remind you what that point is to be. I find that students when planning tend to write out full sentences. NO! DON’T DO THAT

Just one or two words per point

You know that there’s 1.8 minutes per mark – I know that you know that!

Now I’m telling you to take 30 seconds per mark to plan an answer

So for your 16 mark question you start with 28.8 minutes or 1.8 minutes per mark

By the time you have reached the end of you planning time, you’re now down to 20.8 minutes or 1.3 minutes per mark

And each mark is ONE sentence (= ONE paragraph)

Just how much do you think you can write in 1 minute 18 seconds? 5 lines? 6 lines? 10 lines?

Right now, immediately, before you read beyond this and the next paragraph, get a book / magazine / newspaper / circular and a blank sheet of A4 paper, a pen and a stopwatch (better still get your partner to oversee this activity and do the timing)

Now, start the watch and COPY with no thought involved from the book / paper …. and stop after 1 minute 18 seconds

| QUOTE EDIT | MOVE | SPLIT | TRASH | SPAM | REPLYOctober 21, 2015 at 8:45 am

MikeLittle

Keymaster
Topics: 5
Replies: 12584
Did you manage to get onto the fourth line?

That’s the MAXIMUM length of a sentence / paragraph in your exam answer and it contains just ONE markable point.

Not more that one! Just ONE

Leave a line between your paragraphs to make your script easy for the marker and away you go – affiliate in February!”

If you want to read more of this thread, go to the P7 Ask the Tutor forum and look down the page until you find Fred’s original post dated October 20th at 3.36 pm

Then come back to me with any further questions but come back on the Ask the Tutor forum