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Dear Mr John,
I have noticed that in some sittings (example, June 2011) the written parts of the exam amount to 60% of the available marks! I have also commonly heard from other fellow students that “we’ve read the study text, either BPP or some other text, but when we go to answering the written parts in the past F9 exams, we don’t have any idea. We are blank”. My situation is something like this. Although I don’t have the study text for F9, I just read the suggested answers from the examiner but what I have noticed is that in each exam the written parts are fresh. i.e. there are always new questions in each sitting, so now I am getting a bit worried. Although I will read the answers to all the written parts for all past exams, but in June there will be some new unseen theory questions and how on earth would I approach those?
Do you have a technique for the written parts for self study students like me, who don’t have the study text and all we have is OT notes for F9 and answers to past exams. How can we maximise the marks in the written parts, technically, is there any technique apart from the usual tips of writing in the form of sub headings, writing neatly, etc.. I need help to compose the body of my answer. I have so much problem for the written parts and I am doing past papers but what if some new questions on theory come (as they always come), what’s the technique?
Thanks,
Gabriel
For the written parts in F9, you are not expected to write in essay style (the way the examiner does – he writes longer answers than expected because he knows that people learn from them).
Best approach in general is the following:
Unless told otherwise, assume there is 1 mark for each point. So if the section is 6 marks, try and aim to make 6 points. (It is usually impossible in the exam to be able to think of all the points, but remember while you are doing it that you are aiming for at least 50% on each part of a question – if you can make 3 or more then at least you are on target for passing)
Don’t bother with headings etc. Just write one or two lines for each point, then leave a line blank before making the next point. (If you string lots of points together there is a danger that the marker will not notice some of them).
Do each section of a question on a separate page of the answer booklet. The reason is that for the written parts you may only be able to think of one or two points at first, but then if others occur to you later then you still have lots of space to add extra points.
New questions do not always come – it has been the same examiner for many years, and he has asked just about every written part of a question that he can. Learn from past exam questions.
Finally, almost all the the written parts are not really testing extra knowledge – mostly they tend to be testing that you really understand what you are doing. Too many people just learn ‘rules’ for the calculation parts without really understanding why. The written parts are so often a way for him to check understanding.
So when going through notes/study text/ watching lectures, make sure you fully understand everything and are not simply learning rules.Thank you so much for your wonderful guidance. Now I am more confident regarding paper F9. I will surely start each section on a new page and will try to do all the past papers from June 2010 onward.
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