Paper 1 Exam Strategies
Brainstorming
Science and technology
Power, law, government
Environment
Relationships (social, family)
Music, culture, sport
Question Analysis
Keywords
Define the keywords in context
- Make it clear what you mean to your reader in your 1st or 2nd para)
What is the subject?
- If the question is about television, focus on that entirely (it’s a common mistake, believe me!) and do not switch your focus to for example, movies or teenagers.
Adjectives and adverbs
- These express a higher degree (eg. GROSSLY exaggerated) of a quality that you cannot ignore
- Play around with them; in your thesis, you can put forward a “milder” stand (eg. exaggerated, but not grossly)
Context
Assumptions
- What is believed to be true and unalterable? (eg. a holistic education is the best education)
- Can you argue against this? (eg. character development occurs best outside the school)
Common perspective
- What is the view of the majority implied in the question?
- You are encouraged to argue against this view (this does not necessarily mean disagreeing with the question)
Opposing view
- If you disagree with the question, what would your stand be?
- Students commit gross errors when forging counter-arguments, and simply choose to look at the “positive side” when one should be examining how it is “not negative”.
