GCSE COMPUTING Answering 6 mark questions

Extended Questions Every exam paper has two extended questions, both worth six marks each. The question will usually start with a COMMAND WORD such as discuss or describe. In extended questions your quality of written communication (spelling, punctuation, grammar & technical terms ), is assessed and is marked with an asterisk (*). EXAMPLE

Exam Command Words

What are they looking for? High Level Response (5–6 marks) A detailed description. The information will be presented in a structured and coherent form. Examples will be appropriate. Technical terms will be used appropriately and correctly. There will be few if any errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Technical Terminology You need to know the key terms used to describe all aspects of the Computing syllabus. Making a ‘mind-map’ of each topic is a good way to revise these key terms

How to link your points together

How to approach extended questions 1) Plan your answer Read the question carefully – pay particular attention to the command word used and the context of the question. Jot down a list of technical terms you could use. Think about appropriate examples you could incorporate. Decide how you are going to structure your answer – what paragraphs will you need.

How to approach extended questions 2) Put your points in order so that you can present them in a logical and clear way For example: if you are addressing positive and negative points, you may want to start by writing your 3 positive points followed by your 3 negative points Or you could write them in pairs; for every negative point you write it will be followed by a positive.

How to approach extended questions 3) Consider how to link your points together- To make your answer ‘flow’ you should include connectives between paragraphs or points.

How to approach extended questions 4) If you are asked to discuss both sides of an argument present a balanced discussion Present an equal number of points to support both sides of an argument. Try to include both positive and negative aspects where appropriate.

How to approach extended questions 5) Remember the context of the question The examples you use to support your descriptions should be relevant to the context of the question. Example: Databases can be queried to find information would be better written as The video shop manager could create a query to search for all overdue customer rentals.

How to approach extended questions 6) Check your spelling, punctuation & grammar Spend time carefully reading what you have written. Look out for spelling errors. Do all sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop? Does the structure of your answer allow the information to flow easily and in a well connected manner? Have you used all the correct technical language you can think of?