Final Thoughts

You have reached the end of AICE Thinking Skills!!! All that remains is the final exam. Please study and review all of the material you have from the course. These exams will help you prepare for the AICE Papers. Reach out to your instructor for information about your exam.

Facts about AICE Papers (Exams)

• Students must use blue or black ink- no pencils are permitted because-

• Students are recommended to show ALL of their work and thought process, so it is a good idea to get the candidates focusing on this early in the year for practice.

• Time management- Cambridge releases exam analysis every year and many of them explain that students simply run out of time on the exams.

• If the students miss the exam, there is no re-take.

Paper 1

Problem Solving is analytical thinking using data and techniques to solve real-world problems. Problem-solving processes include: identifying which data are relevant when faced with a mass of data, most of which is irrelevant; combining pieces of information that may not appear to be related to give new information; relating one set of information to another in a different form. This involves using experience: relating new problems to ones we have previously solved.

Facts about AICE Papers (Exams)

• Students must use blue or black ink- no pencils are permitted because-

• Students are recommended to show ALL of their work and thought process, so it is a good idea to get the candidates focusing on this early in the year for practice.

• Time management- Cambridge releases exam analysis every year and many of them explain that students simply run out of time on the exams.

• If the students miss the exam, there is no re-take.

Paper 1

Paper 1 (or Exam 1) is the Problem-Solving Exam and fluctuates between 12-16 questions with multiple parts for a chance for partial point credit.  It is the shorter of the two tests at 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is sometimes viewed as more intimidating of the two exams for the students. Regular practice to familiarise students with the type of problem solving questions the exam will pose.. It is half of their 100-point score.

Skills Assessed
AO1: Understand information and the relationships between different pieces of information.

Within problem solving, you need to be able to extract the relevant information from  tables or charts and understand how different pieces of information relate to each other (a simple example would be that the number of items that you could buy is related to the amount of money that you have available). 

AO2: Evaluate or process information in order to draw conclusions 

Within problem solving, you need to be able to perform the appropriate calculations with the data in order to solve the problem (the appropriate calculations may be obvious, or may need to be worked out by thinking about the relationship between the different pieces of information).

AO3: Suggest explanations, construct reasoned arguments and devise methods for solving problems. 

Within problem solving, you need to be able to suggest possible explanations for why a trend or feature has been observed in some data (for example, you might suggest that a sudden increase in sales for a book may have been caused by the timing of an advertising campaign). You also need to be able to use your understanding of the relationships between different pieces of information that you 

are provided with to create a method for solving particular problems.

Types of Questions

The paper 1 exam includes many different types of questions. These include problems which ask you to apply specific skills including logic, visuals, ratios, units, money, time, distance, and assessing tables.

Command Words

Command words are the words and phrases used in exams and other assessment tasks that tell students how to answer a specific exam question or complete an assessment task. The definitions will help you understand what the words are asking you to do. Course-specific command words are also listed in the syllabus.  Take a look at the slides below. Click through to see the words and definitions:

Paper 2
The Critical Thinking exam has 5 questions, and they require students to evaluate the strength and bias of sources, identify the main conclusion and then onto weaknesses in arguments and argument elements, and there are two questions requiring their own opinion and explanation.

There are 2 parts to Paper 2: Section A and Section B

Section A

Section A consists of 2 questions. Candidates will be provided 3 to 6 sources to a specific argument. 

Question 1 has several parts and always revolves around RAVEN, the identification of biases and strengths and weaknesses of the provided sources.

Question 2 will be consistent for every Paper 2. You will be expected to compose your own argument using the evidence provided. You’ll be given a statement and will need to evaluate the evidence to write a short, reasoned argument to support your conclusion. 

Here’s an example of a Paper 2 Question 2:

‘The best time to water your plans is in the evening.’

To what extent do you agree with this claim? Write a short, reasoned argument to support your conclusion, using and evaluating the evidence provided. 

Section B
Section B consists of 3 questions. Candidates will be provided a single source with multiple paragraphs and all supporting a single argument.

Question 3 will always have the candidate identify the main conclusion of the argument as well as the intermediate arguments. There may be more than one. Then you will evaluate the elements of the argument including Key elements: – main conclusion – intermediate conclusion – reason – counter-assertion – counter-argument – example – evidence. 

Question 4 will have candidates move into the flaws of the argument. These include the flaws and weaknesses included in the AICE thinking course.

AICE Thinking Skills Flaws and Weaknesses 

• Circular Argument

• Equivocation

• Conflation

• Begging the Question

• Causal Flaw

• A Rash Generalization

• A Sweeping Generalisation

• REstriction of Options

• Slippery Slope Argument

• Straw Man Argument

• the Personal Attack

• the Counter-Attack

Sometimes Question 4 will also ask about appeals and analogies. 

Question 5 is the exam same on every exam. It will present a claim followed by the same statement.

Here’s an example of a Paper 2 Question 5

‘Everyone should make time in their life for exercise.’

Write your own short argument to support or challenge this claim. The conclusion of your argument must be stated. Credit will not be given for repeating ideas from the passage. 

This question wants the candidates to decide for themselves where they stand on the topic provided. Whether the candidate agrees or disagrees with the stated argument, they will need to make their argument clear as well as using the paragraphs provided on the exam to support their own argument. 

Command Words

Command words are the words and phrases used in exams and other assessment tasks that tell students how to answer a specific exam question or complete an assessment task. The definitions will help you understand what the words are asking you to do. Course-specific command words are also listed in the syllabus.