Paper 1

This paper is a short paper, only one hour long. It counts 35 marks and will comprise 25% of the final grade. The paper consists of an unseen case study and you will be presented with a range of data including:

• Maps
• Graphs
• Diagrams and pictures
• Information
• Tables of data and information

The questions are based on the analysis and evaluation of this data but you will also have to draw on your knowledge and understanding from the entire course. Most of the questions will be worth 1-3 marks. The final question could be worth 5-7 marks and it will require you to synthesise the information and present a holistic response. All the questions are compulsory.

With the paper being out of 35 you should spend a maximum of 1.5 minutes/mark. Try and be aware of this and make sure you are don't spend too long on one question.

This is not just a comprehension test, the questions will be related to the case study but you will also have to draw on your own knowledge and understanding of ESS. In some questions you will be guided to particular figures, and in others you will have to decide which information to use from the case study and your broader knowledge base.

Things to note

You will be informed about this before the exam starts but here are some guidelines:

• Do not write or highlight anything during the reading time before the exam starts.
• Do not write in pencil.
• Do not highlight any part of your written response.
• Do not waste your time using correction fluid. Cross out the incorrect response and start over.

Strategies

There are a number of different strategies that you could use to approach this paper. You will have five minutes reading time before the start of the exam but you cannot write anything in this time. This will impact the strategy you use to approach the paper. No one strategy is right or wrong, it depends which one suits you and your learning style. Make sure you practice paper 1 under timed condition so you can decide which strategy works best for you.

Strategy 1

During reading time, read through the case study and try to assimilate as much information as you can. As soon as you are allowed to pick up your pen/pencil/highlighter go through the information and highlight or underline things that seem important to you.

Once you have read through all the information, start with the questions. You do not have to do them in order. If you cannot remember the information from the case study, skip that question and move on. Do all the questions you can and then go back and read through the information again to find the answers to the rest of the questions.

Strategy 2

During reading time, read through the questions very carefully. As soon as you are allowed to pick up your pen/pencil/highlighter start reading through the case study and highlight or underline any information that relates to the questions you have read.

As with strategy 1 answer the questions you can and then re-read the questions and case study material to fill in the ones you could not remember.

There are two sample papers in the Kognity Written Answer Practice.

Paper 2

This paper is two hours long, worth 50% of your final grade and is out of 65 marks, which means you have approximately 1.85 minutes per mark. This paper is more varied than paper 1 and is made up of two sections, A and B.

Section A

Section A is worth 25 marks, which means you should spend a maximum of 46 minutes on this section. It is comprised of short data-based questions, all of which are compulsory.

Section B

Section B is worth 40 marks, so you have 74 minutes to complete it. There are four structured essay questions each worth 20 marks. You have to answer two of the essays. That gives you around 37 minutes on each question.

The questions will be in three parts, make sure your responses reflect that. Do not answer the questions as a single essay. The final part will be worth 9 marks and will require some in-depth understanding, so when you select the two structured essay questions make sure you can address the last part in full.

Examiner Tip

You must remember that ESS is a trans-disciplinary subject and this must be reflected in your structured essay responses. Make sure that your answer reflects both the natural and human sciences; make the connections between environmental systems and societies.

The final part of the structured essays will be marked according to markbands. Make sure you have a copy of these so you know how to get the best marks. You will be assessed on your:

• Knowledge and understanding of ESS issues/concepts.
• Ability to link your knowledge to the context of the question.
• Use of appropriate ESS terminology.
• Use of original, relevant examples.
• Ability to give a thorough and well-balanced analysis.
• Ability to use evidence and arguments to support explicit judgments and conclusions.
• Inclusion of critical reflection.

Strategies

You do not have to answer the questions in order so there are a number of ways you can approach this paper. As with paper 1 you will have five minutes reading time and the same do's and don't apply. Hence, the most effective use of this is to establish which two structured essay questions you will address. Read them carefully and make sure you are confident with the final part of the question. If you take less than five minutes to decide which structured essays you wish to do you can start reading the data-based questions.

The first thing to do is to practice the different types of questions (data-based and structured essay) and establish which ones you are most comfortable with. Once you have a feel for the questions start working on whole papers.

You have two overall options, start with the questions you are most confident with and leave the harder ones for last. The problem with this strategy is that you may spend too much time on your favourite questions and run out of time. The advantage is that you should get good marks working with your strengths first and it will give you more confidence.

Alternatively you get the questions you do not like out of the way first and then spend the rest of the time on the questions you can do well.

You can really only make a good choice by trying out the different techniques and deciding which one suits you best.

Section B

You need to plan the last part of the structured questions carefully. This is a mini essay and you need to plan it accordingly. Everyone will plan it differently, you may:

• Make a list of points you want to include and then number them to get them in the right order.
• Make a mind map of all the points and connect them using arrows.

No matter what method you use - it is a good idea to put the plan at the start of your structured question. If you complete the question you can cross it through. If not you can make a note to explain to the examiner that you want to include the plan in your response.

Avoiding common mistakes

There are a number of common mistakes made in the exams; some of them you will recognise and others you may not. The following is not in any particular order.

Command terms

Command terms are very important as they are directing you very clearly in a particular direction. For example, if the command term is discuss and you only give one side of the argument you will not score very well. Make sure you are familiar with the command terms considered in previous sections:

• Objective 1 command terms
• Objective 2 command terms
• Objective 3 command terms

Omissions

In the heat of an exam there is a range of things that students forget about. These include:

• Units: It is good practice to always put in the units, even if they are not specifically asked for in the question.
• Working: If the command term is 'calculate' you must show your working. It is a good idea to write down your stages of work all the time as you can easily check for mistakes that way.
• Examples: Always give specific examples. If you are giving an example of a biome it would be better to give "Amazonia" and not "tropical rainforest". With examples of organisms the generic names of species are not acceptable. For example, do not write "snake" as your example. Rather write "Boa constrictor".

Timing

Examiner Tip

Always look at how many marks the question is worth as that gives you an idea of the amount of detail you need to give. The amount of time will vary between papers so be careful.

It is essential that you get your timing right. Check out paper 1 and paper 2 for the approximate timing/mark.

When you answer the structured essay questions keep your eye on the clock. Do not be tempted to let yourself run over on the time for one question as that cuts the time for the next one. It is easier to pick up the first few marks of a new question than it is to get the last few marks. If you finish the second structured essay early you can always go back to the first one.

Miscellaneous

There are a lot of abbreviations in ESS and some of them are commonly known. It is advisable to write out the term in full first with the abbreviation in parentheses afterwards. e.g. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). That way the examiner is clear as to what your abbreviation stands for.

In paper 1 and in section A of paper 2 you answer in boxes and there are two lines per mark. This is a strong guideline as to the amount of information that is required in your response and you should try to stick to it.