Worksheet

F13.6 Long answer questions

Exam preparation · GCSE · OCR J277 1.6.1, AQA 8525 3.8, Edexcel 1CP2 5.1.1 · about 15 min

What this lesson is about

Point, because, so: a structure for discuss and evaluate questions, and a conclusion that decides.

• What the examiner is looking for
• The structure: point, because, so
• Plan before you write
• Words that earn marks

Questions 5 marks in all

1. [1 mark]How are long answers marked?

   1. AIn bands, for the quality of the argument
   2. BOne mark per fact
   3. CBy how much you write
   4. DBy handwriting

2. [1 mark]What does a top-band answer always finish with?

   1. AA conclusion that decides, with a reason
   2. BA summary of the question
   3. CA list of key words
   4. DAn apology for running out of time

3. [1 mark]The question names a village school with slow broadband. What should your points do?

   1. ARefer to that school and its broadband
   2. BTalk about schools in general
   3. CList every fact you know
   4. DOnly give advantages

4. [1 mark]Put the parts of one developed point in order.

   Number the lines 1 to 3 to put them in the right order.

   1. Because: the reason it matters
   2. The point itself
   3. So: what follows from it

5. [1 mark]Which is worth more marks?

   1. A"The cache holds data the processor uses most, so fewer slow fetches from RAM are needed"
   2. B"It is faster"
   3. C"Cache is good"
   4. D"It improves performance"

The task: mark a long answer

Write mark(answer) that scores a draft: one point for each phrase from FOR_WORDS it contains, one for each from AGAINST_WORDS, and two if it contains a phrase from CONCLUSION_WORDS, all ignoring capitals. For each answer in answers, print <name>: <score> and then, on the same line, needs both sides if it has nothing from one of the two sides, or needs a conclusion if it has no conclusion phrase, or top band if it has all three. At the end print best: <name>. Watch out: disadvantage contains advantage, so it counts on both sides.

# the two lines every program starts with: the commands, then the robot
from bugbot import *
connect()

FOR_WORDS = ["benefit", "advantage", "because it helps"]
AGAINST_WORDS = ["drawback", "disadvantage", "risk"]
CONCLUSION_WORDS = ["on balance", "overall", "in conclusion"]
answers = [
    ("Ada", "A benefit is that students learn to program, and another advantage is engagement. A drawback is the cost. On balance the school should buy them."),
    ("Bolt", "There is a clear advantage for practical work and another benefit for engagement."),
    ("Cog", "The risk is e-waste and the disadvantage is the cost, but the benefit is real."),
]

Plan your program here, then type it in and press Run.

Do it on the robot
www.bugbotlab.com/learn/f13-6-long-answer-questions/
The simulator checks it and tells you when it passes. Nothing to install, no account.

Challenges

1. Write a real 8-mark answer to the robots question, using point, because, so, and mark it with your program.
2. Which of the three drafts would gain most from one more sentence, and what would it say?
3. Why does naming the school in every point earn more than writing about schools in general?