writing notes (1 Viewer)

[lyounamu]

I am currently writing some notes on biology using the syllabus. But I have few obstacles that I am currently facing.

For example, look at this syllabus dot point:
Outline the role of the nervous system in
detecting and responding to
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']environmental changes[/FONT]


Now, my problem is: I am writing my notes about this dot point BUT all the textbooks like Jacaranda, Oxford and Heinemann all talk about endocrine system too. I actually included some points about endocrine system as a related info but I don't know how much to write. I might sound pedantic but my problem here just doesn't extend to this one syllabus dot point. It extends to whole lots of points where I don't know whether I should include this related info or not.

So my question is: do you write notes purely based on the syllabus? (i.e. not including some other related information)

 

[katie tully]

Okay. In Biology, they hate it when you waffle.

So, do indeed stick to what the dot point says. You will find that the textbooks mention the endocrine system, because the endocrine system and the nervous system work parallel to each other. Note that it says outline - this gives you a lot to work with, because you can outline how the nervous system detects changes, and how it responds (i.e. endocrine response). Once you have this, it will lead on to other dot points.

The endocrine system functions in long term behavior and works in conjunction with the nervous system in regulating internal functions and maintaining homeostasis

Short answer - Definitely write something about the endocrine system. Basically the nervous system detects and responds to environmental changes by initiating the endocrine system.



Did any of that make sense?

 

[lyounamu]

Okay. In Biology, they hate it when you waffle.

So, do indeed stick to what the dot point says. You will find that the textbooks mention the endocrine system, because the endocrine system and the nervous system work parallel to each other. Note that it says outline - this gives you a lot to work with, because you can outline how the nervous system detects changes, and how it responds (i.e. endocrine response). Once you have this, it will lead on to other dot points.



Short answer - Definitely write something about the endocrine system. Basically the nervous system detects and responds to environmental changes by initiating the endocrine system.



Did any of that make sense?

Excellent! I get it now. I always find it difficult to make some notes because I include too much/little info. I guess that's just great! I will stick to syllabus but keep the related info to the point. Thanks again.

 

[dp624]

They may hate it when you waffle, but they MUST read it and pay it the correct number of marks. =P

 

[nottellingu]

Excellent! I get it now. I always find it difficult to make some notes because I include too much/little info. I guess that's just great! I will stick to syllabus but keep the related info to the point. Thanks again.

More is better than less always
Id prefer to have a few extra lines of notes just incase. You never know u might have a 8 mark q relating to homeostasis in trials/hsc where it could be useful. And ud be suprised how good ur answer has to be to get full marks on the bigger questions. Again schools marking differently has an impact on my opinion.

In tests and when writing notes underline/highlight main points/terms. It will help you remember them and also make sure markers dont miss it

 

[katie tully]

They may hate it when you waffle, but they MUST read it and pay it the correct number of marks. =P

Yes but no.

You're wasting exam time if you write 10 lines for something that can receive a band 6 answer for 4 lines, if answered properly.

The key to doing this is to understand your glossary of terms. Make them your bible.

 

[dp624]

Yes but no.

You're wasting exam time if you write 10 lines for something that can receive a band 6 answer for 4 lines, if answered properly.

The key to doing this is to understand your glossary of terms. Make them your bible.

Considering that in science exams i have much more than 1 hour left over... i'd rather not take the risks

 

[katie tully]

It's not a risk man, it's about being smart. You're not getting extra marks for padding out an answer.
Biology requires precise, quick answers that adhere to the glossary. If you're asked to outline, outline. Don't extrapolate as well because you think a few extra lines will impress the markers.

They'd much rather mark concise, band 6 answers, than mini essays that will only receive a band 4 mark.

 

[dp624]

It's not a risk man, it's about being smart. You're not getting extra marks for padding out an answer.
Biology requires precise, quick answers that adhere to the glossary. If you're asked to outline, outline. Don't extrapolate as well because you think a few extra lines will impress the markers.

They'd much rather mark concise, band 6 answers, than mini essays that will only receive a band 4 mark.

But you can never really tell what'll be in the guidelines. like they might want this random obscure point.
i know many many people who write short answers and don't get the marks they want.

i'm not thinking that the few extra lines impresses the markers. what i say is, those extra few lines may just cover a point that is actually is in the marking scheme. imo writing the bare minimum is a massive risk.

of course they prefer concise band6 answers, but i believe that these are very rare. what is more common, imo is over-long band6s, where people try to stay safe and get the full marks.

ok, so i didn't do bio. but ch and ph are similar enough in terms of long answer qs

 

[katie tully]

I wouldn't really compare chem and bio, to be perfectly honest.

I didn't do chem in the HSC, but I've done it at uni. We don't have any short answer questions in two I did, it was multiple choice and then long answer, but not answers that required an explanation (just lots of working out).

You will learn before the HSC what a band 6 answer will require. Like, if it's worth 4 marks, so you know it's got to be atleast 4 lines long. If it's 6 marks, you know it's going to be a page long. The point I'm trying to make with bio, is that if you're a Band 6 student, you're going to know your stuff enough to write 4 lines straight to the point - not 6 lines to try and throw in extra stuff.

 

[dp624]

You will learn before the HSC what a band 6 answer will require. Like, if it's worth 4 marks, so you know it's got to be atleast 4 lines long. If it's 6 marks, you know it's going to be a page long. The point I'm trying to make with bio, is that if you're a Band 6 student, you're going to know your stuff enough to write 4 lines straight to the point - not 6 lines to try and throw in extra stuff.

er, i've done the hsc already?
chem @ uni is very much different to chem @ hsc. i've done both (uni chem for olympiad and hsc chem for ... hsc?)
and my point was, you don't know whether your 4 lines are straight to the point. you cannot begin to guess at their marking criteria. would you rather bum around for 1+ hour or try to perfect your answers?
ok, so band6 students may write concise answers. but people at the high band6, they do more imo. pretty much everyone i know at school overwrites, and we did pretty darn well

 

[katie tully]

You is a generic term. I wasn't referring to you specifically.

There is a fool proof way to master bio in the hsc. I memorised the entire syllabus. I wrote all of my notes according to the syllabus. If a syllabus dot point says 'describe this', you know that in the HSC they can only ask you to describe it. If your notes for this point do what the point is asking, when you get into the HSC and see the question, you'll automatically know what to write and how much.

It's a big task, but in subjects like bio, often one dot point will lead on to another dot point.

The trick is to keep to the question asked, and resist the urge to prattle on with info covered in another point.

 

[dp624]

Alright, so let's say a question goes
analyse and critically assess [whatever] 7 marks
do you write what you consider the bare minimum? or do you go overboard as much as you can? i would never trust myself to the bare minimum, i've been burnt enough.

and yes i too wrote notes for the syllabus. and i also memorised it.

If your notes for this point do what the point is asking

but you really never know what the point is asking. perhaps you think describe is a 3 mark question. what if, in the hsc, they assess TWO dot points with an assess keyword? your combined 3 mark answers won't cut it imo


also, i don't prattle on with irrelevant info. don't do that, just do the parts which MAY be relevant. maybe we're arguing over different arguments here?

 

[katie tully]

I'm confused by what you're saying.

They can only ask you what is in the syllabus. If they ask you to assess something, it's only because it says assess in the syllabus. If they ask you to describe one point and assess another point, you'd look at how many marks the question gives and you'd answer accordingly.

I'm just telling you, and things may have changed, what my bio teacher said when I did the HSC (she was a marker). They hate people who waffle on to pad a question out, especially when the waffle doesn't add any more to the question.

I'm not saying do the bare minimum per se, I'm saying that if you're an effective studier and you know your stuff well, you'll be able to answer the question concisely without having to pad it out just incase

 

[dp624]

Ok, i shall try to clarify.
They ask you what is in the syllabus. except the syllabus is just a collection of randm points which they assume you know.
for example, there's a describe dot point. maybe your notes cover it in X detail - say, for 4 marks.
then the HSC gives you a 4mark q on that (note that the qs in hsc are never the exact same, they force you to apply your knowledge, not just copypaste)
but, i think noone knows the syllabus enough to dare guess the marking scheme. perhaps you put out your own 4 mark answer. but they're not the 4 marks the marker is looking for.
what i say is, that if you answer a 4 mark q as a 7 mark q, then the chances of you getting the entire 4 marks is much greater. i'd never presume to know the marking criteria (for 4+ questions) until it comes out.
you see, there is a greater level of depth in all dot points. you can almost never 100% be sure that you've answered a dot point to its entirety. the extra 3 marks that i put into most of my answers come from related stuff.

 

[katie tully]

No well, in note taking, you'd never just cover the minimum amount to answer the question and a good HSC BIO student will read widely and not just rely on the text book - this I don't dispute.

What I was saying, was that when you do answer a question and it's something like 4 marks, I really don't see the point in adding more and more stuff just to cover your bases. When it comes to questions worth more, you should have written enough notes and read widely enough to cover yourself for that sort of stuff.

 

[dp624]

Okies then, you can do (or have done =P) what you like.
But how else do you occupy yourself for an entire hour? lawls. adding more stuff that has a chance of helping (it cannot really deduct marks unless you contradict yourself) seems a good thing to do. just to make sure you get that state rank, for example =P

 

[katie tully]

I didn't have an hour to spare, to be honest. I didn't rush through my answers, and I spend a lot of time jotting down notes on the side so that I could organize the best answer.

Any time I had left over I went over and over my answers. Bit the same now, apart from this semester, I've never finished an exam with an hour to go.

 

[nottellingu]

katies got no idea :uhhuh:

Writing LONG answers ARE the way to GO !!!!

I totally agree with dp hsc exams can have quiet amusing marking criteria so the safest way to approach a question is to write more and hope u end up including everything they are looking for.

Obviously its not just a case of writing everything u know all over the place. You write the most obvious and generic in the first few lines and then go on to more minute points in the latter sentences. Once the marker has read everything they want they will stop reading the answer and give you full marks.

Katie...Dp and myself have gone against your method and it has seemed to work alright. Bos students can be the judge on which method to use

I dont know why you would take the risk and write less...there is SOOO much time in a hsc science exam...most band 6 students finish at least 30-45 mins early, atleast !

 

[katie tully]

It's not writing less you fucking idiot, it's writing concisely and to the point. It's ridiculous and shows what an inept student you are, if you can't answer the question without waffling on.