009 - Review
Approaches to Learning
Communication Skills - Exchanging thoughts, messages and information effectively through interaction - Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and audiences.
Test Outline
The test could include any element from the Oceans unit.
The exam will be divided into two sections. Section A will last 40 minutes and Section B will last 1 hour. These will happen on separate days.
You will get 5 minutes of reading time each time the tests are sat.
Assessment
You will be examined on the content that you have covered within the Oceans unit only.
Test One
Section A will include data response (reading a graph/infographic/diagram) and structured questions (between 2 and 6 marks) and you will be required to answer all of the questions.
These questions relate to Criteria A - Knowing and Understanding
20 marks.
Spend 40 minutes on this section.
Test Two
Section B will be an Extended Response Question - mini-essay.
This relates to Criteria A - Knowing and Understanding, C - Communicating and D - Thinking Critically
Spend 1 hour on this section.
Approaching the Test Questions
When reading any question, whether it is timed conditions are not, you should BUG the question. What does BUG mean?
B - Box the command term (this tells you what to do - the action).
U - Underline what the main point of the question is. For example that could be 'ways it rains' for this test.
G - Go back and reread the question. It is always good to read the question through twice to make sure you haven't missed anything.
Then consider what the command terms actually mean. The most common ones used in tests include - Describe, Explain, Define, Identify, Discuss, Analyse, Compare and Contrast. But what do all of those words mean? You could either do a quick search online, take photos of the 'Command Term' posters in the classroom or you could click on the 'Useful Resource' link below.
The third aspect to consider is the value of each question. For example, if the question is worth one mark you should be writing about once sentence outlining one point. A three mark question will probably require three key points.
Useful Resource
Content Covered
These are the different aspects of the course that we have covered. I would suggest that you review this list alongside your lesson notes to make sure that you haven't missed anything.
What oceans are.
Why oceans are important.
Movement of ocean currents.
Why sea water is salty.
The ocean conveyor belt.
What El Nino and La Nina are.
Historical use of oceans.
How innovations have change how we use the oceans over time (communication - submarine cables, container shipping, extraction of oil, mapping, fishing etc).
Ownership of Oceans - What the Exclusive Economic Zone is and how it is governed.
Review of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Impact of human use of the oceans - alien species, overfishing and the extraction of energy sources (oil).
Possible Ways to Review
There are many different ways that you could review your work but just reading through it never really works.
Go through geogalot to make sure you have completed all of the tasks.
You could make notes from your notes by using the Cornell note-taking approach (see diagram below). You could use coloured pens to help certain points to stand out.
Glossary - key subject-specific terminology and definitions. Perhaps create cue cards for the different terms you have learnt. This can also be done for reviewing the different processes and elements of the ocean.
Create a summary of the detailed examples we have studied by writing notes in bullet form on A6 paper.
You could see what is on Quizlet or make your own Quizlet tests.
After reading through your notes try writing a series of questions to answer.
Maybe create a mindmap - use diagrams and coloured pens to help certain points to stand out.
You could create a giant online document from your class notes and then ask your friends/family to test you. You could even give yourself a treat e.g. chocolate if you get so many answers correct.
Some people like to revise to music and then to listen to that music before the test as it helps them to remember what they have learnt.
How to write an essay
Introduction
In an introduction it is good to include the following points:
A definition of the key 'geography' terms in the question. This will show that you understand what the theme of the essay is about.
A sentence which highlights why the question is important to be answered. For example, if the question is about resource management then a sentence which highlights how much waste we produce could be useful to give context to the question.
Mention the case study or detailed examples that you are going to use to help illustrate your arguments.
Give your for and against argument - within one or two sentences.
Main Body
You give balanced arguments (for and against). You should include the structure of PEEL in each paragraph.
Point - What is your main argument?
Explain - Give reasons for your point.
Exemplify - Use either a case study or a number of detailed examples to illustrate your arguments. This grounds your ideas to specific places which is important for a geographer.
Link - Link back to the question as this will encourage you to synthesize your point.
Conclusion
Within a conclusion you should not include any new points. The main aim here is to synthesize your argument and to say if one side of the discussion is more dominant than the other - looking at the evidence you have given.