Most students use a mark scheme once, to add up a score. Used well, it is one of the best things to learn from, because it shows exactly what a full answer contains.
Marks are given for points
In most longer questions, each mark is for a separate point. A three-mark explanation usually needs three different points, not one point said three ways. Before you write, look at the marks and plan that many points.
Rich's tip: Think in bullet points, write in sentences.
The small words that matter
Mark schemes use a few short words to say what does and does not get the mark. The exact wording varies, but these ideas come up again and again:
- Allow or accept: another way of saying it that also gets the mark.
- Ignore: extra words that neither gain nor lose the mark.
- Do not allow, do not accept or reject: an answer that does not get the mark, often a common mix-up.
- ECF, or error carried forward: if an earlier step of a calculation went wrong, you can still get later marks for using your answer correctly.
The "do not accept" lines are worth reading closely. They show the mix-ups that are easy to make, such as confusing atoms, ions and molecules.
How to learn from one
- Answer the question first, without notes, in the time you would have in the exam.
- Mark it strictly. If a point is not clearly there, it does not get the mark.
- For every mark you missed, write down the point you left out.
- Rewrite the answer in your own words, using the marking points. Do not copy the mark scheme out: say it the way you would say it in the exam.
- Come back to the question a week later and try it again.
Show your working
Error carried forward only helps if the marker can see what you did. In calculations, write down each step and its unit, so a slip early on does not cost you every mark that follows.
Rich's tip: Never leave it blank.
A partly right answer can still earn marks. A blank one cannot.