How to tackle OCR Mark Schemes (Comp Sci)
Hey guys, I’m currently in year 12 at the start of my computer science studies and am aiming for an A*. However, whenever I have been practicing exam questions I notice the mark schemes are very specific and want specific answers regardless of whether what you write is correct. How is it possible to get an A* if you can know all the content but lose marks because it is not exactly how they want it? Is there any methods on how to tackle this
Original post by proudk
Hey guys, I’m currently in year 12 at the start of my computer science studies and am aiming for an A*. However, whenever I have been practicing exam questions I notice the mark schemes are very specific and want specific answers regardless of whether what you write is correct. How is it possible to get an A* if you can know all the content but lose marks because it is not exactly how they want it? Is there any methods on how to tackle this
Hi, I finished OCR A-Level CompSci last year so I'll try and answer this to the best of my ability
In my experience, I don't think your answer is expected to be exactly what the mark scheme says or anything like that, but it should be in a similar amount of detail for the best results. It's probably fine if you're hitting the keywords and points they mention in the mark scheme - terminology is key, of course! Never be too vague - don't over-explain, of course, but my general rule would be for there to always be some reasoning to back up your answer (unless, of course, it's a 1-mark question where you just have to name something or something like that :P)
The same goes for the programming questions, of course - as long as the solution you've given has some clear logic and thought behind it, and the stages are clear (my teacher always encouraged us to write comments out with our pseudocode) you should be all set.
The essay questions (9/12 markers) will tend to have lists of suggested content for their answers but those are by no means exhaustive! You should be able to work out what topics you'll have to discuss in those extended answers based on the information given in the questions and if you've given a reasonable enough explanation for your arguments you should be able to get a decent amount of marks.
The lists of points are also usually split into Knowledge, Application and Evaluation sections, from what I remember, so I'd suggest structuring your extended answers in a similar manner - lay out the theory that applies to the situation given in the question, explain how it applies and evaluate the potential impacts. The stuff you'll talk about will, of course, depend on what the question is about - if it's an ethics/morals/laws question, for example, you might have to mention the groups/stakeholders that will be impacted in your evaluation. That being said, you only get so much space to write these extended answers so try not to go off on too much of a tangent or anything - of course, 12 markers warrant slightly longer answers but you don't have to worry about those until next year (and even then I don't think they're too common from experience). Keep it succinct and to the point, and again make sure you're mentioning terminology where appropriate.
Examining the mark schemes as you practise questions is a very good method of revision so you're going in the right direction! Something I find that helps me when doing that is picking out keywords from the mark scheme, especially in the banded ones for the essay questions, and shortening the mark scheme down to just those keywords/phrases in bullet points rather than full sentences so that the focus is clearer. I'd also suggest reading through past examiners' reports as those usually tell you what to avoid doing in your answers as well as what you should be doing!
I hope some of this helped. I'm happy to answer any more questions if you have any about A-Level CompSci in general
Good luck!Original post by omaiie
Hi, I finished OCR A-Level CompSci last year so I'll try and answer this to the best of my ability
In my experience, I don't think your answer is expected to be exactly what the mark scheme says or anything like that, but it should be in a similar amount of detail for the best results. It's probably fine if you're hitting the keywords and points they mention in the mark scheme - terminology is key, of course! Never be too vague - don't over-explain, of course, but my general rule would be for there to always be some reasoning to back up your answer (unless, of course, it's a 1-mark question where you just have to name something or something like that :P)
The same goes for the programming questions, of course - as long as the solution you've given has some clear logic and thought behind it, and the stages are clear (my teacher always encouraged us to write comments out with our pseudocode) you should be all set.
The essay questions (9/12 markers) will tend to have lists of suggested content for their answers but those are by no means exhaustive! You should be able to work out what topics you'll have to discuss in those extended answers based on the information given in the questions and if you've given a reasonable enough explanation for your arguments you should be able to get a decent amount of marks.
The lists of points are also usually split into Knowledge, Application and Evaluation sections, from what I remember, so I'd suggest structuring your extended answers in a similar manner - lay out the theory that applies to the situation given in the question, explain how it applies and evaluate the potential impacts. The stuff you'll talk about will, of course, depend on what the question is about - if it's an ethics/morals/laws question, for example, you might have to mention the groups/stakeholders that will be impacted in your evaluation. That being said, you only get so much space to write these extended answers so try not to go off on too much of a tangent or anything - of course, 12 markers warrant slightly longer answers but you don't have to worry about those until next year (and even then I don't think they're too common from experience). Keep it succinct and to the point, and again make sure you're mentioning terminology where appropriate.
Examining the mark schemes as you practise questions is a very good method of revision so you're going in the right direction! Something I find that helps me when doing that is picking out keywords from the mark scheme, especially in the banded ones for the essay questions, and shortening the mark scheme down to just those keywords/phrases in bullet points rather than full sentences so that the focus is clearer. I'd also suggest reading through past examiners' reports as those usually tell you what to avoid doing in your answers as well as what you should be doing!
I hope some of this helped. I'm happy to answer any more questions if you have any about A-Level CompSci in general Good luck!
In my experience, I don't think your answer is expected to be exactly what the mark scheme says or anything like that, but it should be in a similar amount of detail for the best results. It's probably fine if you're hitting the keywords and points they mention in the mark scheme - terminology is key, of course! Never be too vague - don't over-explain, of course, but my general rule would be for there to always be some reasoning to back up your answer (unless, of course, it's a 1-mark question where you just have to name something or something like that :P)
The same goes for the programming questions, of course - as long as the solution you've given has some clear logic and thought behind it, and the stages are clear (my teacher always encouraged us to write comments out with our pseudocode) you should be all set.
The essay questions (9/12 markers) will tend to have lists of suggested content for their answers but those are by no means exhaustive! You should be able to work out what topics you'll have to discuss in those extended answers based on the information given in the questions and if you've given a reasonable enough explanation for your arguments you should be able to get a decent amount of marks.
The lists of points are also usually split into Knowledge, Application and Evaluation sections, from what I remember, so I'd suggest structuring your extended answers in a similar manner - lay out the theory that applies to the situation given in the question, explain how it applies and evaluate the potential impacts. The stuff you'll talk about will, of course, depend on what the question is about - if it's an ethics/morals/laws question, for example, you might have to mention the groups/stakeholders that will be impacted in your evaluation. That being said, you only get so much space to write these extended answers so try not to go off on too much of a tangent or anything - of course, 12 markers warrant slightly longer answers but you don't have to worry about those until next year (and even then I don't think they're too common from experience). Keep it succinct and to the point, and again make sure you're mentioning terminology where appropriate.
Examining the mark schemes as you practise questions is a very good method of revision so you're going in the right direction! Something I find that helps me when doing that is picking out keywords from the mark scheme, especially in the banded ones for the essay questions, and shortening the mark scheme down to just those keywords/phrases in bullet points rather than full sentences so that the focus is clearer. I'd also suggest reading through past examiners' reports as those usually tell you what to avoid doing in your answers as well as what you should be doing!
I hope some of this helped. I'm happy to answer any more questions if you have any about A-Level CompSci in general
Good luck!Thank you very much this helps a lot, if you don’t mind me asking what grade did you end up with and what tips to get an A* would you recommend?
Original post by proudk
Thank you very much this helps a lot, if you don’t mind me asking what grade did you end up with and what tips to get an A* would you recommend?
Not at all! I got a B so I'm probably not the most qualified person to speak on tips for nailing A*s ^^" Various circumstances and factors contributed to that grade (unfinished coursework, not revising enough - there's some obvious pointers on what not to do!) though in the first place I've never really been one for STEM subjects (CompSci was the only one I actually liked :P).
There tend to be videos on YouTube from students who have gotten A*s in various subjects including CompSci, and they explain how they got those grades, so I'd probably recommend looking through those - their advice will probably be a lot more helpful than mine.
I'll try and add a few things to what I've already said though:
•
When you come to do your programming project coursework, remember it's only 20% or so of your grade, so there's no need to go over the top or anything for it. Basically, just keep your scope in mind - work on a project you know you're going to finish within the given time. You also have other subjects to concentrate on so keep this in mind when thinking about time too!
•
I'll try and go over general study advice as well. One thing I struggled with (and still do, generally speaking) was remembering a lot of the theory, especially around topics like hardware etc. where you just kind of have to know the content. A technique I've started using when studying nowadays is to constantly test myself on my notes - the more you force yourself to recall information, the better it sticks, in my experience. I tend to study in 20-minute blocks with 10-minute breaks in between, so if I was retaking CompSci, I'd probably spend that first 20 minute block writing out my notes for one sub-topic onto my flashcards, then after my break, test myself on the notes I made previously for 5 minutes before moving on to the next sub-topic.
•
To add onto the above point, I find jumping between topics when you revise keeps you on your toes so that stuff sticks in your head more! Just make sure every time you "jump" to a new topic you test yourself on the stuff you did before, or even the stuff before that. It's all about keeping your brain active so you retain the information better.
•
Knowing the content is one thing, just make sure you practise applying what you know as well. They like asking questions like this, as well as questions where you have to weigh different arguments etc. Practising past exam questions is probably the best way to go to get better at this!
I hope some of that is useful!
Original post by omaiie
Not at all! I got a B so I'm probably not the most qualified person to speak on tips for nailing A*s ^^" Various circumstances and factors contributed to that grade (unfinished coursework, not revising enough - there's some obvious pointers on what not to do!) though in the first place I've never really been one for STEM subjects (CompSci was the only one I actually liked :P).
There tend to be videos on YouTube from students who have gotten A*s in various subjects including CompSci, and they explain how they got those grades, so I'd probably recommend looking through those - their advice will probably be a lot more helpful than mine.
I'll try and add a few things to what I've already said though:
I hope some of that is useful!
There tend to be videos on YouTube from students who have gotten A*s in various subjects including CompSci, and they explain how they got those grades, so I'd probably recommend looking through those - their advice will probably be a lot more helpful than mine.
I'll try and add a few things to what I've already said though:
•
When you come to do your programming project coursework, remember it's only 20% or so of your grade, so there's no need to go over the top or anything for it. Basically, just keep your scope in mind - work on a project you know you're going to finish within the given time. You also have other subjects to concentrate on so keep this in mind when thinking about time too!
•
I'll try and go over general study advice as well. One thing I struggled with (and still do, generally speaking) was remembering a lot of the theory, especially around topics like hardware etc. where you just kind of have to know the content. A technique I've started using when studying nowadays is to constantly test myself on my notes - the more you force yourself to recall information, the better it sticks, in my experience. I tend to study in 20-minute blocks with 10-minute breaks in between, so if I was retaking CompSci, I'd probably spend that first 20 minute block writing out my notes for one sub-topic onto my flashcards, then after my break, test myself on the notes I made previously for 5 minutes before moving on to the next sub-topic.
•
To add onto the above point, I find jumping between topics when you revise keeps you on your toes so that stuff sticks in your head more! Just make sure every time you "jump" to a new topic you test yourself on the stuff you did before, or even the stuff before that. It's all about keeping your brain active so you retain the information better.
•
Knowing the content is one thing, just make sure you practise applying what you know as well. They like asking questions like this, as well as questions where you have to weigh different arguments etc. Practising past exam questions is probably the best way to go to get better at this!
I hope some of that is useful!
Hey sorry to be pestering you a month on!
I’m finding it difficult to find people to speak to for advice on computer science, I can’t seem to find videos on YouTube and whenever I post on here I don’t know what to do. I only just realised the high grade boundaries for it (80% for A*) and now I genuinely don’t know how to achieve that with little help. My teachers are ok but checking previous results it’s 33.3% A*s-Bs in a small class and my school is the highest ranking school in my area (very very good for maths).
Again sorry for bothering you but it’s hard to find people to speak to for advice as I want to know things early on so that I can secure this A* which as of now seems impossible!
Original post by proudk
Hey sorry to be pestering you a month on!
I’m finding it difficult to find people to speak to for advice on computer science, I can’t seem to find videos on YouTube and whenever I post on here I don’t know what to do. I only just realised the high grade boundaries for it (80% for A*) and now I genuinely don’t know how to achieve that with little help. My teachers are ok but checking previous results it’s 33.3% A*s-Bs in a small class and my school is the highest ranking school in my area (very very good for maths).
Again sorry for bothering you but it’s hard to find people to speak to for advice as I want to know things early on so that I can secure this A* which as of now seems impossible!
I’m finding it difficult to find people to speak to for advice on computer science, I can’t seem to find videos on YouTube and whenever I post on here I don’t know what to do. I only just realised the high grade boundaries for it (80% for A*) and now I genuinely don’t know how to achieve that with little help. My teachers are ok but checking previous results it’s 33.3% A*s-Bs in a small class and my school is the highest ranking school in my area (very very good for maths).
Again sorry for bothering you but it’s hard to find people to speak to for advice as I want to know things early on so that I can secure this A* which as of now seems impossible!
Hello!
First of all sorry for the late response, I've been busy with uni things etc. ^^" I kept meaning to reply to this but forgetting.
Having looked for videos myself on YouTube it does seem that there aren't any floating around for OCR which is unfortunate (I only found one for AQA :/).
It's not a bother, don't worry - I just wish I could be more helpful! Again I didn't actually get an A* myself so all I can really say on the matter is the stuff I've already typed out in my other posts in this thread, based on what I know I didn't do well enough on to get that grade. I understand that probably doesn't really help so I'm sorry about that. At this point I do think your teachers would probably be more helpful than I would on the subject of achieving that grade.
I think as long as you keep on top of your knowledge and get lots of practice in with the exam papers etc. you probably don't have anything to worry about though - it sounds like you're very determined to do well and I think that'll take you a long way
Hopefully some other people on here see this thread and can be more helpful than me ^^"
Thank can chip in here. If it’s not too late…
I would highly recommend getting the revision guide from Hodder and there are also some excellent YouTube videos by craigndave who go through each of the specifications in detail.
However, my personal advise would be to do all of the pst exam papers and make sure you understand the mark scheme. I would also make the point that it doesn’t matter too much if the answers you have do not exactly mark ch those in the marks scheme. The individuals marking your opera will have subject knowledge and are permitted to “read between the lines” if you like. There is a video that craigndave have on their YouTube channel where they talk about interpreting marks schemes and how examiners use it etc. I can’t find it right now but it might be best if you take a look at their channel anyway. There’s so much stuff there!
The main thing you should take away from this is that you do NOT lose marks if you have put a correct answer but not written it in the same way the marks scheme has written it. Or even if a correct answer is not in the mark scheme you should still get the marks for it.
I would highly recommend getting the revision guide from Hodder and there are also some excellent YouTube videos by craigndave who go through each of the specifications in detail.
However, my personal advise would be to do all of the pst exam papers and make sure you understand the mark scheme. I would also make the point that it doesn’t matter too much if the answers you have do not exactly mark ch those in the marks scheme. The individuals marking your opera will have subject knowledge and are permitted to “read between the lines” if you like. There is a video that craigndave have on their YouTube channel where they talk about interpreting marks schemes and how examiners use it etc. I can’t find it right now but it might be best if you take a look at their channel anyway. There’s so much stuff there!
The main thing you should take away from this is that you do NOT lose marks if you have put a correct answer but not written it in the same way the marks scheme has written it. Or even if a correct answer is not in the mark scheme you should still get the marks for it.
Original post by proudk
Hey sorry to be pestering you a month on!
I’m finding it difficult to find people to speak to for advice on computer science, I can’t seem to find videos on YouTube and whenever I post on here I don’t know what to do. I only just realised the high grade boundaries for it (80% for A*) and now I genuinely don’t know how to achieve that with little help. My teachers are ok but checking previous results it’s 33.3% A*s-Bs in a small class and my school is the highest ranking school in my area (very very good for maths).
Again sorry for bothering you but it’s hard to find people to speak to for advice as I want to know things early on so that I can secure this A* which as of now seems impossible!
I’m finding it difficult to find people to speak to for advice on computer science, I can’t seem to find videos on YouTube and whenever I post on here I don’t know what to do. I only just realised the high grade boundaries for it (80% for A*) and now I genuinely don’t know how to achieve that with little help. My teachers are ok but checking previous results it’s 33.3% A*s-Bs in a small class and my school is the highest ranking school in my area (very very good for maths).
Again sorry for bothering you but it’s hard to find people to speak to for advice as I want to know things early on so that I can secure this A* which as of now seems impossible!
hi there, what grade did you come up with. And for a year 12 student like me whos going blindly into this A Level do you have any tips in terms of resources, mark schemes and such as exam papers and content we learn in class are very very different
Original post by hmustafax06
hi there, what grade did you come up with. And for a year 12 student like me whos going blindly into this A Level do you have any tips in terms of resources, mark schemes and such as exam papers and content we learn in class are very very different
nah sorry
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