Running out of time on Geography questions

Doing the specimen / mock papers, I too find that I am very tight on time. I need to find a happy-medium; as from experience, I find that I over explain every point I make, thus increasing the risk of running out of time. On the other hand, writing too little risks not gaining the marks :frown:

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Reply 3

little_k

12

Is this the one where you have 4 ten mark questions and 2 fifteen mark questions??

If it is, just practice making it as simple as it needs to be. You don't need to ramble on, just make it clear, understood and precise :smile:

(CUP!)

Reply 4

JayAyy

14

I don't know much about geography papers, but I'd say not to waffle on about a certain point, unless you are absolutely certain it would get you the marks.

Reply 5

Robbie10538

I assume you are talking about unit 2, geographical investigations? If so, i sat the paper in January and worked my socks off in preparation for that paper. I got 80/80 UMS (and when i got a photocopy of the paper (that the department paid for :biggrin:

) i got 66/70 raw marks).

The sad truth is with that exam it is all about exam technique. You have to write fast, and think critically. The questions are going to be vague (well vaguer than the specimen paper), so you need to be able to link phrases in the question with case studies, and ALWAYS include the case studies. Make them up if you have to (though this is sometimes harder than writing true stuff).

I found this http://newedexcelgeog.ning.com/ website incredibly useful. Search for the unit 2 revision stuff. Have a look at the examinors report and january paper (both of which are on the edexcel website but you need a password- both of which are also on that website somewhere uploaded by people!)

With the fieldwork questions, there can only be a certain number of them. Check the specification to find out which, and plan your answers in advance for them. Then you write quickly in the exam with prepared links and thoughts. always have the same structure (e.g. for fieldwork, intro(location), secondary, primary, conclusion), and try to include jazzy phrases (e.g. synthesising all the environmental, economic and social impacts into a cost-benefit analysis table we...).

Also remember SEE (social, environmental and economical)- very useful!

ask if you want any other info :smile:

Don't mean to hijack your post, OP, but that post was really helpful to me aswell Robbie! :smile:

I'm really worried about these long answer questions for Unit 2. I'm totally clueless as to where to start with the fieldwork questions as I couldn't go on the fieldwork trip due to chronic illness, and it's like trying to get blood out of a stone in terms of trying to understand anything they did! :frown:

I've go on the Ning regularly, and that's great. About what you said about fieldwork questions, do you mean there's say 10 possible questions, and then you obviously just get 2 of them in the exams... and these are on the specification paper so I could prepare them in advance like you said? Ooh, a glimpse of hope if I've got the right end of the stick! Shall be off to look at the spec soonios :p:

Oh, and OP, I struggle with time too - and also get extra time due to my chronic illness... but to be honest, even 25% extra time doesn't put me on a level playing field with healthy people so most definately not looking forward to the exam. I'm pretty sure I won't finish, but hopefully will get most of it done with some practise. Sorry I'm not the most helpful person with offering advice about time management!

We're doing the Unit 1 and Unit 2 exams in the summer, and our teacher went to a conference on the findings of the January exam, and the teachers there of students who did that exam said that you really do have to whizz through Section A of the Unit 1 paper as too many students didn't have enough time left for Section B.

Good luck with revision! Don't you find there's an insane amount to learn for this Edexcel Geography AS? Doesn't help doing both exams in the summer thoughh...

Eek, I'll stop rambling now! :wink:

Reply 6

furry747

10

I found the exam hard - only in terms of time. If I wrote any quicker, I think the paper would have caught fire!

It's basically practising writing quick. Really quick. Also, don't ramble on the answers, get straight to the point, use correct geographical terms, and relate anything to real life case studies.

I got 76/80 which was an A.

Reply 7

*Watches Thread* :teeth:

Are you Edexcel A or B OP?

Reply 8

Champagne Supernova

*Watches Thread* :teeth:

Are you Edexcel A or B OP?

The OP is doing AS Geography, and all AS syllabuses this year are new. There is no A or B anymore, it's just Edexcel Geography.

And I forgot to say in my previous post, but a huge Well Done to you, Robbie, for getting such a darn awesume mark in the January exam :p:

and to you, furry747.

Reply 9

Shorty1992

The OP is doing AS Geography, and all AS syllabuses this year are new. There is no A or B anymore, it's just Edexcel Geography.

And I forgot to say in my previous post, but a huge Well Done to you, Robbie, for getting such a darn awesume mark in the January exam :p:

and to you, furry747.

I'm also doing AS Geog with Edexcel, and I could've sworn there were two different specs... :woo:

Oh well.

Reply 10

Champagne Supernova

I'm also doing AS Geog with Edexcel, and I could've sworn there were two different specs... :woo:

Oh well.

Is there?! Whoops, I do apologise :o:

No idea which one I'm doing... anybody know which one the one with Unit 1 being World at Risk & Going Global is? Tis strange because when you're on the Edexcel website, if you just click on Geography under new 2008 specs, it just comes up with one.

Reply 11

Shorty1992

Is there?! Whoops, I do apologise :o:

No idea which one I'm doing... anybody know which one the one with Unit 1 being World at Risk & Going Global is? Tis strange because when you're on the Edexcel website, if you just click on Geography under new 2008 specs, it just comes up with one.

Actually, I think you're right. My textbook doesn't refer to A or B.
When is your exam date? What topics are you doing in each exam?

Reply 12

Champagne Supernova

Actually, I think you're right. My textbook doesn't refer to A or B.
When is your exam date? What topics are you doing in each exam?

Unit 1: May 13th - World at Risk and Going Global (before our study leave starts!)

Unit 2: May 19th - Crowded Coasts and Rebranding Places (other 2 topics are Unequal Spaces and Extreme Weather I think, but we only do 2/4)

You doing the same?

Reply 13

Same dates.
And our topic for Unit 1 is World At Risk
And for Unit 2, it's Crowded Coasts and Unequal Spaces.

Just the one spec then :h:

Reply 14

Champagne Supernova

Same dates.
And our topic for Unit 1 is World At Risk
And for Unit 2, it's Crowded Coasts and Unequal Spaces.

Just the one spec then :h:

Just World At Risk for Unit 1? Both topics are compulsory according to the spec. so I'm assuming you mean you're doing all the globalisation stuff too yeah?

There's such crazy amounts to learn don't you think? Definately way more than my other subjects.

Reply 15

Robbie10538

Thanks!

The sad fact is, I really feel that that exam does not measure how good a geographer you are; rather how focussed you are and write critically and remember a few case studies. I think my geography class are pretty good geographers but focus on the content rather than exam technique, but out of 20, i was the only one to get an A (i.e. everyone else got below 64/80). Unit 1 looks much better though.

On the specification, the boxes labelled "Fieldwork and research" are where the fieldwork/research question will come from (surprise surprise!). So on the page with p36 written at the bottom, the box says
The question of the January paper was "Describe the fieldwork and research you would undertake to investigate changes in coastal land use over time [15]" (out of which I got 14/15 thanks to preparing for that question)

I think it's a pretty widespread view that the January exams didn't test how good you are at Geography from looking at the Ning with teachers' surprises at results. Strangely enough it seemed that people got better marks in the Unit 2 paper than in the Unit 1 one though.

Thankyou for that, right now I wouldn't have a clue where to even start with answering that question, but once I start getting some information from people about the fieldwork trip hopefully it'll all fall into place! It's like a total secret though, nobody seems to want to tell me anything about the trip so I'm clueless.

Thanks again :smile:

Reply 16

I don't mean you're not good at Geography though! You obviously put in a lot of work with looking at the spec, preparing answers, etc.

Reply 17

Geography Overview 2.docx11.4KB

Shorty1992

Just World At Risk for Unit 1? Both topics are compulsory according to the spec. so I'm assuming you mean you're doing all the globalisation stuff too yeah?

There's such crazy amounts to learn don't you think? Definately way more than my other subjects.

Really? We've only learnt one of the two :s-smilie:

I'll edit this post soon with an attachment of my understanding of the spec :yes:

Edit: The said attachment:

Reply 18

dlg3579

1

Geography's all about running out of time so just embrace it. I dont think there's been a single Geography exam in my schooling history that i've come out from actually finishing it.

Reply 19