Why do I need to annotate my materials and textbook? And how do I do it?

Annotation is vital and allows you to get to know your texts really well. Underlining, highlighting and writing marginal notes are all forms of annotation. They help you to connect with the meaning of the text you are reading and mark out important points as you go along.

What’s the best way to revise?

Some tips for effective revision are listed in the Revision and Exam Practice modules on Canvas. In the Exam Preparation Materials, at the end of your course, you will also find some general advice on revision in How to Revise for Your Exams. Make good use of the mark schemes, and also the specimen answers, from which you can see how your peers have answered the questions (often in very different ways) and this will give you some ideas about how to approach your answers, as well as reinforcing what you already have studied.

My mock exam grades were lower than my grades for the assignments on the course. Why is this?

It is quite common for students’ grades to be lower in the mock exams. You are being tested under exam conditions and so, without your texts and notes, you may find you cannot remember all the details you need to include in your answers. You may also find exam situations stressful. But this is exactly why we include the mock exams on the course, because they are an important learning exercise and a chance to find out what you need to do to improve before the real exams. You should therefore take careful note of the feedback you receive to guide you in your remaining revision so that your real exam grades will be higher.

How can I improve my grade?

This is a complex question and different for individual students, but the best advice we can give is that you:

- Complete all the activities in the modules
- Use all of the resources provided on Canvas
- Read and re-read your texts carefully
- Read questions carefully so that you are sure about what is expected from you
- Learn key concepts
- Use psychological evidence in your answers
- Keep working on your writing skills throughout the course
- Pay very careful attention to your tutor’s feedback on each assignment and incorporate this into each new assignment.

Is there a right or wrong way to answer AL questions that require a discussion?

Put simply, no. Longer responses do have an element of subjectivity to them. You should try to make a range of points and always support them with sufficient evidence. When you look at the generic mark scheme and paper-specific mark schemes, you will see that they often give a broad range of points that ‘could’ be covered in the answer. It is not necessary to include them all, but to bring in the most logical/meaningful in relation to how you are answering the question. Examiners are looking at how you apply the psychology that you have learned.

Do I need to memorise all numerical values in a study?

Strictly speaking, the answer is no. However, you should know key, pertinent findings – for example in Milgram’s study, the total percentage of participants who gave the maximum volt electric shock.

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