OCR Exam paper tips

OCR Exam paper tips

 If you can’t provide the answer in the space provided, then:

 Use the continuation pages at the back of the exam paper
 Use any other space available but tell the examiner where the answer is!
Please Read rest at bottom of page 4
 Don’t scridfhj out h wong anser

 Don’t scribble out the wrong answer, just do it like above! OCR will give you the
marks for a crossed out answer if it’s correct and the only one there. So scribbling it
out could end up costing you marks… just cross it out nicely!

 Make sure your handwriting is readable

 Computing examiners aren’t English teachers, they are computing teachers. They
therefore don’t really want long essay answers. Bullet points are therefore the best
way of presenting your answers. Like how this whole page is written in fact!

 Bullet points are more to the point! Use them everywhere… even on big 8-12 mark
questions where they’ve left you a page or more.

 In order to use the bullet point method, make headings out of the main parts of the
question and then list bullet points about those headings to answer the question! So
if question asked you to ‘list and explain the central components of a PC’ you
would do this!
CPU
 Brain of a computer
 Processes data

Control unit
 Fetch, decode, execute cycle
 Controls operations carried out

RAM
 Main memory where data can be held to be read fast
 Holds operating system currently in use
 Holds applications currently in use
 Holds data current in use by those applications
ALU
 Deals with properties and manipulation of numbers
 Compares data to see if it’s bigger, smaller, equal to

 Don’t be lazy however still make sure however you at least use capitals and full
stops.

 Try not to use words that are in a question. So if it says asks ‘what’s an arithmetic
logic unit?’… Don’t then say ‘it’s a unit that’s arithmetic and logical’! You won’t get
marks otherwise!

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OCR Exam paper tips

 YOU MUST READ THE QUESTION PROPERLY! Making sure your answer is
relating to any scenario you may be given… no matter how silly it may be.

 OCR rewards you for a correct answer even if it’s not on the mark scheme, so don’t
be afraid of using self-taught/gained knowledge!

 They will ask questions on a wide range of things, but never something that’s just
come out and that no-one knows about!

 You can’t put everything you know on an answer! This is called a ‘shopping list’ and
must never be done! The examiner won’t give you the marks if you list everything
you know randomly for a question.

 If part ii.) Of a question needs information from part i.) And you get that wrong. As
long as the part ii.) Method you have used is correct… it doesn’t matter!

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