Hello Global Politics Students
Your exam is on Monday, so here are some of my quick tips for anyone interested.
**CAREFULLY READ THE QUESTIONS. Global Politics is one of the most difficult subjects in terms of questions because they can be so diverse and require so much knowledge. It is quite easy to read the first couple of words in a question and jump into a pre-written response. This will destroy you. Examiners HATE pre-written responses that dont answer the question. Read each question carefully, and figure out EXACTLY what it's asking. Take 10 seconds to plan - think, what targeted evidence supports this idea, THEN go for it. If you cant come up with evidence, apply theory, or quotes or come back to the question later.
**ANSWER QUESTIONS HOW VCAA WANT YOU TO. Sorry people. Doing well in Global Politics is not just about your knowledge. The Examiners dont have time to check every piece of evidence you use, so if it appears legitimate, it'll give you marks (I attributed a quote to a Chinese writer by the name of "Wang" because I forgot his actual name). Doing well in Global Politics is about ANSWERING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE QUESTION.
For example, in a 6 mark EVALUATE question, you need to talk about the POSITIVES (Supported by 1 or 2 pieces of evidence) AND the NEGATIVES (Supported by 1 or 2 pieces of evidence). Failing to talk about the NEGATIVES as well as the POSITIVES will earn you a maximum of 3/6 marks. In my first practise exam I got 49/80 (Highest in my cohort), partly because I didnt answer Evaluate questions correctly, and lost 50% of the marks on all those questions.
A generic structure - For most questions: 1/ Provide a definition of a key term mentioned, or a mini introduction in the 1st sentence (For 1 mark). Then mention your evidence or ideas in the following sentences. If the question is worth 4 marks, then you need to earn 3 more marks, so you need to have 3 or 4 things in the response that the examiners can TICK in their MIND and give you the marks for. Quotes are an automatic tick, as is correct terminology, and detailed analysis of evidence, and correct knowledge.
**MANAGE YOUR TIME - Regardless of your knowledge, not considering how you're going to divide up your time will not get you above 40. My time division was as follows:
Reading Time - 7.5 Minutes skimming questions, 7.5 minutes thinking about the essay.
Writing Time - Section A (18 Minutes per AOS). Section B (3 Minutes Essay Planning, 45 minutes for Essay Writing, 9:30 minutes per body paragraph, 7 minutes for introduction and conclusion)
**NAIL THE ESSAY INTRODUCTION - The Essay is what distinguishes the 30+ students from the 40+ students. Section A can be answered to a satisfactory extent by anyone who puts in the effort, does the research and memorises the definitions. Section B, the essay, will make all the difference, because many students struggle with it (I always did as well).
The INTRODUCTION needs to be strong, BECAUSE IT IS WHERE MOST EXAMINERS MAKE UP THEIR MIND. The examiners have hundreds of scripts to mark in a short space of time. They dont have time to properly consider all your evidence.Typically, STRONG INTRODUCTION = >15/20, WEAK INTRODUCTION = Max 16/20.
**KEY TERMINOLOGY - Know those definitions. Soft Power, Sovereignty, Multilateralism, all those complex words - if you use them, you shouldn't really fall lower than a 30.
**RELAX - Nerves will destroy your study score. Go into that exam room calmly. You know your stuff, you've been preparing for the exam for months; relax and it should all click into place. There is ALWAYS one question on the exam which is DESIGNED TO THROW STUDENTS. Last year, it was the question 4 of Global Actors. I looked at it and had no clue. I came back to it later. I defined what a TNC was. Then I came up with a contention and supported it with evidence. Just think LOGICALLY, and DONT STRESS when it appears.
Best of luck on Monday
- Global is one of the most challenging subjects, but one that will reward you greatly if you know your stuff.
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