1. How formal do we need to be with our working out for methods? Not just prove and show that questions btw.
You don't need to be able to present solutions is if they were for an academic paper, but you
are expected to be able to communicate
clearly what you are doing so that an examiner can follow your train of thought.
2. Do we get penalised 1 mark per paper or one mark per error for simplification?
Algebraic simplification and calculations are usually assigned to the final answer mark of a question. If you do not obtain the correct answer in the required form, you cannot be awarded the mark.
Please note, you are
never penalised for mistakes. Depending on the error, you will just
not obtain the mark that the working/answer is assigned to.
3. How much working is required in exam 2, for non-show that/prove questions? For a 3 mark question, can't I just write 3 things, and so long as they fulfill the marking guide, I should get full marks right? I have heard that for 3 marks we should be showing plenty of working, but I am not sure if this is required given that essentially, 3 marks is just 3 things that we need to show/do.
You need to show enough working to:
1. allow the examiner to follow your train of though, and
2. show the examiner that you understand what the question is testing.
How much work you need to show depends on the question, but here's a good general rule: Suppose you are showing your friend, who does not understand how to answer a question, your solution to it. Without you talking them through it, would they be able to understand the method just from what you wrote? If not, you probably haven't shown enough.