writing explanations and doing practice exams

[zsteve]

Hi all,
Hope everyone's doing OK with Physics (only a bit to go till the exam )! Could anyone give me general advice with writing explanations? They are probably my weakest point . When marking explanation writing, should I go rigidly by the solutions or should  I leave some wiggle room? And if so, how do I gauge that my response has been relevant and satisfactory?

I've done one unit 3 and one unit 4 paper so far, managing 92% ... any suggestions as to how many I should do to get my stuff together? (aiming for high 40s-50)

[odeaa]

Always use a formula or graph if you can, that way it is undeniable that you have proved it
If that doesn't apply, quote a theory (e.g. Conservation of momentum, particle theory) but make sure to explain it
highlight the key word in the question and make sure you actually think about what they are asking you. Remember, every kid in the state has a cheat sheet with pre written answers that the examiners dont want. They want you to answer their specific question, so make sure to always refer to the example they have given you (almost always will give an example, they rarely say explain____ with no context because you have a cheatsheet)
I go really rigidly when marking worded answers, because thats how they are going to mark you in the exam. Anything less and you are only kidding yourself

As for the score, 92% isnt bad at all for only one exam. Keep a log book of mistakes and an excel spreadsheet of all your exams, with scores and errors you made. Make your cheatsheet now (preferably in word) and continue to update it any time you get something wrong, or wished it was on your cheatsheet while doing an exam.

good luck for the exam! I'm sure you'll kill it