Exam Skills RMPS

KU Questions Stands for knowledge and understanding. Should be easy as long as you know your facts. Read the question carefully and highlight key words: ‘Describe what Buddhists understand by Dukkah’ (4KU) Do not try to think of 4 points about Dukkah, pick two and expand on those. Watch your length. A 4KU answer should be no more than ¼ of an A4 page!

AE Questions Stands for analysis and evaluation. The structure you use when writing can make a big difference in how easy it is to get marks! These essays will often use KU to start them off, but if you have made a point in another question you won’t get a mark if you use the same point again. AE questions are usually about comparing and contrasting viewpoints, interpreting concepts in different ways, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a particular position, and providing your own opinion with justification. Use quotes and sources in these types of question. Make sure you know what the question is asking! If you are asked for your opinion and don’t give it you won’t get any marks.

AE Structure Imagine your answer is lots of mini-essays together. Each paragraph should make a point. Do not ‘build’ a long argument like you might in History, or repeat ideas in your conclusion like in English. Instead you need lots of little ones! Each paragraph should relate back to the question. If you do this properly there is no need to ‘waste time’ with introductions and conclusions!

Think S-E-X-Y ! This is the structure I would like you to try using: S: Statement start each paragraph with a ‘factual’ statement that links to one of the key terms in the question. Random KU is no use. E: Explain what your statement means – using examples, analogy, metaphor and quotes where appropriate to give more detail. X: eXpand by describing how what you have said relates to the question. Y: Your own opinion or evaluation of strengths & weaknesses

SEXY And how to do it!

Statement Make a statement that answers the question in one sentence. Q: Describe what Buddhists understand by Dukkha. 4KU S: Buddhists understand Dukkha to mean suffering and unsatisfactoriness.

Explain Explain what your statement means in detail. Perhaps by giving examples. Q: Describe what Buddhists understand by Dukkha. 4KU S: Buddhists understand Dukkha to mean suffering and unsatisfactoriness. E: Buddhists believe that all human beings experience suffering like old age, sickness and death. However, Dukkha means more than just the obvious examples of suffering. It also means the everyday unsatisfactoriness that we all experience. For example the frustration a person might feel when they discover their phone is no longer the most up to date model, would also be understood by Buddhists to be Dukkha.

eXpand eXpand on what you have already said by making a connection to something else. Q: Describe what Buddhists understand by Dukkha. 4KU S: Buddhists understand Dukkha to mean suffering and unsatisfactoriness. E: Buddhists believe that all human beings experience suffering like old age, sickness and death. However, Dukkha means more than just the obvious examples of suffering. It also means the everyday unsatisfactoriness that we all experience. For example the frustration a person might feel when they discover their phone is no longer the most up to date model, would also be understood by Buddhists to be Dukkha. X: Buddhists believe that the root cause of Dukkha is our ignorance of the way things really are. Y: This is a rather pessimistic view of the human condition.