Assessment by examination in UK higher education
other assessment methods you are used to. This guide will outline:- Features of written examinations in UK higher education
- What you need to find out about your exams
- How you can help yourself to get better results
- Tipsheets and exercises to download
- What to do if you're feeling anxious
Features of written examinations in UK higher education
Most written exams in UK higher education have some common features. Depending on the academic culture you have previously studied in, these may be different to what you are used to. It will be helpful to know what may be different, so you can see which practices you may need to work on and develop.
- You will be expected to complete your answers to strict time constraints - these may be much shorter or much longer than you are used to.
- You may not have to answer all the questions on the exam paper, or the same number of questions in different sections - you will have to check your instructions carefully.
- You will need to plan to use the time allowed to allocate an equal amount of time to questions with equal marks.
- You will usually not have access to textbooks or other research material.
- You will usually not see the question paper in advance, and questions from previous years will not be reused.
- You will be expected to demonstrate how you can put your knowledge to use - not just that you have memorised the content of your lectures or textbook.
- Unless the question is purely factual, you will need to include critical analysis in your answers.
- You will not be expected to include detailed references as you would in your coursework, but you may wish to mention key theorists in your topic.
- There are very few exams in which you can get a mark of 100%, and this mark is not expected of you.
What you need to find out
It is really important to know that exams are not all the same - even within the same subject, you may have some exams where you are expected to write essays and others where you are expected to answer multiple choice questions. So make sure you know what to expect by checking:
- How long the exam is and how many questions you will have to answer.
- If you will need to answer a certain number of questions from different sections (e.g. 'Answer one question from Section A and all the questions in Section B').
- If you can take any books into the exam room (e.g. course texts, a dictionary, tables).
- If you can take a calculator into the exam room, and if you need to have it verified by your department before the exam.
It is also a good idea to make sure you know where you need to go for each exam well in advance: some of them may be in parts of the university campus you have not yet visited.
If you are studying at the University of Reading, all the important information (including what to bring, how the timings work and where to find out what your seat number is) is in the Examination Office's What You Need To Know guide.
Also have a look at this useful checklist from the University of Leeds: Exam preparation checklist.
Helping yourself to get better results
To get the best result in your examinations, you need to do more than just revise your subject knowledge. UK higher education exams are not a test of how much you can remember and recount from your lectures or your textbooks. Instead you will need to put your knowledge to use to say something interesting and meaningful about your subject. You also need to get used to doing this within the allowed time.
The most effective way to do this is to practise making answer plans and writing timed answers (by hand) for questions for your module on past exam papers.
You will be able to find past exam papers for your subject on the Exams Office webpage. These will not be the same questions that you are asked in your exam, but they will give you experience of how exam questions are worded. If you are taking a new module or course which does not have past papers available, ask your tutor if there are any practice questions.
For more advice on revision, memory strategies, writing exam answers, and many other study topics, see our Study Guides.
Tipsheets and exercises to download
These tipsheets and exercises may also be helpful. Do try the exercises before you look at the answers! (These will open as PDF files.)
Tipsheet: What does the examiner want?
Exercise: Active learning worksheet: Your revision will be much more effective if it is active rather than passive. This exercise will help you to understand what counts as active and passive learning, and why. Answers here.
Exercise: Using paraphrasing to help you understand the question. One of the most frequent complaints of markers is that the student did not answer the question. Paraphrasing it (re-writing it in your own words) can help you to make sure you have the right meaning. (There is no answer sheet for this exercise as there might be several ways of re-writing the question. Try swapping answers with a friend to see how they rewrite the same question.)
Exercise: Practise your proofreading. Students for whom English is not their first language often worry about being penalised for poor English. The priority is to make sure the marker understands your meaning; keeping your sentences simple and planning your answer so that your ideas are clear will help with this. Proof-reading your work carefully will also help. This exercise gives you the opportunity to practise proof-reading. Answers here.
If you're feeling anxious...
Some students get extremely anxious whilst doing exams. It will help to feel prepared – the strategies in the Study Advice guides aim to help you to do that. If you are still anxious, and are worried that this will affect your performance, do come and discuss this with a Study Adviser or a university counsellor. The Chaplaincy also offer regular sessions to teach relaxation techniques every Wednesday from 14.30-15.30 in The Lounge, Room 2 - these are open to all students. Contact them for more details at chaplaincy@reading.ac.uk.
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