NationStates Jolt Archive

I don't understand why, in the UK, they give you so little time to write your essay('s) in essay type exams for A level.

Tommorow i'm doing a history exam and they give you two long essay questions that you are suppost to do in 55 minutes. I mean it's possible, but it means your work has to be very rushed and you have no time to plan etc...

Does anyone agree or do they think that i'm crazy and 55 minutes is a perfectly good amount of time to do the exam?

The same reason why you guys don't own India, or South Africa, or Australia, etc.

55 minutes for two questions, or 55 minutes for each?

They want you to be able to think on your feet, or whatever you are on.

How long exactly should the answers be? So long as you answer the question there should be no certain length required.

I don't understand why, in the UK, they give you so little time to write your essay('s) in essay type exams for A level.

Tommorow i'm doing a history exam and they give you two long essay questions that you are suppost to do in 55 minutes. I mean it's possible, but it means your work has to be very rushed and you have no time to plan etc...

Does anyone agree or do they think that I'm crazy and 55 minutes is a perfectly good amount of time to do the exam?
My universities English proficiency exam (which everyone has to do, regardless of program) required us to write three essays and 60 multiple choice in two hours and fifty minutes.

So basically, you are going to be expected to do that, and as an A Level, you are expected to exceed expectations, no?

55 minutes for two questions, or 55 minutes for each?

For the two questions, not each.

For the two questions, not each.

That seems like a very short exam for an A-Level.

Are there more questions you have to answer?

it would be to easy and to much to check if they gave you less time i guess. probably they also want to test how good you can perform under pressure. and since i don't know what the questions are i can't really know if you're crazy.

that being said i also have an exam tomorrow. it's about first aid. although i definatly didn't learn enough i wonder what they'll ask. 60 multple choice questions in 2 hours will be more than enough time though.

That seems like a very short exam for an A-Level.

Are there more questions you have to answer?

Nope. But there are three exams for history. Each around an hour long.

They want you to be able to think on your feet, or whatever you are on.

How long exactly should the answers be? So long as you answer the question there should be no certain length required.

But you are forced to give long answers as the questions demand a lot of knowledge.

I don't understand why, in the UK, they give you so little time to write your essay('s) in essay type exams for A level.

Tommorow i'm doing a history exam and they give you two long essay questions that you are suppost to do in 55 minutes. I mean it's possible, but it means your work has to be very rushed and you have no time to plan etc...

Does anyone agree or do they think that i'm crazy and 55 minutes is a perfectly good amount of time to do the exam?
Unit 3 history?

I'm equally shitting myself.

But 55 minutes is pretty fine, and it's a good challenge and all.

My universities English proficiency exam (which everyone has to do, regardless of program) required us to write three essays and 60 multiple choice in two hours and fifty minutes.

So basically, you are going to be expected to do that, and as an A Level, you are expected to exceed expectations, no?

A level = advanced level, nothing to do with your predicted grade.

Nope. But there are three exams for history. Each around an hour long.

An hour? This is A Level? :confused:

It's been a few years since I did them, but that seems incredibly short.

I have my A Levels starting this week as well. It's not fun. And no, the exams aren't long enough. Half an hour per psychology essay, with 4 essays to do. I've also got the same history exam, and I've got English to do as well - 4 questions on All My Sons and The Miller's Tale (2 each) in 2 hours. My physics practical is on wednesday- 1 1/2 hours to do the experiment, get the results (3 times), do tons of crazy equations, do a graph, and then write how I would get the results differently. I'm fucked, basically.

A level exams are too short. they're longer at uni though. mine are all 2 hours, my flatmate's are mostly 3 hours.

Unit 3 history?


yup


I'm equally shitting myself.


so you should be


But 55 minutes is pretty fine, and it's a good challenge and all.

I don't want a challenge!

Btw, what unit 3 history are you doing?

Because written essay type exams aren't to test your knowledge so much as they're to test how fast you can spew BS, and how wordy you can make it.

that's why every exam I answered the question as quickly and as efficiently as possible I failed, and every exam I answered with as many long words as possible I passed. Remeber, it's not "this is because" it's "the explanation for this is due to"

I don't think I've once needed to use the full time in an exam...it gets very boring sitting around waiting for the time to expire.

At least in uni you can just leave whenever you want.

Do you have examples of the sort of question that you could scan and post?
Because it really depends on the sort of question. I regularly have 6 to 10 (multi-part) essay questions in 3 hour exams at university..

Btw, what unit 3 history are you doing?
Inter-war Britain.

Best of luck with whatever you're doing, too!

I know that my AP US History exam gave an hour and 55 minutes for writing 3essays, and that each essay was supposed to be about 3-5 pages, and then 55 minutes for 80 multiple choice questions (I finished 20 minutes early on that section). Although one of our essays had about ten different documents (or rather excerpts of documents) that you had to read and analyze before you could write the essay. That wasn't too difficult though.

Inter-war Britain.

Best of luck with whatever you're doing, too!

i'm doing the reformation.

oh and best of luck to you too!

Inter-war Britain.

Best of luck with whatever you're doing, too!

Bah, I'm doing English Civil War and the Reformation. (AS Level)

I know that my AP US History exam gave an hour and 55 minutes for writing 3essays, and that each essay was supposed to be about 3-5 pages, and then 55 minutes for 80 multiple choice questions (I finished 20 minutes early on that section). Although one of our essays had about ten different documents (or rather excerpts of documents) that you had to read and analyze before you could write the essay. That wasn't too difficult though.

holy shit that sounds hard! so you were expected to write up to 15 pages in 55 minutes!

Do you have examples of the sort of question that you could scan and post?
Because it really depends on the sort of question. I regularly have 6 to 10 (multi-part) essay questions in 3 hour exams at university..
You get two questions per module, essentially -

Question 1 - Basically "how much was -blergh- a cause of -blah-" (20 marks, 15 minutes suggested)
Question 2 - Analysis and an argument, generally on a wide topic, such as "how effective were the policies around -glerg- in terms of -blargh-" (40 marks, 40 minutes suggested)

A level = advanced level, nothing to do with your predicted grade.
Then what they hell is A level. I've assumed (and have been told by a few people on this forum IIRC) by the name that it would be similar to what we (by we I mean my particular school district) call Honours: you take the nerdiest students and up the difficulty allot.

holy shit that sounds hard! so you were expected to write up to 15 pages in 55 minutes!

Well, not really. They gave you an additional 15 minutes of planning time during which you were not allowed to write, and the second two were more like 3 pages each. The first one was about 4. And since it's been more than 48 hours since the exam, which took place last Friday morning, I'm allowed to reveal the questions. The one with the documents was about how technology, government policies, and economic conditions affected agriculture in America between the years 1865 and 1900, the next one (well, you had a choice between two, and then a choice of two of four subcategories, but this is the one I chose) was about how the second Great Awakening affected the temperance movement and utopian communities, and the last one (same thing as before, as choice) was about whether or not landslide presidential elections guaranteed effective administrations, with a choice of 2 out of 4 presidents to compare (I chose to compare Nixon to LBJ).

All in all, the test wasn't too bad. I knew the answers to pretty much all of the multiple choice questions, and generally getting 50% of them right is good enough to pass. The one I'm really worried about is my AP Chemistry exam on Tuesday...

The great thing is that I can get up to two semesters of college credit depending on how well I did on this exam.:)

Edit: Oh, and I said an hour and 55 minutes, not 55 minutes. That's 115 minutes.

You get two questions per module, essentially -

Question 1 - Basically "how much was -blergh- a cause of -blah-" (20 marks, 15 minutes suggested)
Question 2 - Analysis and an argument, generally on a wide topic, such as "how effective were the policies around -glerg- in terms of -blargh-" (40 marks, 40 minutes suggested)And how much are you expected to write on it? One or two pages total or more?
(It's doubtfull I could get out more in that amount of time. (Unless given the chance to rant against Searle :p) )

My only essay-based A level was music, but I never found that particularly short-timed. My computing exams on the other hand were always far too long and everyone finished with 30 minutes to spare.

Then what they hell is A level. I've assumed (and have been told by a few people on this forum IIRC) by the name that it would be similar to what we (by we I mean my particular school district) call Honours: you take the nerdiest students and up the difficulty allot.

Nope, it's just the name of the exams after gcse but before university. It's for anyone who don't drop out after GCSE from ages 16 to 18 and older if you want.

Edit: Oh, and I said an hour and 55 minutes, not 55 minutes. That's 115 minutes.

Oh, I guess thats not soo impossible then :)

Well, not really. They gave you an additional 15 minutes of planning time during which you were not allowed to write, and the second two were more like 3 pages each. The first one was about 4. And since it's been more than 48 hours since the exam, which took place last Friday morning, I'm allowed to reveal the questions. The one with the documents was about how technology, government policies, and economic conditions affected agriculture in America between the years 1865 and 1900, the next one (well, you had a choice between two, and then a choice of two of four subcategories, but this is the one I chose) was about how the second Great Awakening affected the temperance movement and utopian communities, and the last one (same thing as before, as choice) was about whether or not landslide presidential elections guaranteed effective administrations, with a choice of 2 out of 4 presidents to compare (I chose to compare Nixon to LBJ).

All in all, the test wasn't too bad. I knew the answers to pretty much all of the multiple choice questions, and generally getting 50% of them right is good enough to pass. The one I'm really worried about is my AP Chemistry exam on Tuesday...

The great thing is that I can get up to two semesters of college credit depending on how well I did on this exam.:)

Edit: Oh, and I said an hour and 55 minutes, not 55 minutes. That's 115 minutes.

The AP US History DBQs always seem to be about comparatively dull topics, don't they? Ah, well, they're usually easy points, anyway. :)

AP Chem wasn't too bad when I took it, but, of course, that was rather a long time ago. Good luck!

Essays are BS anyway.

It used to be three hours.

Anyway, it was far to long. I ended up staring out of the window. I applaud this move towards chronometric parsimony.

Nope, it's just the name of the exams after gcse but before university. It's for anyone who don't drop out after GCSE from ages 16 to 18 and older if you want.

I tried Wiking this, but all it did was prove this notion that the British engineer their systems to be as incomprehensible as possible in order to feel superior.

I tried Wiking this, but all it did was prove this notion that the British engineer their systems to be as incomprehensible as possible in order to feel superior.

Oh be quiet you damned colonial! :p

I tried Wiking this, but all it did was prove this notion that the British engineer their systems to be as incomprehensible as possible in order to feel superior.

It goes back to when people used to leave school at 16. The smarter group of 16 years olds who would go on and become clerks, bank tellers and whatnot used to take ordinary level (o'level) exams as a qualification for those types of positions.

Those of the hoi-poloi who did very well in the o'level stakes used to be given the opportunity to study a further two years towards an advanced level in three subjects: hence A' level. Doing well enough could then lead to a place a university (which at that time was only open to about 3% of the population).

Of course, if you went to a 'proper' school, you wouldn't do any of that, but rather spend your time messing about in ROTC, playing rugby and buggering each other. You'd still go to university anyway of course. Things got all messed up in the fifties and sixties as when politicians got involved and started to demand consistency and such.

The AP US History DBQs always seem to be about comparatively dull topics, don't they? Ah, well, they're usually easy points, anyway. :)

AP Chem wasn't too bad when I took it, but, of course, that was rather a long time ago. Good luck!

Yeah, they tend to be, although perhaps not as dull as some of the topics that have apparently cropped up on the AP English Language test in the past.

Ok. It's changing in form this year a bit, I think. Now we have to balance the reactions and answer questions about them in that part of the free response section, and the multiple choice determines 50% of the score. I'm honestly not at all concerned about the Psychology and English Language Exams, and only mildly concerned about the Latin Literature exam.

Oh, I guess thats not soo impossible then :)

Yeah, it's definitely possible. I mean, I won't find out my score until July but I'm very sure that I did well enough to pass. It took me about 50 minutes to complete the DBQ, and 30 minutes to complete each of the free response essays.

The HSPA(New Jersey State Exam for 11th grade) had plenty of time.

It's quite enough time.

And since it's been more than 48 hours since the exam, which took place last Friday morning, I'm allowed to reveal the questions. The one with the documents was about how technology, government policies, and economic conditions affected agriculture in America between the years 1865 and 1900, the next one (well, you had a choice between two, and then a choice of two of four subcategories, but this is the one I chose) was about how the second Great Awakening affected the temperance movement and utopian communities, and the last one (same thing as before, as choice) was about whether or not landslide presidential elections guaranteed effective administrations, with a choice of 2 out of 4 presidents to compare (I chose to compare Nixon to LBJ).

All in all, the test wasn't too bad. I knew the answers to pretty much all of the multiple choice questions, and generally getting 50% of them right is good enough to pass. The one I'm really worried about is my AP Chemistry exam on Tuesday...

The great thing is that I can get up to two semesters of college credit depending on how well I did on this exam.:)



For some reason I knew nothing about agricultural changes from 1865-1900, but, being so inventive I was able to fabricate everything.

Did the Second Great Awakening have anything to do with the Transcendental movement? If not....:(


I don't think we can disclose any information on the multiple choice, until after the day we die..

I don't know if it's enough time or not, but I imagine that it would be. Post the questions after you fail...er...take the exam so I can decide for sure. :)

For some reason I knew nothing about agricultural changes from 1865-1900, but, being so inventive I was able to fabricate everything.


I hope you talked about railroads and the law of one price. Also, currency deflation post civil war had a big effect on US agriculture.

For some reason I knew nothing about agricultural changes from 1865-1900, but, being so inventive I was able to fabricate everything.

Did the Second Great Awakening have anything to do with the Transcendental movement? If not....:(


I don't think we can disclose any information on the multiple choice, until after the day we die..

Yeah. The documents helped in that respect. Although I remembered a lot of it. :)

Yes, I think it did, at least somewhat. I mentioned it...

You're right on that part, definitely. We can never talk about it.

Yeah. The documents helped in that respect. Although I remembered a lot of it. :)

Yes, I think it did, at least somewhat. I mentioned it...

You're right on that part, definitely. We can never talk about it.

Phew...

I also zoned out for about half an hour after doing the DBQ.. The test was being given in library, and I read a title on one of the books that gave me an idea for the novel I intend to write. Then I realized I was taking the test and still had two questions to go.

Phew...

I also zoned out for about half an hour after doing the DBQ.. The test was being given in library, and I read a title on one of the books that gave me an idea for the novel I intend to write. Then I realized I was taking the test and still had two questions to go.

Wow. But you still managed to finish it all on time?

I hope you talked about railroads and the law of one price. Also, currency deflation post civil war had a big effect on US agriculture.

I talked about railroads a lot. I also talked about overproduction, sharecropping, populism, and how they wanted silver to replace the gold standard.

Wow. But you still managed to finish it all on time?



I talked about railroads a lot. I also talked about overproduction, sharecropping, populism, and how they wanted silver to replace the gold standard.

Luckily, but I did not write as much as you did, my last two essays were just a little over one page.

William Jennings Bryan.. lawl..

We will not let the people of this country be crucified on a cross of gold!

Luckily, but I did not write as much as you did, my last two essays were just a little over one page.

William Jennings Bryan.. lawl..

We will not let the people of this country be crucified on a cross of gold!

Yeah, mine were probably more like two and half pages. I can't remember exactly how long they were, though.

Yeah, I talked about him too, of course. (Well, it was one of the documents, so...yeah.)

Yeah, mine were probably more like two and half pages. I can't remember exactly how long they were, though.

Yeah, I talked about him too, of course. (Well, it was one of the documents, so...yeah.)

Well, I hope you get a 5.



unless of course you getting a 1 would change the curve on the test so I could get college credit...muahhaahaaa.....:p

Well, I hope you get a 5.



unless of course you getting a 1 would change the curve on the test so I could get college credit...muahhaahaaa.....:p

I hope so, too, and I hope that you passed, as well. :) I got 76% of the multiple choice right on an old AP exam we took as practice, and that's supposed to be really good (it was the highest score of anyone at my school, at least...).

Nice try, but no. MUAHAHAHA!

I hope so, too, and I hope that you passed, as well. :) I got 76% of the multiple choice right on an old AP exam we took as practice, and that's supposed to be really good (it was the highest score of anyone at my school, at least...).

Nice try, but no. MUAHAHAHA!

Well, we will just have to keep this thread alive until..July, or whenever scores come in, so we can post em.

*maniacal laughter for no reason*

Well, I hope you get a 5.

5 the best?

5 the best?

*nods*

Well, we will just have to keep this thread alive until..July, or whenever scores come in, so we can post em.

*maniacal laughter for no reason*

Hmm...or just start a new thread about AP results when the scores come in...

*nods*

Well, then, good luck on getting a 5 :)

Hmm...or just start a new thread about AP results when the scores come in...

True, but we would have to tie it into the uneducated-ness of the U.S's students, religion in the classroom, or abortion/gun-rights.

True, but we would have to tie it into the uneducated-ness of the U.S's students, religion in the classroom, or abortion/gun-rights.

By the way, do you have any more AP exams to take? I've got four more...

Well, then, good luck on getting a 5 :)

Thanks.:)

By the way, do you have any more AP exams to take? I've got four more...



No, I am such a slacker.

I would be sad for being such a slacker, but... it means I don't have anymore APs to take! For this year at least..

Edit: Which? And good luck with em.

No, I am such a slacker.

I would be sad for being such a slacker, but... it means I don't have anymore APs to take! For this year at least..

Edit: Which? And good luck with em.

In order, Chemistry, Psychology, English Language, and Latin Literature. I'm confident about all of them except Chemistry. And thanks. :)

I don't know anything about exam times, because I have no concept of time...but I would like to say you Hydesland are crazy, infact you all are...you maniacs!

and good luck with your exams, finals, and whatever tests may cross your path you crazy little bastards :D

In order, Chemistry, Psychology, English Language, and Latin Literature. I'm confident about all of them except Chemistry. And thanks. :)

I hear AP Chem as a class is second in insanity only to AP Physics AB (or BC?). I don't know anything about the AP test for it though.

The actual answer is that it doesn't matter if it's 5 minutes, 55 minutes or 5.5 hours - everyone has to do it in the same time so you're all in the same boat - get the best answer out that you can in the allotted time frame.

Good luck to all during exam time :)

That seems like a very short exam for an A-Level.

Are there more questions you have to answer?

I was thinking the same...

Considering that if I put my mind to it, I could whip out a rather high quality 10 page paper in an hour(I've done it before, usually in an hour, though, if I want it to be good, it's about 5 pages or so), depending on the subject matter it shouldn't be to terribly difficult.

55 minutes for two essays is fairly easy, I would think. How long do the answer need to be?

Also, I'm guessing "A" level classes are high-level college courses, or the equivlent of AP classes over on the States' side?

Statistically, with any test the first person done gets the best score. If a person knows the subject they can answer with the important information. If they don't they spend time BS ing an answer.

Exams are evil! The instrument of torture of choice.

The AP US History DBQs always seem to be about comparatively dull topics, don't they? Ah, well, they're usually easy points, anyway. :)

AP Chem wasn't too bad when I took it, but, of course, that was rather a long time ago. Good luck!

If you ever get the chance, take AP Euro. I found its DBQs to be rather interesting. I had to do an essay on sports and nationalism during the turn of the century. It was kinda fun. But then again, I'm a nerd.

I hear AP Chem as a class is second in insanity only to AP Physics AB (or BC?). I don't know anything about the AP test for it though.

It was pretty difficult, probably the most difficult class I've ever taken. But I managed to get A's in all quarters of it (and a B on the first semester exam; the final exam hasn't happened yet), and it was a fun class that I learned a lot from. The test should be pretty hard...

If you ever get the chance, take AP Euro. I found its DBQs to be rather interesting. I had to do an essay on sports and nationalism during the turn of the century. It was kinda fun. But then again, I'm a nerd.

AP Euro isn't offered at my school (not anymore, at least), but I took AP Human Geography in 9th grade. I got a 4 on that. Can't really remember the question except that it had something to do with supranationalism, and that none of us taking it knew anything about it...but I must have done at least decently well if I got a 4 on it.:)