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My English teacher at school has suggested that it`s easier for an examiner to mark my work if I answer a 14 mark question with bullet points. Is that correct? i`m doing Edexcel English Language in June 2017
7 years ago

English Question asked by Lucy

Definitely not. Are you sure they didn`t mean plan your answer in bullet points? That would be very sensible, but as for the main answer, it will need to be in full sentences to be awarded a high mark.
05/04/2017 17:43:34 | comment by [Deleted Member]
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No. this sounds completely incorrect to me.
05/04/2017 22:04:51 | comment by [Deleted Member]
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No
06/04/2017 19:51:53 | comment by [Deleted Member]
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19 Answers

This is not correct. bullet points are not viewed kindly by examiners who are looking for you to develop and structure your work. I am an examiner.
Andrea
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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Hi Lucy
I would say no , English language edexcel want you to demonstrate that you can write in English well , not just jot down points.

If you wanted, you could do it by just writing down the points normally , but then using connective words like and ,thus hence ,furthermore ,in addition etc to follow-on to the next bullet point .

In my opinion only answer a question in bullet points if the question says you can otherwise every question you ever do will be a bullet points.

Nevertheless best wishes , I do tutor for English GCSE so if you need anymore advice don`t hesitate to contact me.

Kindly
Vin
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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Hi Lucy,
You can easily find out what the examiners require by looking at the mark scheme. Some questions can be answered in bullet points, but most need an essay-style answer.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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I would recommend that you write in paragraphs. Bullet points are acceptable for a plan, one mark questions but not a fourteen mark question, in my opinion.

Hope this is helpful.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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What the Teacher said, was the QUESTION would have 3 bullet points in it, that you must respond to by answering the question using excellent (your best efforts) English language taking into account the extract and assessment objectives.
Sue, Tutor
Answered by Susan | 6 years ago
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No, you should be answering 14 mark questions in a PEA paragraph. Do you have a personal tutor?
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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No. Don`t answer any questions in bullet points.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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No this sounds wrong-usually you can make bullet points to make notes, but have to write a full essay.Try to speak to other members of staff within the department. If it makes you uncomfortable identifying your teacher, you need not mention what he/she has said but other staff should give you an answer. You can also go online on the Edexcel website for your particular subject-they should provide details on how the question should be answered.
Hope this helps!
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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Bullet points are a way for examiners to track your thought process incase you run out of time or fail to develop a point enough. If they can see that you intended to touch upon that point then you will receive some recognition for that. It will not be as much as writing a complete answer.
Seema
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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I wouldn`t recommend answering in bullet points purely due to the fact that you are marked on how well your answer is structured, Point Evidence Explain and so on. Check the mark scheme online for your exam board and it should give you a clearer idea of how you should be answering questions.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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Absolutely not. Write in full sentences with good punctuation, spelling and structure and some ambition vocabulary.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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I don`t think so. Extended questions require extended answers. In the English language exam you need to prove that you can identify key points in the text, support your ideas with references to the text, and comment on the use of language in the quotations that you give. Carefully structured paragraphs, that reference the question and don`t deviate from the task are the best way to handle these questions.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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Hi Lucy
I think that the best way to answer 14 mark questions is in an answer that organises ideas into a well-structured response, divided into paragraphs.
Answering with bullet points wouldn`t be wrong exactly. I`d certainly say it`s better to split your ideas into bullet points, rather than write them all as one big chunk of text without any organisation. However, if you look at the Edexcel text books, the example answers split into paragraphs which have a clear development of ideas are the ones that have the best examiner`s comments. Maybe try having a look at some of them?
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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I sat the edexcel exam and id say absolutely not. You will get penalised very badly for this, make sure your plan is in bullet points to keep things easy for you, but paragraphs and full sentences in the paper.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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It is best if you write short paragraphs using a PEE structure. Make a point, use evidence and explain why it is important.

Answered by [Deleted Member]
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I wouldn`t do this personally as it prevents you from obtaining the higher grade boundaries. You need to write in full paragraphs to demonstrate your competence in the SPaG element of the examination.

In addition, if you are struggling, you need to revise the PEEL structure which is a basic, to enable you to make your point and be concise.
Answered by Kim | 6 years ago
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Yes it would be beneficial for an examiner to mark your work however as an English teacher myself you have to remain unbiased when marking work and will have training in exam marking too.
It will be easier for your teacher not to mark it as she might be biased and an unknown marker won`t know you therefore won`t be biased.
As for bullet points to answer a question I would say no to. It shows that you can`t construct your sentences and therefore can`t answer coherently.
You can certainly plan using bullet points but not answering the question in bullet points.
Hope this helps!

Arte
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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In some cases this can be the way to answer a question since it gives a concise answer. However, everything depends on the wording of the question and what exactly it is asking for. Without a question in front of me, it is harder to give a clear answer.
Answered by [Deleted Member]
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That is a good question. I believe that as your English teacher has suggested it, that point probably has some merit.

However I would suggest that would also depend on the format of the question. If the question suggests that an essay is required in reply perhaps an answer that is presented in only a bullet point format may not be appropriate.

I would be interested to hear what other views may be on the matter.

Answered by [Deleted Member]
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