Essay Writing Tips (Examiner’s Report 2024)

On By Aimee HorsleyIn Essay Tips and Techniques, Exam PreparationLeave a comment

I always find it helpful reading the examiner’s reports but in recent years I have also found them highly frustrating, vague and somewhat unfair. This year’s Philosophy and Ethics reports come with very few surprises, a selection of helpful pointers (which I summarise below) and a general repetition of previous years’ comments. However the Christian Thought section infuriated me due to the clear disparity in expectations (with the other modules of the course) and a complete disregard of the cohort of students we teach. Can I order a reality check please?

Helpful all-round pointers:

Best AnswersWhat to Avoid
Selected relevant material. Selection of material in response to Q is as much about what is left out as what is put in. Unclear why certain arguments were brought into an answer e.g. Tillich’s symbol in Aquinas’ analogy. This works but only when evaluatively.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Fs-9Rx6q9Po		Weaker students wrote everything they knew. Questions are intended to test how well candidates can use the material to respond to a specific question. Not just a recall test. Need to think and plan responses, rather than seeing a key word and launching into a pre prepared answer.
Focus directly on the Q. Most successful responses focused on the specific words in the Q e.g. the word ‘sufficient’ found in the Q can change the direction of an answer.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9VRdJjEvFes
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KdZnPH98LNk		Evaluation was juxtaposed rather than developed. This means that arguments, such as those presented by key scholars, are simply stated (regurgitated info) rather than exploring why they are relevant and how their argument impacts your overall discussion.
Introduction included an outline of what was going to be argued with hypothesis and reasoning. Outlining thesis/ judgment in introduction.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/azNF-rVAKWg		Absence of planning was noticeable.  
Structure your paragraphs by starting with a view, rather than a name, which tends to lean to an essay that is driven by A02 rather than A01.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QIQj6v2_a4U		Having a simplistic view of content.  
Embed discussion, use the material as a vehicle for discussion (A02). Argument driven approach rather than stating criticisms of scholars.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RoJn9UlkVGQ		Longer essays are not necessarily better – focus can drift.  
Relevant synoptic links made.  
https://youtube.com/shorts/xstsllLKJqc		Being synoptic can lead to time wasted exploring other topics that did not significantly increase credit for the question being answered.  
Unnamed scholarly views can be credited highly – you don’t need a ‘menu of scholars’ (love this phrase, already used it two or three times in my lessons already!).  
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qwsMq8j7d3E		Unnecessary comparisons with other theories. For example in a Cosmological question contrasting with Teleological and/or Ontological – WHY would you do this?!? – unless fuelling the debate – multiple concepts can dilute the responses made – don’t ‘shoehorn’ other aspects of the course into answers.

Stay tuned for the summary of the DCT section of the examiner’s report, which needs a far more in-depth exploration. Coming soon 😊 (You can now find it here: Do the exam markers for DCT need a reality check?)

Transforming Teaching with iPads

On By Aimee HorsleyIn Teaching, Learning and Assessment, TechnologyLeave a comment

This year, students at my college have been loaned an iPad for the duration of their time with us. The intention is that they use them for note taking, organization, access to resources (that no longer need to be printed) and engaging learning approaches. In order to fully take advantage of this classroom resource, in my new role as an ‘iPad Champion’ I have spent the year trying out different websites and apps. Now I am no expert in iPads, or technology in general, but I love teaching and learning and believe me when I say there are so many amazing teaching resources out there to reduce your teaching workload, create interactive and engaging lessons (without students needing to access technology) and learning aids that can be used in the classroom (computers, iPads, phone) or at home. Here are a few of the best ones I have come across this year:

  1. Diffit (https://web.diffit.me/): Will create new teaching resources including reading, quizzes, PowerPoint slides on a given topic/ keyword.
  2. Suno (https://suno.com/): Enter a theme and it will write you a song.
  3. Hello History (https://www.hellohistory.ai/): Life like conversation with historical figures (Text message style).
  4. Summarize.tech (https://www.summarize.tech/): Summaries long YouTube videos into timed chunks – game changer!!
  5. Autodraw (https://www.autodraw.com/): You do a quick sketch or drawing and AI will improve through giving options to match what you tried to draw.
  6. Craiyon (https://www.craiyon.com/): AI Image Generator. Quick search ideas to be generated into art, drawings or photos.
  7. Classroom Screen (https://classroomscreen.com/): Add a timer, poll, randomiser, noise controller onto the classroom board.
  8. Bouncy Ball (https://bouncyballs.org/): Fun way to monitor noise (this could be used to detect both high noise level or if you want students to speak up or discuss ideas it can visually show low noise level)
  9. Future Tools (https://www.futuretools.io/): Organises all available AI apps into searchable themes e.g drawing, feedback, equations.
  10. Literal App (https://www.literalapp.com/edu): range of books – class commentary, set assignments, asks Q. presented like a text conversation. Can highlight words for dictionary.

See previous blog Old Dog New T&L Tricks for more website and app ideas including best quizzes.

Please get in touch (via ‘contact me‘) if you would like a copy of the full document, if you have any other app/website recommendations or if you would like teaching ideas to accompany the different methods above.

DCT 2024 Exam Predictions

On By Aimee HorsleyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

For many of you this will be your final exam and I am sure at this point your brains feel like they have run a marathon (weeks of mental endurance). But we cannot limp to the finish line, we must end on a high! This means one last push for DCT exam.

My final round of predictions:

  1. Death and Afterlife: Most likely be heaven, hell and/ or election e.g. Assess the view that heaven is an actual place after death where a person will experience physical and emotional happiness. Or “Hell is an actual place where a person experiences eternal punishment.” Discuss My reasoning behind a death and afterlife question is because only one question has been asked in the second year (purgatory) and it was back in 2019. High likability and it might be a repeat question from the first year (check the ppt with past questions on YouTube).
  2. Person of Jesus: “Jesus’ relationship with God was truly unique.” Discuss No question has been asked on this area in the second year (human vs divine), so seems a large gap in the syllabus not to have been asked.
  3. Pluralism and Society: ‘Critically assess how Christian communities have responded to the challenge of encounters with other faiths, referencing the Redemptoris Missio (55–57)’. Or “Due to the development of contemporary multi-faith societies, Christians should have a mission to those of no faith.” Discuss. The last question from this area was back in 2020 and the only areas to have been asked are interfaith dialogue and SRM so some big gaps that are likely to come up this year.
  4. Secularisation: General Q e.g. ‘To what extent is secularisation an opportunity for Christianity to develop new ways of thinking and acting.’ Or specific to Dawkins e.g. “Society would be happier without Christianity, as it is infantile, repressive and causes conflicts.” Discuss The last question from this area was back in 2020 and the only areas to have been asked are Freud and a general Q (see ppt on YouTube for past questions) so some specific areas from the syllabus that are likely to come up this year.

Other possibilities:

  • Moral Action: “The cost of discipleship is too unrealistic.” Discuss. Only two questions have been asked on Bonhoeffer in the second year and no question have ever been asked specifically on discipleship or grace.
  • Gender and Theology: “Christianity should be changed not abandoned.” Discuss Just because we are missing it! Only two questions have been asked, one on Daly (2018) the other on Reuther (2022) and no appearance last year. I think a general question that links to both these femisitist is possible.

This is your final opportunity to shine! Good luck with your ongoing revision and don’t forget to join the last live stream on Wednesday 19th June at 6.00 for any last minute exam support.

Ethics 2024 Exam Predictions

On By Aimee HorsleyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Ethics is the hardest exam to predict because there are many question variations (topics asked on their own or as application) and a significant amount of areas have been asked over the years. On this note I must be clear that I do not share my predictions with you to be correct, I share them with you to give you an idea of what to expect or what to be prepared for. I make my predictions simply by looking at previous questions, recognizing the obvious gaps (using the spec) and making possible questions from here (no secret magic trick here). So here goes…

Specific questions could be:

  1. Meta Ethics: Ethical Naturalism e.g. Evaluate the extent to which ethical terms such as good, bad, right and wrong have an objective factual basis that makes them true or false in describing something.​ My reasoning is that meta ethics was not on last year’s paper and it is a specific part of the syllabus that has never been asked before.
  2. Sex Ethics: Specifically on premarital sex, extramarital sex or homosexuality e.g. “No theory is useful when dealing with issues surrounding homosexuality.” Discuss. Or specific to Kant e.g. ‘To what extent can issues surrounding sex ethics be judged as good, bad, right or wrong based on the extent to which duty is best served.’​ I might be wrong on this one because sex ethics did appear last year and there was also a Kant question, however examiners usually like at least two application questions and there are more areas of sex ethics that have not been asked than euthanasia. For example there has never been a general question on the themes of sex ethics and that seems to me like a big gap.
  3. Conscience: General Q e.g. “Conscience is just an umbrella term for moral decision making based on culture and environment not God.”​ Cosncince was not on last year’s paper and only one fgneral conscince qustion has been asked (2021).
  4. Business Ethics and/ or Utilitarianism: General Q on Business (e.g “Globalisation discourages the pursuit of good ethics as the foundation of good business.” Discuss.) Business with Utilitarianism (e.g. “Utilitarianism is not useful when making ethical decision regarding issues surrounding business ethics.”) or general Utilitarianism (e.g. “The strengths of Bentham’s utilitarianism outweighs its weaknesses. Discuss) ​I think you may get a business question and a utilitarianism question. Utilitarianism has never been asked in the second year exam. Utilitarianism and business has not been asked since 2019 – however I doubt they will ask for Utilitarianism and Utilitarianism with business. I think the question will be a general business theme (probably not whistleblowing as this is the only theme that has been asked in 2021). It could be a business question that has been asked in the first year such as “good business decisions are always good ethical decision.s”
  5. Natural Law: To what extent are the primary and secondary presents of Natural Law unhelpful in moral decision making. Or Assess the view that Natural Law is too reliant on telos in making moral decision. ​There are a number of areas of NL that have not been asked in the second year and the last time a question on NL was on the exam was in 2021. High likeability.

Good luck to all of you! You have worked very hard, so this is your opportunity to show off! Don’t forget to join the live stream on Sunday 16th June at 6.00 for last minute exam support.

Philosophy 2024 Exam Predictions

On By Aimee HorsleyIn Exam Preparation, Philosophy New SpecLeave a comment

As I say every year, it is impossible to accurately predict exam questions due to the magnitude of questions the exam board could ask. The exam board also deliberately ask curveball questions to avoid people like me ‘accurately’ predicting the questions. They may ask questions that have previously featured in the first or second year exams (even the exact same wording could be used) or they may ask questions on areas of the specification never asked before. For example, last year the examiner’s asked a question on Descartes and a very similar question on Descartes appeared the year before in the first year exam. With this in mind, these predictions are just my own musings and may be completely wrong, so you must still revise all areas on the spec. But if I was going to write an exam paper this is how I would do it…

  1. Plato/ Aristotle: Evaluate the claim that Aristotle’s Prime Mover is far clearer than Plato’s Form of the Good (or rationalism vs empiricism).​ My reasoning is because Plato has not been asked in three years, a compare question was asked in the first year exam last year and Aristotle wasn’t on last year. Examiner’s also like compare questions as they are more challenging.
  2. Arguments for Existence of God (I doubt you will be asked two questions from this section):
    • Teleological: “The challenge of evolution far outweighs the evidence of a designer God.” Discuss.​ Area of the spec that has never been asked in the first or second year exam.
    • Cosmological: “The logical fallacies in Aquinas’ first three ways cannot be overcome.” Discuss. Or “Hume’s criticisms against the cosmological argument are effective.” Discuss. ​No Cosmological question has been asked in the second year.
    • Ontological: Critically assess the view that existence can be treated as a predicate.​ Only one question has been asked on the Ontological argument in the second year exam (Gaunilo – 2021), also ‘predicate’ is a clear part of the spec that has not appeared in the first year exams either.
    • Teleological/ Cosmological/ Ontological: “An a posteriori argument is far more persuasive than  an a priori argument.” Discuss.​ Discussion point on the spec that has never been asked – would be a challenging question if they did.
  3. Religious Language Apophatic (Analogy): “Aquinas’ analogical approach does not support effective expression of language about God.” Discuss​ Part of the spec that has not been asked and Religious Language hasn’t been on exam since 2021 (not to be confused with Religious Language 20th century which was on last year).
  4. Nature of God: “Swinburne successfully resolves the problems surrounding God’s omniscience and human free will.” Discuss Or “God cannot have divine foreknowledge and be fully benevolent.” Discuss​ A number of areas of NOG that have not been asked, so two obvious questions would be Swinburne and/or benevolence. There is going to be at least one question from the second year topics.

If you are asked three Q from first year topics, other alternatives might be: John Hick (POE), Materialism/ critics of the concept of soul (Body, Mind, Soul) or psychological/ physiological / critics of RE (Religious experience)​. These are clear areas of the spec that have not been asked before.

I hope your revision continues to go really well! Don’t forget to join the live stream on Sunday 9th June at 6.00 on YouTube for any last minute exam support. Good luck and remember you have worked very hard for the last two years so this is your time to show off!!

*Note: I sometimes refer to the exams by the first and second year. This is because OCR still set a paper for students who wish to sit the exam in the first year of the course (formerly known as the AS year), however most colleges no longer do this. The second year refers to the full A level exam (sat by everyone who completes the course) covering all 32 units.