Annotate exam questions properly

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Want to do better in exams? Here’s the easiest way to improve: do a thorough job of annotating the question.

Exams can be stressful situations. You need to maximise your chances of success in a tough environment.

So, spend some time and break each question down.

What do I mean?

Here’s an example of how I annotated a subsidy question from the 2016 NSW Economics HSC Examination (Q21, part a). Link to exam and marking guide.

On first look, I was confused. Every time I bring it up in class, the students are confused. So, after many instances of confusion, I decided to record a video on HOW I would annotate it properly — see below.

When you annotate, use the following principles:

  • What the key terms in the question?

  • What do I know about the question?

  • What do I know about the question that is relevant?

  • What are some traps or pitfalls in the question?


You can (and SHOULD) annotate every type of question.