1.  Your first sentence should directly answer the question.  If the question asks you to describe one study of how one hormone affects behaviour, an appropriate first sentence would be "Newcomer carried out a study of how cortisol may affect the consolidation of verbal declarative memory."

2. Define terms.  Any terms used in the question should be defined.  If the question asks about the role of one antagonist,  you should define the term "antagonist."  If the question asks about a theory, you should outline the theory to demonstrate understanding.

3.  You should make sure to choose one good example to answer the question.  The research should be clearly outlined in terms of aim, procedure, and findings. However, you don't need to include every detail.  Don't waste brain cells memorizing sample sizes, the date of the study, or the name of the university where the study took place.

4.  Make note of the command term.  If the command term is "describe," be careful that you understand what you are being asked to describe.  For example, "describe one cultural dimension making use of one study" wants you to give details about the nature of one cultural dimension.  A simple definition will result in low marks.

5.  Remember to explicitly link your study to the question. If it is a study of how a hormone affects behaviour, you should clearly explain what the study tells us about the role of the hormone. It is your job to explain to the reader why you are using this study.

6. The average response is between 350 - 500 words.

1. Do not write an introduction.  You should simply focus on the question.

2.  SAQs will ask for one example of a theory, study, or concept.  NEVER write more than one - even as part of a short introduction. You are ALWAYS marked on your first example. Many students worldwide lose a lot of credit for not following this simple direction.  If the question asks you to describe one cultural dimension and then you list and define several of them, your first "description" is assessed.  If this is not the same one that you decided to focus on in the SAQ, you will probably earn a maximum of 2 marks out of 9.

3. Do not include anecdotal data - that is, personal stories or references to films or news stories.

4. Do not memorize all the details of the study.  Procedures should show basic understanding.  Sample sizes and exact statements of the results are not necessary.

5. Do not evaluate the research.  The SAQs will only ask you to outline, describe, or explain a study, theory, or concept.  Evaluation means that the question loses focus on the command term and may result in lower marks.

6. You don't have to memorize the dates of the studies. Save those brain cells for something more important!

7. Don’t rush. You have 20 minutes to write a response. You should use the full amount of time to write your SAQ.