Frequently asked questions about exams

1. What happens if a student answers questions from more than one of the options on Paper 3?

The answer depends on whether they have indicated on the front cover of their answer sheet which option they attempted (and want marked). If they have done this, then that is the option that will be marked and count towards their total. If they have not indicated which option they want marked then all the answered questions are marked and the marks for the option that scored the most will be taken. See  Paper 3: Advice to students.

2. My student has English as a second language. Will she be penalised if she cannot make herself fully understood in Papers 2 and 3?

No marks are deducted for the incorrect use of English. As long as the examiner can understand what the student is trying to get across there should not be a problem.

3. I’ve noted that the markschemes often give the answers as bullet points. Will my students be penalised if they give bullet point answers in Papers 2 and 3 rather than write sentences?

The markschemes are not meant to be model answers. They give the minimum answer that a student must give in order to score the marks. Although a student will not actually be penalised if they do write their answers as bullet points they should be encouraged as much as possible to compose their answers in sentences.

4. Will marks be deducted for wrong answers to the multiple choice questions in Paper 1?

No. Therefore you should tell your students not to leave any of the answers blank. If they really do not know the answer they have a one in four chance of guessing correctly. See  Paper 1: Advice to students.

5. How can I ensure that my students only answer the questions on the option I have taught on Paper 3?

The short answer is that ultimately you cannot. When they sit the paper there are questions on all four options and the students are free to attempt to answer any one of them. You need to impress upon your students beforehand that they will not do as well if they try to answer questions on options they have not studied as they will not know what depth of answer is required.

6. Why can’t I see the exam papers until 24 hours after the examination has elapsed?

The reason is to stop any possibility of someone sending (e.g. by fax, or scanning and attaching to an e-mail, or posting on the web etc.) the questions or answers elsewhere in the world as students may be sitting the same exam many hours later in a different part of the world.

7. What happens if a student spots a mistake on the paper whilst sitting the exam?

This should not happen but just occasionally it does. Firstly the invigilator should check that an erratum was not sent by the IB with the examination papers. If it was it should have been read out before the examination commenced. If no errata were issued you must not discuss it with the student nor provide any extra information. This is so that all students attempt the exam under exactly the same conditions in all parts of the world. You should inform the IB as soon as possible if you suspect there are genuine errors on the paper. See 'Past problems with examination papers' on the page on Setting the exam papers.

8. One of my students suffers from dyslexia. Can he be given extra time?

The answer is probably yes, but you cannot authorise it. Your IB coordinator should follow the procedure laid down in the IB Information Handbook (downloadable from My IB) and inform the IB well beforehand. The IB is sympathetic to anyone who has any sort of disability and will usually try to accommodate it for all their six Diploma subjects.

9. Is there really any point in providing feedback by completing the G2 forms after the exams have finished?

Yes. Every single written comment on all the Teacher Feedback forms is carefully scrutinized by the team at the Grade Award Meeting and taken into account before they allocate grades. After the session has formally ended the Chief Examiner writes a report and will usually allude to all comments written on the feedback forms and explain whether or not the examiners agreed with the comments.

10.  Should I advise my students to give as many examples as possible in questions demanding examples in the hope that they will gain credit for the correct ones?

If a question asks the student to give two examples and there is one mark allocated for each correct answer then there are very clear rules about marking – the list principle of contradiction applies. If the candidate gives three or more answers and they are all correct they will score the two marks. If they give two correct and one wrong answer they will score only one of the two marks and if they give one correct and two wrong answers they will score zero marks. Train your students to read the question carefully and just give the required number of examples in questions such as these.

11. Now that exams are e-marked will my students be penalised if they write their answer outside the space provided in the answer box?

The answer is quite possibly yes. The answers are scanned and only what is written in the box goes to the examiner. Impress upon your students that if they need to exceed the space in the box they should continue on an extra sheet of paper which is then attached. They should also indicate in the box that their answer continues elsewhere as this also alerts the examiner.