History Lengths and Timing

errlloyd

Ok the other thread is huge and is full of predictions and essays, so I decided we could do with one for just timing and length. (Maybe the mods disagree, if so just move it, but I think its necessary)

As far as I know the format of our paper is something like this

14:00 - 16:50 (2 hours and 50 minutes)
400 marks on the paper (100 for coursework)

Section 1 (45 minutes)

Document question.
1: 20 Marks (Comprehension - usually 3 or 4 questions)
2: 20 Marks (Comparison - usually 2 or 3 questions)
3: 20 Marks (Criticism - usually 2 or 3 questions)
4: 40 Marks (Contextualisation usually 1 question) - 1.5 pages

Section 2 (2 x 40 minutes)

1: (4 essay titles do 1) 100 marks
2: (4 essay titles do 1) 100 marks

Section 3 (40 minutes)

1: (4 essay titles do 1) 100 marks


This all ads up to 2 hours and 45 minutes, leaving 5 minutes only.

Can anyone comment on essay lengths or is anything I have written incorrect?

Killaqueen!!!

Yup that seems to be right timing wise. Although personally, I'm going to try do the document question in 38-40 minutes - I need all the extra time I can get on the essays.

As for essay length, there's really no definite amount of pages you should be writing. Also depends on size of writing.

I aim for 4 pages and can usually get that done but even 2.5/3 pages will be grand as long as it's a good essay. The old cliche quality not quantity is true

phasers

45 mins per essay, 3.5 pages each
30 minutes max for Documents Q, small Questions a couple of lines, contextualisation 1.5-2 pages depending on time/how nice the question is.

That's just me, but in my opinion people should be flying through the Documents Q to get all the spare time they can

Gi joe!

For essay lengths I got two 4 page essays and one 4 and a half pager done in the time, with just enough time to get the case study done.(about 9-10 words per line)

That was enough for to get 85%, but obviously everyone's writing is different so its all individual.

I always found though that History is much stricter in terms of length than say english, regardless of how good you're essay is, if its only 2 pages you won't get a good mark.

Gi joe!

Killaqueen!!! wrote: »

Yup that seems to be right timing wise. Although personally, I'm going to try do the document question in 38-40 minutes - I need all the extra time I can get on the essays.

As for essay length, there's really no definite amount of pages you should be writing. Also depends on size of writing.

I aim for 4 pages and can usually get that done but even 2.5/3 pages will be grand as long as it's a good essay. The old cliche quality not quantity is true

I diasgree, with the way history is marked it requires that you develop your answer with a certain amount of points. There were guys in my class who wrote much better answers than I did in the mocks, but because they just didn't have enough things mentioned they're A2 quality answer would get a B3 mark.

Course, thats not to mean padded-out fluff will improve your mark in any fashion:)

phasers

I think length does come into it, because they want a certain amount of fact and detail. My essays are never waffle and I always get 3.5 pages at least. It looks like you know less if you write less. (again as GI said a load of rubbish wouldn't help you, because it would still be clear that you only had a 2 page essay)

Saul-Good

I love the subject but I hate this paper! We have at least twice the work load of writing than subjects like English but far less time, it's so unfair! I didn't even have time to finish my last essay in the mocks, it's just a writing competition, plain and simple.

Dumbledore

Saul-Good wrote: »

I love the subject but I hate this paper! We have at least twice the work load of writing than subjects like English but far less time, it's so unfair! I didn't even have time to finish my last essay in the mocks, it's just a writing competition, plain and simple.

And I get to type it ! I agree there is not enough time to write it all(even though my handwriting is incredibly fast/messy, hence the exemption). The paper cant be any longer so maybe they should just take out some questions?

phasers

You can get an exemtion just for having messy handwriting? :eek:

Why did nobody tell me? I have awful handwriting.

errlloyd

It well hard to get that exemption.

My hand writing is illegible, I am dyslexic and I had like 3 recommendations from physchologists. I got turned down... Twice, and I am in the same school as Dumble.

Dumbledore

errlloyd wrote: »

It well hard to get that exemption.

My hand writing is illegible, I am dyslexic and I had like 3 recommendations from physchologists. I got turned down... Twice, and I am in the same school as Dumble.

Indeed, that was very unfair. The whole system is a joke, there is one dude who goes around the country and the whole decision is made by him.
I have horrible handwriting but managed to convince the guy that I needed a computer because I have ADD to and get easily distracted in big exam halls. That was what swung it for me. The irony is of course that if you get a word processor you automatically get spelling, punctuation and grammar exemptions(including for Irish and French) when the irony is that I am a very good speller and it is totally unfair on dyslexic people like Errlloyd.

errlloyd

I can't really complain though, they let me off spelling, grammar, Irish and French...