Short-Answer Technique (1–4 Mark Questions)

Short-answer questions — worth between 1 and 4 marks — make up the majority of most GCSE exam papers. They are the bread and butter of your exam performance. While no single short question carries the weight of an extended response, collectively they often account for 50–70% of the total marks on a paper.

The technique for answering short questions is deceptively simple, and most students get it wrong not because they lack knowledge but because they write too much, too little, or in the wrong way.

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The One Point Per Mark Rule

The single most important principle for short-answer questions:

Each mark requires one distinct, correct point.

A 1-mark question needs one point. A 2-mark question needs two points. A 3-mark question needs three points. This is not always exact — some mark schemes award marks for development of a point — but as a working rule, it is extremely reliable.

What This Means in Practice

1-mark question: "Name the process by which plants make glucose."

• Answer: Photosynthesis.
• That is it. One word. One mark. Do not write a paragraph.