Blog post | How to nail a law exam paper
Apart from already preparing your model answer (see blog 6), here are the 5 top tips for nailing a law exam paper:
divide your exam time into the number of questions, on a marks basis (ie more marks = more time to spend on that question) to determine a time limit per question, and stick to your time limit. If the time is up and you haven’t quite finished, put some bullet points down (at least you might be able to get some marks from that) and move on to the next question;
ANSWER. THE. QUESTION. Re-read the question numerous times if you have to. Is the question asking for multiple things? Make sure you answer each element of the question. Use headings if you need to to ensure you remember to attend to all the elements;
if you want to get into the higher band of marks, provide further detail, quotes, references to other parts of the judgement/extract, and other cases, to show your deep understanding. Simply re-quoting the question or extract is wasting valuable time and space in your answer;
critically analyse - this means include opposing judgments/opinions and even your own thinking; and
convoluted and wordy sentences tend to confuse the marker - get to the point and always support your arguments with cases/quotes.