Many physics students struggle to communicate their ideas effectively in writing. Unfortunately for these individuals, all awarding bodies are required to set questions that assess ‘quality of written communication’ (QWC). This means that a student who cannot express him or herself well enough may drop marks. Fortunately the exam boards tell you when they are assessing your QWC so you know when to pay close attention to how you write your answer.
On a 6-mark QWC question like the one below, candidates who do not express themselves well enough will typically lose 2 marks. This may not seem too bad if the paper is out of 70 marks. However, candidates who get penalised on the QWC question also tend to drop marks in other questions where a written answer is expected. So it is well worth practising lots of written answers and asking your teachers and classmates for feedback on your QWC.
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