Crucial Exam Skills That Science Textbooks Don’t Teach

For secondary school science papers, many students focus only on studying content and doing some practice questions – thinking that it is enough to know their stuff. But what they don’t know is that they may be losing marks for a completely different reason: poor exam skills.

Exam skills include things like:

• Understanding question requirements properly
• Using the right keywords or working steps in answers
• Presenting answers clearly and neatly
• Managing exam time effectively

If you already know your content but still find it hard to break through to a higher grade, the issue may lie with the way you are answering questions or tackling the exam paper. In our tuition classes, our IP science tutors find this to be quite a common problem that hinders high-ability students in Singapore from getting to the top grade.

So, let’s look at each of these exam skills in detail — and how we help students like you sharpen these skills for the year-end exams.

Understanding the question requirements

Exam questions don’t just provide information like concepts and numbers that you need to solve it – they also give clues about how you should answer. Learning to spot these clues makes a big difference.

At our secondary science tuition classes, tutors go through past-year and school practice papers with students, pointing out key requirements in questions. Over time, spotting the important keywords becomes second nature to our students, helping them avoiding careless mistakes during the exams.

Here are some things you can practise looking out for:

• Command words: Command words in the question tells you what kind of answer you need to give. ‘State’ or ‘Name’ questions usually just require a one-word or one-sentence answer. ‘Explain’ or ‘Why’ questions require you to describe the cause or reasons behind a phenomenon. ‘Compare’ questions require you to make direct comparisons between two things, mentioning both similarities and differences.
• Number of marks: This gives you an idea of how many points or working steps you need to include in your answer. You should use this as a guide to decide how long and detailed your answer needs to be. For example, if your answer for a 1 mark question is 5 lines long, you need to ask yourself if all that writing is actually necessary. Are you over-complicating things? Can your answer be more precise?
• Units: For questions that include measurements, make sure to present your answer in the right units. If the question doesn’t mention anything special, present your answers in S.I. units. If the question mentions a specific unit – use it!

Using the right keywords and working steps

Getting the final answer right isn’t enough — examiners award marks when you can show them that you understand the process. Without the correct working steps or keywords, you may lose marks even if your answer is technically correct.

Ex-MOE teachers on our team know exactly how marking schemes work, because they’ve been exam setters and markers themselves. They teach students how to think like an examiner: which keywords matter, which working steps are essential, and where students can save time without losing marks.

Through targeted practice, students become familiar with common marking rubrics and avoid missing out on “hidden marks.”

Presenting answers clearly

The examiner cannot award you marks if they are unable to decipher what you are even writing. Untidy workings, messy diagrams, or illegible handwriting can cost you precious marks!

Some of these issues can be solved with improved time management, so that you don’t feel the need to rush excessively. Or sometimes the problem lies with poor planning, leading the student to make numerous cancellations and corrections, to the point of messiness.

As tutors, besides constant reminders and feedback on our students’ work, we also  ensure that students are aware of the conventions for drawing neat graphs, tables, and diagrams. In your own practice, too, you can remind yourself of these good practices:

• Always use a ruler for axes, labels, and underlines.
• Draw diagrams that are large enough – usually filling up at least half of the given space
• Draw solid lines with a sharp 2B pencil. Lines should not be sketchy or faint.

Time management

Time management is not just about finishing the paper on time. It is ensuring you have enough time for each section and question of the paper. We regularly get our students to do timed practices as we recognise how important it is to be focused and work quickly during the exams. This builds exam stamina and trains students to stay calm under pressure.

If you struggle to finish your paper on time, here are some guiding tips for you:

• Before your exams, plan out how much time you want to spend on each section.
• If you find yourself stuck on one question, you can skip it and come back later.
• Do sections that can be completely quickly first. That way, any extra time can be used for more time-consuming sections.
• Always plan to leave enough time for checking answers and going back to skipped questions.

Conclusion

Strong content knowledge is important – but without exam skills, many students struggle to translate what they know into actual marks. Then, they end up being disappointed because their exam results don’t reflect their actual knowledge.

At Future Academy, our experienced top tutors in Singapore go beyond teaching content – we equip students with proven exam strategies and personalised guidance to unlock their full potential. Whether it’s science, math, or language subjects, our small-group classes and ex-MOE teachers provide the structure and support students need to excel. Don’t leave your grades to chance – book your class today and turn your grades around this year end.