Case study

Case studies or scenario questions assess how well you can identify issues and apply key concepts or theories to real-life problems.

Prepare

Look over any examples or marked questions. Analyse the questions and answers. How are they structured? How are concepts or theories included in the answer? How is the problem identified and addressed?

Practise past exam questions under timed conditions so that when you are in the exam you are familiar with the steps for answering these types of questions.

In the exam

Read

• Focus on the core task – what is the question asking? Is it split into different parts?
• Survey read the scenario with the question in mind.
• Read the scenario in more detail, making brief notes or underlining key information. If it is a long scenario, you may want to identify the nature of each paragraph.
• Identify and prioritise key issues.

Outline

Make a brief outline of how you plan to answer the question before you start writing. This will help you map out the logical flow of your answer and focus your writing.