OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation exam skills overview quiz quiz

By coursework only, marked by the teacher and then moderated by the exam board

By one single three-hour written exam covering all of the topics in the course

By a spoken exam in which you are questioned about the texts and the sources

By two equally weighted written papers, each 90 marks and 50%

AO1 and AO2

AO1, AO2 and AO3

Reading and writing

Listening and speaking

6 marks

15 marks

10 marks

30 marks

Read the source through, copy out what it says word for word, then finish

Guess what the source might be about, write something down, and hope for marks

Describe, identify, explain

List every figure shown, count up how many there are, and total them at the end

An owl and an aegis, usually shown with a helmet and a spear as well

A lion skin and a heavy wooden club, the marks of a great hero

A lyre and a bow, often shown alongside a laurel wreath crown

A thunderbolt and an eagle

Narrating the story without arguing or reaching a judgement

Writing far too neatly and spending too long on your handwriting and presentation

Using too many named examples and pieces of specific evidence from the sources

Arguing both sides of the question fairly before reaching a clear judgement

An introduction, then the story, then more of the story, and finally the end

Opening view, the case for, the case against, a justified judgement

Four completely unrelated facts written out one after another in no real order

A long list of dates with the most important events placed next to each one

Write one whole block describing Greece first, then one whole separate block on Rome

Only describe the Greek side in detail and leave the Roman side out altogether

Set the two side by side, point by point, with similarities and differences

Only describe the Roman side in detail and leave the Greek side out altogether

Juno, the queen of the gods

Venus, the goddess of love

Diana, the goddess of hunting

Minerva

Because the question rewards reading and interpreting the evidence in front of you

Because the examiner marking your paper cannot actually see the source you are given

Because using any of your own general knowledge is completely banned in this question

Because all of the sources used in the exam are always unreliable and cannot be trusted

Photosynthesis, the way that green plants make their food

Xenia (guest-friendship)

Algebra, a branch of school mathematics

Tectonic plate, part of the Earth's crust

Only read the textbook through once and trust that you will remember all of it

Memorise the whole of the Odyssey word for word so you can quote any line you need

Drill source analysis, comparison and the 15-mark essay against the mark scheme

Avoid past papers completely so that you do not pick up any bad habits from them