Round and Round in Circles

Exam Advice: If you want to gain good marks it’s a good idea to avoid giving circular answers to questions. You know the sort of thing I mean. It’s when the question says - ‘Describe what is meant by participant observation’ and the student writes ’ It is when you participate and observe at the same time’. Ha Ha. The word ‘describe’ means a bit more than throw back the question into the examiners face. On a related theme, the standard joke of course, is this: Oxford Philosophy Final Paper, Question 1. Is this a fair question? Answer: ‘Yes, if this is a fair answer.’ Result: First Class Honours. But, remember, that’s a joke, and it’s old, so if you try it, you will get a well-deserved fail.

Do some students really not see the problem with answers like this? Or are they just embarrassed and desperately trying to fill the paper, or perhaps they think it is amusing?

I really don’t know, but I would just advise all students out there - avoid this like the plague. Make sure you know and can define the basic concepts of your subject. There are many complaints these days about standards, but one thing is constant; you still need to have some knowledge to pass an exam.