Understanding verbs in the syllabus and in exam questions is crucial to maximising mark earning potential. By CIMA examiner and marker, David Harris.
The single most common complaint from examiners is 'students just don't answer the question', but there are many ways of not answering a question.
Many students are determined to prove how much they've learned, regurgitating learned material and ignoring the question. Others answer only part of the question, even though the examiner may have required several things to be done in order to get full marks.
Some answer the question they hoped would be there, rather than the one that actually is. While doing any of these will make it difficult to pass an exam, another very common reason for getting poor marks in the exam lies in misinterpreting the verb.
Firstly, let's look at verbs in the syllabus. Each syllabus section contains a series of learning outcomes.
Each group of learning outcomes is prefaced with the comment 'On completion of their studies, students should be able to''. In other words, the learning outcomes define what you might be asked to do in the exam.
If there isn't a learning outcome, there can't be a question in the exam. In addition, the learning outcomes set an upper limit on the skill level for that area of the syllabus. Every learning outcome uses a verb, or verbs, from the approved hierarchy published with the syllabus. This hierarchy gives a brief definition for each verb, but also ranks it in one of five levels.
Level 5 verbs are a lot more difficult to do than those at level 1. The hierarchy is also meant to be progressive so, as you learn, you work your way up the hierarchy from level 1, increasing your skill level as you go.
At each level, there is no need to go further than the verb used in the appropriate learning outcome.
Doing it right
There is a more detailed article (PDF 130KB), written by me, on this subject. It includes an illustration (B) showing the range of questions that can be set on an individual learning outcome.
Each of the verbs in the hierarchy implies a different approach to be taken when answering a question that uses that verb. In some cases, the approach is obvious from the definition of the verb. In others it is less so. Illustration C in the article outlines the approach that you should take in each case.
Step by step towards a high level verb
If you clicked on the hierarchy above, it should now be fairly clear what each verb means and - with the possible exception of 'evaluate' - how to do exactly what you're asked to in any exam question.
You may have noticed that several of the 'higher level' verbs imply a series of steps that often encompass verbs from lower levels.
Often, and particularly at the Strategic level or in the TOPCIMA case study, you'll be given a single requirement that's worth quite a lot of marks.
This can look very daunting, but you can make life much easier if you remember the verb hierarchy. Rather than seeing it as one big question, break it down into a series of smaller ones that work progressively up the levels of the hierarchy. Illustration D in my longer article shows how to do this.
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