HERE ARE 15 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS IN YOUR NEXT EXAM: 1.  Check that you have received the correct exam paper. 2.  Read the instructions. 3.  Read through the whole question paper before you start writing, and  work out how much time you will have to answer each question. 4.  Read the questions carefully, to make sure that you understand what is  being asked of you. 5.  Remember that you don’t have to answer the questions in numerical order. 6.  If you get stuck on a particular question, leave it and move on. 7.  Be clear and concise in your answers. 8.  Write neatly. Look at the mark allocation to gauge how detailed your answers should  be. Make sure that you focus on answering the question, instead of  simply writing down everything that you know about the topic. The person marking your paper won’t have time to sit and decipher  untidy handwriting. You can always go back to it later if you have time left over at the end  of the exam. Just make sure that you number your answers clearly. You won’t get marks for providing information that, despite being cor - rect, is irrelevant to the question. As you read through the paper, highlight key words and phrases, so  that you know what to focus on in each of your answers. You don’t want to answer all the questions, only to realise halfway  through the last essay that you were supposed to choose only one out  of the three topics for Question 3. You don’t want to waste precious time (and energy) by starting with  the wrong paper. Basic English Language Skills