【明報專訊】In recent years an increasingly clear line has emerged between Papers One and Two in HKDSE Liberal Studies examination papers.

Paper One has been increasingly composed of Data Response Questions, which test candidates' ability to make good use of data, while Paper Two is predominantly made up of Extended Response Questions, which test their knowledge. To more capable candidates, Paper Two is what sets them apart from the others, determining who are awarded the top grade.

However, the fact that Paper One accounts for 50 percent of the total marks (as against 30 percent for Paper Two)means that students with different targeted grades must not take Paper One lightly.

◆1. Compulsory data questions

Over the past three years, all the three data questions in Paper One have invariably consisted of data and graphs. Each question requires candidates to analyse the data.

Basic requirements for data analysis

Generally speaking, a data question requires candidates to:

?identify the trends of the data (rising/ falling/ remaining constant over time)

?identify the correlation between different items (directly/ inversely proportional)

?identify the social phenomena reflected by the data(conceptualisation)

Include and organise data

To get high marks, include and organise data (calculate the multiples or percentages). Very often candidates get only three marks out of a four-mark question because of their failure to include multiples. Candidates must remember to bring a calculator, write down the numbers and do the calculations.

◆2. Try to use all the data

As its name suggests, the Data Response Questions in Paper One requires candidates to use the data provided. In fact, the answers to most of the questions in Paper One can be found in the data. This seems straightforward. But this is exactly why it is so difficult to stand out from tens of thousands of candidates. Candidates must not lose marks from these questions in order to get better grades than others.

Remember: use only data provided

When you see phrases such as "according to the data", "with the help of the data" and "using the data", remember to use only data provided. Otherwise you will not be given any marks even if your answer is reasonable.

◆3. Organise the data

Using the data fully is different from copying all the data. As Paper One tests students' ability to analyse data, candidates must generalise about, summarise and transform the data to satisfy the requirements.

In Paper One, each question usually contains two to four pieces of data. One of the most common mistakes is using just one piece of data instead of using different data to support one argument, leaving students with moderate marks.

Conceptualisation of data

In the 2018 examination paper, candidates are required to explain two challenges faced by Hong Kong people taking part in voluntary work. Candidates should divide their answers into two paragraphs, with one paragraph dedicated to one challenge. The best answer should consist of two pieces of data for the explanation of each challenge. When organising the data, candidates must identify how the data is related to the question, compare the differences between the data and conceptualise the data to demonstrate their higher skills of "comprehension", "application" and "transformation", the skills to be tested in Paper One.

Text：陳應聰, Liberal Studies teacher at STFA Lee Shau Kee College

Translation: Terence Yip

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