Mark scheme

Also called Marking criteria, Levels of response

The document examiners mark from. Published for every past paper, and free.

What it is

A mark scheme sets out what earns marks on each question. Short questions usually have point-based schemes listing acceptable answers; longer ones use levels of response, describing bands of quality.

Where it applies

Every exam. Every board publishes mark schemes alongside past papers.

How it works

Levels-of-response schemes describe the difference between bands in words — "developed", "sustained", "conceptualised", "perceptive". Those words are the target, and they are surprisingly concrete once you have read three or four.

Point-based schemes often accept alternatives and reward any valid method, which is worth knowing when your answer does not look like the model one.

How to use it in your work

Mark your own past paper answers against the scheme, honestly. This is uncomfortable and it is the single most effective revision activity for essay subjects.

Read the top band and the band below it, and write down the difference in your own words. That difference is what you are practising.

Do not memorise model answers. Examiners recognise them and they never fit the question asked.

Where to get help

Your exam board's website — past papers and mark schemes are free and go back years. Your teacher for the ones not yet released.