Characters Contribute to the Dramatic Effect of Alan Bennetts Talking Heads :: essays research papers

"Talking heads" by Alan Bennett is a collection of monologues in which the audience are showed into the life of a character and given an insight into the character's personality and situation. People's lives are portrayed in comic ways leaving the audience feeling sympathy and guilt for the character in laughing at their misfortune. In the play a Chip in the Sugar Alan Bennett shows us a life of a very unconfident man who still lives with his mum. Graham is a middle-aged man with a history of mild mental health problems, living with his mother in Leeds. He is an absolutely stereotypical Guardian reader he wears flares, avoids deodorant, is environmentally conscious, likes date and walnut bread, and is very anti-Thatcher. It is also hinted that he is a closet homosexual. His life is dramatically disrupted when his mother, who he is effectively "married" to, meets her old flame Frank Turnbull after 52 years. Turnbull is bigoted, right-wing, and racist the opposite of Graham but he is also well-dressed and well off. Graham's father presumably died in hospital Graham refers to doctors "wheeling him into the theatre". Graham becomes increasingly jealous as Mr Turnbull takes an ever-growing hold on Mrs Whittaker's life, to the extent he proposes marriage simultaneously suggesting Graham moves out of the house to a ho stel. But Mr Turnbull is hiding a secret, and when Graham finds out he gets the courage to confronts his mother with the information, restoring the status quo and his comfortable life but destroying her hopes of happiness in the process. It seems like Graham has been seriously traumatized as he will not leave his mothers sight which is very unhealthy for a 52 year old to be doing. This play is not only based on graham and his relationship with his mother but it is also based on the different emotions shown within the monologue such as fear which Graham shows a lot of as he is constantly scared for his mother so this causes him to treat her like a child. There is also much anger shown towards the man that his mother is in a relationship with not only because he doesn?t trust him ,but because he wants to be the only man in his mothers life as he has been sic kingly close with his mother since a being a young child and she is always saying to Graham ? Characters Contribute to the Dramatic Effect of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads :: essays research papers "Talking heads" by Alan Bennett is a collection of monologues in which the audience are showed into the life of a character and given an insight into the character's personality and situation. People's lives are portrayed in comic ways leaving the audience feeling sympathy and guilt for the character in laughing at their misfortune. In the play a Chip in the Sugar Alan Bennett shows us a life of a very unconfident man who still lives with his mum. Graham is a middle-aged man with a history of mild mental health problems, living with his mother in Leeds. He is an absolutely stereotypical Guardian reader he wears flares, avoids deodorant, is environmentally conscious, likes date and walnut bread, and is very anti-Thatcher. It is also hinted that he is a closet homosexual. His life is dramatically disrupted when his mother, who he is effectively "married" to, meets her old flame Frank Turnbull after 52 years. Turnbull is bigoted, right-wing, and racist the opposite of Graham but he is also well-dressed and well off. Graham's father presumably died in hospital Graham refers to doctors "wheeling him into the theatre". Graham becomes increasingly jealous as Mr Turnbull takes an ever-growing hold on Mrs Whittaker's life, to the extent he proposes marriage simultaneously suggesting Graham moves out of the house to a ho stel. But Mr Turnbull is hiding a secret, and when Graham finds out he gets the courage to confronts his mother with the information, restoring the status quo and his comfortable life but destroying her hopes of happiness in the process. It seems like Graham has been seriously traumatized as he will not leave his mothers sight which is very unhealthy for a 52 year old to be doing. This play is not only based on graham and his relationship with his mother but it is also based on the different emotions shown within the monologue such as fear which Graham shows a lot of as he is constantly scared for his mother so this causes him to treat her like a child. There is also much anger shown towards the man that his mother is in a relationship with not only because he doesn?t trust him ,but because he wants to be the only man in his mothers life as he has been sic kingly close with his mother since a being a young child and she is always saying to Graham ?

Sweet Diamond Dust :: essays research papers

Chapter IV focuses on the presence of the Americans in Puerto Rico during the early part of the twentieth century and their subsequent development of the sugarcane industry there. During this time, the United States military occupied Puerto Rico. Due to this occupation, the native islanders were affected in numerous ways and were looked down upon by the Americans. The Americans viewed the natives as incompetent and unable to be trusted. Many new American banks were popping up in Guamani that were reluctant to finance island run mills, but were giving money to the American run mills: "A number of powerful banks from the north had recently opened branches in Guamani†¦These banks, however, found no difficulty in financing the new sugar corporations that had recently arrived in town, but mistrusted island initiative" (26). The opening and inauguration of the Snow White Mills, "†¦the ultramodern refining complex the newcomers (Americans) had been building from months on the valley," (28) was of major significance in this chapter. Don Julio was strong-willed and vowed that he would not sell any of his land and "share the same fate" as the other local sugar mills. It was rumored that the Americans had declared a cessation of hostilities in the sugar mills war, and were now willing to aid the criollo hacienda workers. This was his opportunity to mingle and discuss his plans with the owners of Snow White Mills. When Don Julio arrived at the fair grounds, he made his way over to Mr. Durham and Mr. Irving, the president of the mills and the president of the sponsoring bank National City Bank, respectively. These two Americans saw the US victory as a major step towards modernizing for the US and for Puerto Rico: "’Twenty years ago it brought you freedom and order; this times it’s bringing you our nation’s progress. Thanks to that army out there your island is being inaugurated today in to the modern age," (32) said Mr. Durham speaking of the army that was present at the festivities. Don Julio was disturbed and offended by this comment. Mr. Irving said that the progress of the new century belongs to Americans and the progress of the past belongs to the Spanish. Yet again, showing how the Americans look down upon the native peoples. He then proposed his deal to the two Americans; he would sell them some of his cane fields, if they would lend him the money to ‘modernize’ his own mill.

Problems of Human Services Clients Essay

In this paper, I will be describing the range of problems facing human services clients and how the specific helping skills that can be used with clients. There are many problems a human services faces with a client. The needs can range from helping clients with issues such as, substance abuse, mental or physical illness, grief, disabilities, caring for children and families, domestic violence, Veterans, and a personal loss. Also, a human services clients can have a large range of family problems that can lead into more difficult problems. (Woodside & McClam, (2011). A human service worker must gain clients trust to help a client get the best possible help they need. For instance, some predictable problems are due to a rapid change in society such as loss of jobs, homeless of families with disabilities. However, we all need to work together as a team so that we can provide help with their daily needs. In addition, when human service professional is working with a child they must identify if the home is a safe place to live. Also, a human service must ensure that a child have its basic needs to survive. They can also work with the parents by helping them with family planning such as birth control for each individual. Moreover, a human service professional can also help with parenting classes for their parents. Some countries cultures are different. However, there are several ways a human service can guide parents how to fill out an application for food stamp assistance so that the family will have a meal to eat every day. Another problem a client may face is to find good childcare for their child. For instance, a client may have job, but can’t afford a daycare for their children due to low pay wages. (Woodside & McClam, (2011). Human services help clients that need assistance with low income housing. There are some people facing problems with domestic violence in their home. However, most situations can be dangerous and physical violent causing someone to get hurt or bodily injury causing a death. Moreover, children living in a violent environment can be in danger for their lives. Therefore, a child can be taken from their home by human services because the child is no longer safe. Human service helper must take the necessary measures to finding a foster or an adoptive parent for their client children’s. The primary categories of problems that affect a client of human services are gather together into social-cultural barriers. Moreover, there are a huge figures that affect clients whom need services under this group. There are many problems in some cultures, a women can’t accept family planning services from a human service provider because the woman can’t make that decision. They would have to get permission from their husbands. Communication is the key to understand one another by sending messages to each other. We use communication to get to know the client perspective of the situation. (pg. 201). A human service provider pay close attention of the client by focusing on the verbal and nonverbal messages from a client. Communication is a very important factor in helping with a client. According to Woodside & McClam, (2011). Furthermore, communicating with one another can make the problem solving process of a client flow smoother. Woodside & McClam, 2011 report that communication involves sending a message to another person with the conscious intent of affecting the receiver’s behavior. (pg. 201). In figure 7. 2 (pg.  201) shows the method when a person is receiving the message and if he understands the sender message correctly this is an effective communication. A message can be verbal or nonverbal. For instance, a client can walk into a human service office, the helper say to him verbally,† Hello, how are doing today? † A verbal communication is when words come out of a person mouth. The client didn’t speak to the human service provider, he just shrug his shoulders and nodded his head forward. The behavior of the client was non-verbal because he didn’t show any reaction. The well-educated skillful helper interpret the sender’s message by the client behavior. (Woodside & McClam, 2011). (OKUN & Kantrowitz, 2008). Reported the professional worker is able to hear what the client was saying by the way he reacted. Moreover, a person may smile and give out a handshake, this a non-verbal behavior. Non-verbal behaviors consist of a client’s posture, tone of voice, gestures, eye contact, and touch. For example, when we first go out on a date, we want to impress the other person by smiling, talking in a soft low voice. Furthermore, good eye contact is better whenever, we are communicating with each other. Therefore, we must make a good impression when we first meet a person. Next step in helping skills that can be utilized with a client is listening and responding. (pg. 204). Listening and responding according to Woodside and McClam, (2011). Researched that the way we listen and respond to person is very important in the helping skills process because a human service provider can build a trusting relationship with their client. Moreover, a person must hear what the other person is saying by sending a message verbally or non-verbally. Some people think they are good listeners, but most people aren’t. (See Table 7. 3). (Woodside & McClam, (2011). There are healthy behaviors in communication such as, verbal behaviors. Verbal behaviors are mirroring a person feelings, clarifying, showing a sense of humor, providing information that a client needs, explaining helper roles, sharing information about oneself, being non-judgmental, asking questions, making the right use of gestures and touching. Nonverbal behaviors are making eye contact, listening to a person, smiling, nodding head one’s head, leaning forward, maintain a relaxed posture, facing the client, displaying facial expression, being punctual, and maintaining a moderate rate of speech. (pg. 204). In addition, we must focus on the client by utilizing these helping skills to help provide the necessary help a client may need. In the text book, (pg. 205). There is a certain kind of listening a human service engage in is called responsive listening or active listening. There are two ways of responsive listening or active listening that is presented by Egan (2010, pp. 134-135) he offered that there are many things that a helper can do to talk to a person that they are paying close attention. (Woodside & McClam, (2011). In conclusion, Egan (20) researched that there are five behaviors that a human service professional can follow to let their clients know they are listening. First, s means face the client, O means adopt an open posture, L means lean toward the other person, E means maintain good eye contact, and R means try to be relatively relaxed. Furthermore, these are acronym SOLER. Moreover, remembering these acronym can show a person that the helper is listening. Attending behavior is another way a helper can let the client know that they are pay attention and listening. In this paper, I have discussed some ranges of problems facing human service clients and specific helping skills that can be used with clients.

A Comparative Analysis

The field of psychotherapy provides a therapist 11 diverse therapeutic systems, all of which are designed to achieve the same goal – to address the problems, whether emotional or mental, of the client. Some of these systems call for an active and directive participation from the therapist while some requires him to â€Å"hold back† and let the client heal himself. This paper aims to tackle the differences as well as discuss similarities between two of the eleven available counseling approaches – the Psychoanalytic Therapy and Person-Centered Therapy.Comparative Analysis 3 A Comparative Analysis of Two Counseling Approaches Two of the most-utilized counseling approaches are Psychoanalytic Therapy and Person-Centered Therapy. Perhaps due to its very opposite characteristics, these approaches embrace the two types of clients – one who wishes to sit down, talk, remain distant and maintain no personal relationship with the therapist and one who prefers to spill his thoughts while creating an intimate relationship with the therapist. DefinitionAccording to Psychology Today, Psychoanalytic therapy is a general name for therapeutic approaches which try to get the patient to bring to the surface their true feelings, so that they can experience them and understand them. In this kind of therapy, the unconscious is studied with a focus on dreams, behavior, slips of tongue, post-hypnotic suggestion, and the use of techniques that provide the client an opportunity to search their thoughts for links to various issues and problems. Unconscious thoughts and processes are the basis for all forms of problem symptoms and behaviors.On the other hand, a Person-Centered Therapy, sometimes called Rogerian Therapy, focuses on immediate conscious experience. Rogers (1977) describes this form of therapy as a process of freeing a person and removing obstacles so that normal growth and development can proceed and the client can become independent and self-direct ed. Unconscious vs. Conscious Psychoanalytic therapy holds that bringing the unconscious into conscious awareness promotes insight and resolves conflict. (Psychology Today) According to Freud, human beings are basically determined by psychic energy and by early experiences.Unconscious motives and Comparative Analysis 4 conflicts are central in present behavior. Making the client aware of his unconscious motives by interpreting his dreams and thoughts will lead him to freedom of mind and body. Person-Centered therapy, on one hand, deals with immediate conscious experience. Its primary purpose is to provide a deep understanding and acceptance of the attitudes consciously held at this moment by the client as he explores step by step into the dangerous areas which he has been denying to consciousness.(Personality & Consciousness) This form of humanistic therapy deals with the ways in which people perceive themselves consciously rather than having a therapist try to interpret unconscious thoughts or ideas. (Depression-Guide, 2005) Directive vs. Non-directive Psychoanalytic therapy is directive in nature such that the therapist allows the client to talk freely but in the process asks a number of questions, dictates length and frequency of sessions, and advises client on how to deal with things and how to view certain issues.Person-centered therapy is non-directive. It is an approach to counseling and psychotherapy that places much of the responsibility for the treatment process on the client, with the therapist taking a non-directive role. (Mind Disorders, 2007) The therapist's role is mainly to act as a facilitator and to provide a comfortable environment, rather than to drive and direct therapy outcomes. (Lots of Essays, 2009) The client is seen as the core therapist, with the actual therapist serving as consultant, advisor, witness, and support system.Then vs. Now Psychoanalysis places significant importance on early development. (Psychology Today) It believes th at such is of critical importance because later personality problems have their roots in repressed childhood conflicts. Comparative Analysis 5 In Rogerian therapy, attention is given to the present moment and on experiencing and expressing these feelings in order to move towards a more beneficial direction. TechniquesThe therapist employing Psychoanalytic Therapy uses techniques such as free association (the client reports anything that comes to mind), dream analysis, interpretation, analysis of resistance and transference, and understanding of counter-transference, to find commonalities in the client’s thoughts and behaviors and to interpret them in terms of the client’s problems. (4therapy Network, 1998) In a Person-Centered therapy, few techniques are utilized.Research has shown that the most significant variables in the effectiveness of this therapy are aspects of the relationship and the therapist's personal development – not the particular discipline they practice or techniques they employ. The therapist is expected to create an atmosphere that is both suitable and comfortable for the client in order for him to freely express his feelings and direct himself towards healing. In fact, in order for this type of therapy to be effective, it requires three things – unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness or congruence.(Rogers, 1961) Unconditional Positive Regard. This unconditional positive regard, or something like love, can allow the client to expose his vulnerabilities, fears, flaws, secrets, and dysfunctions within the therapeutic setting without fear of being rejected. This allows the therapist to gain the necessary insights on the client's worldview and overall situation that enables the therapist to devise interventions, or make suggestions, that can help the client shift that worldview in a beneficial direction. (Lots of Essays, 2009) Comparative Analysis 6Empathy. Empathy refers to understanding the client's feelings and personal meanings as they are experienced. The therapist encourages the patient to express their feelings and does not suggest how the person might wish to change, but by listening and then mirroring back what the patient reveals to them, helps them to explore and understand their feelings for themselves Congruence. Congruence on the part of the therapist refers to his ability to be completely genuine and transparent. He does not present an aloof professional facade.(Mulhauser, 2002) There is no air of authority or hidden knowledge, and the client does not have to speculate about what he is really like. This is very far from what is being done during psychoanalytic therapy sessions wherein the client lies on a couch facing away from the therapist, minimizing opportunity for client-therapist relationship. Length of Session Two or more years with multiple sessions each week is required to fully apply and utilize Psychoanalytic Therapy. (Psychology Today) In contrast, the re are no strict guidelines regarding the length or frequency of sessions in a Person-Centered Therapy.Generally, therapists adhere to a one-hour session once per week. However, true to its spirit, scheduling may be adjusted according to the client's expressed needs. The client also decides when to terminate therapy. Termination usually occurs when he or she feels able to better cope with life's difficulties. (Mind Disorders, 2007) Applications Analytic therapy is not recommended for self-centered and impulsive individuals or for people with psychotic disorders, in the same way that person-centered therapy is not intended for a specific age group or subpopulation.While psychoanalysis essentially wrote off some groups, Comparative Analysis 7 like schizophrenics or borderline personality disorder types, person-centered psychotherapies assume that all people could be worked with and that the answer to their dysfunction lay within them. (Mind Disorders, 2007) Person-Centered Therapy has been used to treat a broad range of people and has also been applied to persons suffering from depression, anxiety, alcohol disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and personality disorders.Some therapists argue that person-centered therapy is not effective with non-verbal or poorly educated individuals; others maintain that it can be successfully adapted to any type of person. The person-centered approach can be used in individual, group, or family therapy. With young children, it is frequently employed as play therapy. Criticisms of the Two Approaches One major criticism of Psychoanalytic Therapy is its inability to cure one of the most common and major emotional disorder – depression.People, it is believed, need ‘insight', before they can change. This means that you have to understand why they are depressed before you can get better. On the face of it, this seems perfectly reasonable, particularly as it seems to match the natural human response to a problem – to fi nd out why. However, in depression, this style of thinking will tend to make the depression worse. The problems with this type of counseling for depression are many. First, the focus is predominantly on the past. Depressed people do this plenty already.One main idea is to discover ‘the reason why'. There is rarely any single ‘reason why' with depression, and even if there was, discovering it does not make the depression go away. Take this for example, if you know why you blush, does the blushing stop? Comparative Analysis 8 Some therapists have been sued for using this approach in the US when treating depression. Approaches which mainly focus on the past are not recommended in the treatment of depression and anxiety conditions. (Depression Guide, 2005)As for Person-Centered Therapy, there is no other aspect which comes under such vigorous attack aside from the implications of the therapist acting as a facilitator rather than as a counselor. It seems to be genuinely distu rbing to many professional people to entertain the thought that this client upon whom they have been exercising their professional skill actually knows more about his inner psychological self than they can possibly know, and that he possesses constructive strengths which make the constructive push by the therapist seem puny indeed by comparison.The willingness fully to accept this strength of the client, with all the re-orientation of therapeutic procedure which it implies, is one of the ways in which client-centered therapy differs most sharply from other therapeutic approaches. (Rogers, 1946) Personal Viewpoint I strongly believe that a Person-centered therapy works best for me, not because I have once seeked the help of a professional therapist, but because I feel that my father had served as my own therapist – employing the Person-centered therapy on me.There was one time when I felt so down about not being able to make it to the top of the class for a certain school year . You see, I’m an A-grade student – the cream of the crop. I even graduated with First Honors in grade school. Come high school, though, I belonged to a class where everyone is â€Å"the best† in their own schools. Competition was tough. Anyone who doesn’t live up to the expectation is transferred to another section to mingle with the average students. The â€Å"Number One’ student in me struggled to keep up. I did for the first three years. However,Comparative Analysis 9 come the last year in high school, I was suddenly faced with the fact that I didn’t make it. I no longer belong to the prime class. It was painful. It was unacceptable. The reason for not making it was simply because of a Technology Project – an amplifier that’s supposed to make a bulb light up. Unfortunately, mine didn’t when the professor inspected it. That was it – no considerations, no second chances, I got a low mark. I was informed a month before the next school year starts. That month was indeed a difficult time for me.I remember crying several nights talking to myself and still, I wasn’t feeling any better. I felt that my parents were disappointed of me; my friends were not sad enough that I’m leaving the class. What helped me to move on and accept the turn-out of events was my father – he sat down with me, just listening and helping me spill my guts. I talked non-stop, crying and just telling him that I hate myself for what has happened, that I cannot yet accept that I failed, that he has to do something about it. My father just sat there, letting me talk.He listened – making no negative comments, not judging me or blaming me or telling me that I’m wrong. He would always repeat the things I said in the form of questions. He was literally mirroring me. I guess that was his way of letting me know that he is really there, he is listening intently and not just pretending to. He did n ot even use the usual â€Å"parent line† â€Å"I’ve been there, Child. What you need to do is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And thinking about it now, I am thankful that he didn’t. Had he said those words, I would have reacted negatively by saying â€Å"No, you don’t know how I’m feeling.You never had to go through something like this! † I would have regarded him as one of my peers who I felt that time didn’t care much as they are still part of the class. I would have stopped opening up to him. Comparative Analysis 10 My father’s technique, as I study the different approaches of therapy, is very much the same as that of the Person-centered Therapy. And luckily, it worked for me. I ended up hearing myself over and over again – talking about the same things, angry over the same stuff. Eventually, reason, understanding and acceptance came.My father must have known I wasn’t the type to take orders from people. He trusted that I am c apable of solving my own problems and facing my own dilemmas. The Challenge The key challenge in the field of psychotherapy is to find ways to integrate and combine certain features of various approaches in order to work with the needs of different clients. What is crucial is a strong knowledge of what a certain approach is – its advantages, strengths and weaknesses, applications and even recent studies/cases that may prove to be helpful in solving a client’s case.Comparative Analysis 11 References Cain, David J. (2002). Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Counselling Directory. Psychoanalytical and Psychodynamic Therapies. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from http://www. counselling-directory. org. uk/psychoanalytical. html Depression-Guide. (2005). Person-Centered Therapy. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from http://www. depression-guide. com/person-centered-therapy. htm Lots of Essays. (2009). Person-Cen tered Psychotherapies. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from http://www.lotsofessays. com/viewpaper/1691857. html Mind Disorders. (2007). Person-centered therapy. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from http://www. minddisorders. com/Ob-Ps/Person-centered-therapy. html Modern Psychoanalysis. The Talking Cure. Retrieved May 20, 2009, from http://modernpsychoanalysis. org/default. aspx Mulhauser, G. Counselling Resource. (2002). An Introduction to Person-Centered Counselling. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from http://counsellingresource. com/types/person-centred/ Personality & Consciousness. Rogerian Therapy. Retrieved May 23, 2009, from http://pandc. ca/?cat=carl_rogers&page=rogerian_therapy Psychology Today. What’s Your Orientation? Retrieved May 24, 2009, from http://www. psychologytoday. com/pto/methods. html Comparative Analysis 12 Rogers, C. R. (1946). Significant Aspects of Client-Centered. American Psychologist, 1, 415-422. Retrieved May 24, 2009 from PsychClassics database. Rogers, Carl. (1951) . Client-Centered Therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 4therapy Network. (1998). Psychoanalytic Therapy. Retrieved May 21, 2009, from http://www. 4therapy. com/consumer/about_therapy/item. php? uniqueid=4933&categoryid=401&

Primark Strategy

Introduction Primark Primark is a clothing retailer, operating in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. It operates a total of 196 stores with 38 in Ireland, 138 in the UK, 14 in Spain, 2 in Germany, 1 in the Netherlands, 2 in Portugal and 1 in Belgium. Whilst the company's main headquarters are based in Ireland where it trades as Penneys, the chain is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc (ABF), and is ultimately controlled by the Weston family through Wittington Investments. The company positions itself as marketing fashionable clothing at competitive prices. In England the name is generally pronounced /? pra? m? rk/ PRY-mark. However, in Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland it is usually pronounced /? pri? m? rk/ PREE-mark. While the pronunciation on the Primark corporate video is PRY-mark the company had an intensive annual advertising campaign each Christmas during the 1980s in which the store was referred to on several occasions (throughout the song/jingle) as PREE-mark, although in the Republic of Ireland this lyric was dubbed over as ‘Penneys'. Liverpool's five story 84,000 sq ft Primark was the world's largest, but has now been superseded by the Primark in Bristol at 82-92 The Horsefair Bristol with 100,000 sq ft. Primark is a fast-growing, major, value clothing retail group employing 27,800 people. Primark's own brands All of the company's merchandise is made specifically for the company and as such Primark has its own brand names : †¢Ryan's value Socks †¢Atmosphere — womenswear/footwear †¢Butler & Webb — Premium formal menswear †¢Cedarwood State — casual menswear †¢Denim Co. — womenswear, casual men's and childrenswear †¢Early Days — babywear †¢Girl 2 Girl — young girlswear Opia – accessories †¢Rebel Senior — older boyswear †¢Rebel Junior — younger boyswear †¢Young Dimension (YD) — older girlswear †¢Primark Beauty – Cosmetics †¢Primark Home — home items †¢Secret Possessions — lingerie, women's nightwear †¢Essentials – Basic Cheaper Items †¢Beach club- Luggage, ladies beachwear The company’s strategy for the business Key Strategies Following the introduction of new provisions concerning the duties of directors under the Companies Act 2006, directors must act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote th e long-term success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole. In so doing, the directors should have regard to a number of factors listed in that Act. Those factors include having regard to the Company's employees, the need to foster the Company's business relationships with suppliers and others, the impact of the Company's operations on the community and the environment and the desirability of the Company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct. With this in mind, the company has reaffirmed its commitment to a number of overriding principles.

Strategies to Fight Low-Cost Rivals by Nirmalya Kumar

HP’s restructuring has shrunk Dell’s cost adv from 20% to 10%. Customers have appreciated added benefits like instant deliver, ability to seeYour traditional operation will become more competitive.Your low cost venture will make more money that it would have made as an independent unit. You can allocate adequate resources to the low cost unit. Dow Corning’s Xiameter unit – low cost provider of silicone products sells only 350 of Dow’s 7000 offerings, doesn’t cannibalize the its parents sales. From 28 M loss in 2001 to 500 M profit in 2005 Switch to selling solutionsNo synergies possible between existing enterprise and low cost unit. Integration of your products and services offer unique vale to customers. Australian mining company Orica – sold explosives to stone quarries. New service laser profiling rock faces to identify best places to drill holes. Become exclusively low customer cost providerNo synergies possible between existing en terprise and low cost unit. A major portion of customer segment is price sensitive. You are willing to acquire new business capabilities.RyanairFirms can either attack, co-exist uneasily or become low cost plays themselves. It is easy to fight traditional rivals due to similarities in their game plans and prowess but most companies overlook the threats from disruptive, low cost competitors. Coke fights Pepsi, sony with Phillips, avis with Hertz, P$G with Unilever. Amazon with Ebay etc.Businesses that sell at very low prices as compared to the incumbents might go to bankruptcy (US Airlines) but the point worth considering is that, they quickly reemerge. They slash fares and cut thrills and eventually grab a chunk of market. E.g. Southwest airlines, JetBlue, Aldi supermarket in Germany and other parts. The financial calculations of low cost players are different from the established ones. They earn smaller gross margins but their business models turn those into higher operating margin s.Higher than avng asset turnover ratio, impressive return on assets, because of returns and high growth rates, market capitalization is higher than industry leaders despite larger equity base. Framework for responding to low cost rivals.ASK – will this company take away my present or future customers? NO – watch but don’t take on the new rival. YES – don’t launch price war, instead try and increase product differentiation.ASK – are sufficient number of customers willing to pay more for the benefits my product offer? YES – Intensify differentiation by offering more benefits and over time restructure your company to reduce the price of benefits you offer. NO – Learn to live with the smaller company. If possible merge or take over rivals.ASK – if I set up a low cost business, will it generate synergies with my existing business? NO – Switch to selling solutions or transform into a low cost player. YES – Attac k your low cost rival by setting up a low cost business.Low cost players stay ahead in the market because consumer behavior work in their favor, new low cost entrant pose stiffer challenge compared to the traditional ones. e.g. – JetBlue’s entry is a concern for Southwest.The Futility of Price Wars. Even when market leaders copy the critical elements of the low cost rivals’ business models, they are unable to match their prices. e.g. – Internet booking for airlines doesn’t deliver the kind of cost reductions to traditional airlines that they do to low cost carriers. Slashing prices lowers the profit for leaders without driving the low cost rivals out of market.When Differentiation works: When leaders realize, they cannot win the price war, they opt for differentiation.Differentiation approaches: Design cool products. e.g. – Apple Continually innovate. e.g. – Gillette, 3M Offer a unique product mix. e.g. – Sharper Image, whole f oods. Brand a community. e.g. – Harley Davidson Sell experiences. e.g. – Starbucks, Nordstrom.Differentiation works when: Smart business don’t use this tactics in isolation. Companies must be able to persuade customers to pay for benefits. Companies must bring cost and benefits in line before implementing it.Dealing with dual strategies. Companies should set up low cost operations only when the traditional ones will become competitive as a result and new business will derive some benefits that that it would not have enjoyed as an independent unit. E.g. – First Direct, ING Direct. Low cost business unit should use a unique brand name like HSBC’s First Direct. Subsidiary should be housed separately.A two-pronged strategy delivers results only when the low cost operation is launched offensively to make money and not as a purely defensive ploy to hurt low cost rivals. Eh – Dow Corning’s creation of Xiameter.Switching to Conquer If there i s no synergy between traditional and low cost businesses, there are two other options to deal with the low cost rivals. Start selling solutions. E.g. – Orica’s blasting solutions Convert into low cost player. E.g. – Ryanair.Original Article by NIrmalya Kumar

Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610

EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE Biology 0610 How to use these tips These tips are based on some common mistakes made by students. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you prepare for your examinations. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make sure you read all the general tips. These can be important in any of the papers you do. Make sure you know which examination papers you are taking before you look at the tips for the different papers All of you will take paper 1, which is all multiple choice questions. You may be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you may be taking paper 3, which is Extended.You may be taking paper 5, which is a practical examination in a laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper about practical work. General Advice †¢ Answering questions. The questions are meant to let you show the biology you know. There are no trick questions. When you are writing your answers remember that another person has to be able to read it. o o o o o o o o Do not waste time by writing out the question before you start to answer. Keep your handwriting clear and legible. Keep you answer in the lines on the question paper.If you write in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on blank pages, part of your answer might be missed. If you have to cross out something, put a line through, but do not scribble all over it. If you have to use a different space to write another answer to one you have crossed out, then put a note to say where it is, e. g. answer on page 5 Written papers are now marked on computer screen so your written paper will be scanned. If you write on the margin the scanner may not be able to copy this. Try to be precise, in other word be accurate in what you say. Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological terms correctly can help. Do not use word like â€Å"it†, â€Å"they†, â€Å"effect†, â€Å"affect† without any more explanation. A sentence like â€Å"It has an effect on the body† or â€Å"They affect the process† does not say anything. – If you use the word â€Å"it† or â€Å"they â€Å"– think WHAT? – If you use the word â€Å"affect† or â€Å"effect† – think HOW? – e. g. State why magnesium ions are important for healthy plant development. [1] – â€Å"it are needed by the plant† is true but too vague. – â€Å"They are needed by the leaves† is still too vague – Ask yourself: What is it or they? What is the â€Å"need†? â€Å"Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll† is a better answer – â€Å"Magnesium is part of a chlorophyll molecule. † Good answer! †¢ Terms. These are the n ames used in biology. These will be used in questions. You will get more marks if you can use them correctly in you examination. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of the different meanings between biological terms. o o Try to use the correct spelling. The person marking your answer will try to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, then they cannot allow you a mark. Some biological terms have very similar spelling.One example is â€Å"ureter†, urethra† and â€Å"uterus†. If your mis-spelling is â€Å"uretus†, it could be â€Å"ureters† or â€Å"uterus†. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, testes and testa; sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of two words when you are not sure which of them is the correct answer, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the answer is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You need to check caref ully that you have used the right word when similar terms are used in the same topic , e. g. urea and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o †¢ Writing in you own words. You sometimes have to write two or more sentences to answer a question. o o Use short sentences. If you write long sentences you can get mixed up. It is hard to find correct statements in a muddled answer. You are often asked to write down something you have learned. Make sure you have learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision checklist there is a list of the terms which you should be able to â€Å"define†. You also need be able to write down the meaning of more complicated ideas, e. g. evel of organisation, natural selection, global warming, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The number of marks. In multiple choice questions there is only one mark for a cor rect answer. Other sorts of question show how many marks at the end of each part like this [2]. The number of marks helps you decide how much to write. The number of marks is a guide to how long to spend on each question or parts of a question. If you allow about 1 minute per mark then you should finish in time to check your answers. Do not waste time and write long answer for a question which has [1].You will only get one mark even if the rest of the answer has correct statements. If there are two or more marks do not write the same thing in two different ways, e. g. The leaf is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. These are called command words and tell you what to do. If a question says â€Å"Show your working† when you have to do a calculation, then write down the stages of your calculation to show how you got your answer. Even if you get the final answer wrong, you may be given a mark for knowing what to do. If a question asks you to â€Å"Na me† or â€Å"State† two things only the first two will be marked.Use the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the first is correct but the second one is wrong, you will only get the mark for the first one. Even if the third answer is correct, it will not be marked. Some questions have two commands in the question, for example â€Å"Predict† AND â€Å"Explain† †¦. † This means you have to say what you think will happen AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision Checklist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class)Make sure you know what these terms mean. e. g. â€Å"Name the process by which green plants make sugars†, all you need to write for your answer is â€Å"Photosynthesis†. A question which asks you to â€Å"Define photosynthesis† , would expect you to write one sentence such as â€Å"The process by which green plants use light energy to make sugars†. What the question is about. Make sure you know which part of your biology is being tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you begin to answer it. Some of the parts have similar answers so you need to work out the difference between them.If you write exactly the same thing in different parts of the same question, then only one of them might be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main features of a question. e. g. â€Å"Name the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant†. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you have not studied. There will be enough information in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 3) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ à ¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Look carefully at any diagrams, graphs or tables and make sure you understand what they are about. You may have to use information from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as far as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you have forgotten something, go on to the next question or part of a question. Come back to the ones you found difficult when you have finished all of the paper. Try not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you left out. Do not waste time by writing about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips †¢ Each question tests just one thing.You have about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you know and understand. For example â€Å"What part of the eye detects light? † o Some questions test if you can use what you have learned to understand new data. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To answer a question that asks â€Å"What is a characteristic feature of all living things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a quick way of remembering all seven then you can jot it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first letters of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory system and asks â€Å"In which vessel will absorbed alcohol first be found? â€Å". You need to think about what the question is asking you. – Is it about digestion? – Is it about excretion (of alcohol)? – Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. – Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer â€Å"The Hepatic Portal Vein†. So you have to choose the letter which labels the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the letter order of correct answers. o The same letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be fewer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. †¢ †¢ Written Paper Tips †¢ You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biology. o The topic is usually the same for all different parts of the question. Remember that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are being asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you see â€Å"mammal† you know that the anima ls are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only given a Latin name or a name you do not recognise, e. g. â€Å"dik-dik†, look to see if you are told anything about it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are: †¢ Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, â€Å"label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the structure of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the structures on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name next to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures.Use information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to â€Å"Use examples from† or â€Å"Use only this i nformation† or â€Å"With reference to Fig. 6. 2† . . . STOP and THINK! Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be given to you in different ways: o Diagram like a food web, a set of apparatus or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. Check the headings and units carefully o A table.Check the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. – After a diagram of a food web you might be asked to â€Å"Name an organism from this food web that is a primary consumer, a tertiary consumers and a producer†. – To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms apply to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put exa mples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to â€Å"Describe and explain the advantage of the distribution of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1† – To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and describe which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. Draw or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a simple scale, e. g. one small square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to multiply each item in the data by 2/3! o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of water loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp pencil. Draw the points lightly so tha t you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o Use a cross (x) or a dot in a circle ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a â€Å"line of best fit or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to pass through the point where the two axes meet. Do not extend you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph: o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the table. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are needed, e. g. volume of water/cm , mass of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations . If you are asked to do a calculation: o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the same as in the question – do not copy all the figures after the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, then your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or complete equations. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give either a word or a symbol equation, do not combine symbols and words in the same answer – If you have to give the word equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write: o o Glucose > carbon dioxide +ethanol + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write C6H12O6 > 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like gluco se > CO2 + ethanol and energy †¢ Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal breast milk and colostrum, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with â€Å"colostrum has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. than breast milk† or â€Å"breast milk has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ than colostrum†. Do not put â€Å"it has more protein. † The person marking cannot guess which you thought had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of answering is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has thick wall thick muscle layer ve in has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves †¢ veins elastic layer small amount of muscle Extended writing. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. Suggest what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond [4] o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marking your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be: – Algae and aquatic plants grow faster using the fertiliser. – Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. – These plants die. Bacteria of decay feed on the dead plants. – Bacteria increase in numbers. – These bacteria are aerobic. – They use up more oxygen. – There is not enough o xygen for other organisms which live in the water. – These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like â€Å"The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. † you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like â€Å"The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. † you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Most of the questions are short answers. This means that you writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. [1]. Longer answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four [4] or [5] marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or five sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like â€Å"telling a story†. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word – do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and link to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular habitat and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about the food chains or food webs whic h include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats inherit the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspring of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, e. g. result from an experiment you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will always be enough information in the question for you to answer it. †¢ †¢General Tips for Practical Papers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for recording observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations †¢ You can record as: o statements in writing o as tables o drawings †¢ Neat work helps to keep you calm and feeling in control. †¢ Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. †¢ Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. †¢ Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out easily if you need to corre ct a mistake. †¢ Don’t forget headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Don't forget the units! †¢ Make drawings as big as the space allows. †¢ Use a ruler for labelling lines. †¢ Label in pencil. Planning investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. †¢ When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things: 1. What is being changed – this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being measured – this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same – these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. type of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for collecting oxygen. †¢ Some investigation needs to have two parts: o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measur e the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. –which will be exactly the same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the activity of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing conclusions. †¢ Start by reading the entire first question. †¢ Think about the apparatus needed for each step and imagine using it in your mind. †¢ Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. †¢ Do the same when you are ready to begin the next question. Following the instructions †¢ Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can alt er the results. †¢ Do not take short cuts. †¢ Always label test tubes and other containers to help you remember which is which. †¢ If you are told to â€Å"Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use† make sure you do. If there is anything left in the apparatus the next stage may not work. †¢ If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. †¢ You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations †¢ Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. †¢ e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. †¢ You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. †¢ Write down exactly what you observe. †¢ e. g. if you add a drop of iodine to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the colour changes. o You should write â€Å"the colour changed fro m yellow to black. † o If you write â€Å"it turned black† you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down ‘the colour stayed yellow. ’ o If you write ‘the colour stayed the same’, or ‘no change’, you have left information out.Conclusions †¢ Use your own results for your conclusions. †¢ Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a mixture of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine once a minute for eight minutes. Then you repeat this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might disappear sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you must write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the c olour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording results and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations †¢ All of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. †¢ Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements †¢ Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearest unit e. g. mm. Do not try and â€Å"guess† 0. 5mm. †¢ Make sure you put units! †¢ If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. †¢ Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions †¢ Use your measurements or observations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. †¢ Do not rely on something you have learned as â€Å"the right answer†. Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610 EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE Biology 0610 How to use these tips These tips are based on some common mistakes made by students. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you prepare for your examinations. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make sure you read all the general tips. These can be important in any of the papers you do. Make sure you know which examination papers you are taking before you look at the tips for the different papers All of you will take paper 1, which is all multiple choice questions. You may be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you may be taking paper 3, which is Extended.You may be taking paper 5, which is a practical examination in a laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper about practical work. General Advice †¢ Answering questions. The questions are meant to let you show the biology you know. There are no trick questions. When you are writing your answers remember that another person has to be able to read it. o o o o o o o o Do not waste time by writing out the question before you start to answer. Keep your handwriting clear and legible. Keep you answer in the lines on the question paper.If you write in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on blank pages, part of your answer might be missed. If you have to cross out something, put a line through, but do not scribble all over it. If you have to use a different space to write another answer to one you have crossed out, then put a note to say where it is, e. g. answer on page 5 Written papers are now marked on computer screen so your written paper will be scanned. If you write on the margin the scanner may not be able to copy this. Try to be precise, in other word be accurate in what you say. Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological terms correctly can help. Do not use word like â€Å"it†, â€Å"they†, â€Å"effect†, â€Å"affect† without any more explanation. A sentence like â€Å"It has an effect on the body† or â€Å"They affect the process† does not say anything. – If you use the word â€Å"it† or â€Å"they â€Å"– think WHAT? – If you use the word â€Å"affect† or â€Å"effect† – think HOW? – e. g. State why magnesium ions are important for healthy plant development. [1] – â€Å"it are needed by the plant† is true but too vague. – â€Å"They are needed by the leaves† is still too vague – Ask yourself: What is it or they? What is the â€Å"need†? â€Å"Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll† is a better answer – â€Å"Magnesium is part of a chlorophyll molecule. † Good answer! †¢ Terms. These are the n ames used in biology. These will be used in questions. You will get more marks if you can use them correctly in you examination. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of the different meanings between biological terms. o o Try to use the correct spelling. The person marking your answer will try to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, then they cannot allow you a mark. Some biological terms have very similar spelling.One example is â€Å"ureter†, urethra† and â€Å"uterus†. If your mis-spelling is â€Å"uretus†, it could be â€Å"ureters† or â€Å"uterus†. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, testes and testa; sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of two words when you are not sure which of them is the correct answer, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the answer is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You need to check caref ully that you have used the right word when similar terms are used in the same topic , e. g. urea and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o †¢ Writing in you own words. You sometimes have to write two or more sentences to answer a question. o o Use short sentences. If you write long sentences you can get mixed up. It is hard to find correct statements in a muddled answer. You are often asked to write down something you have learned. Make sure you have learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision checklist there is a list of the terms which you should be able to â€Å"define†. You also need be able to write down the meaning of more complicated ideas, e. g. evel of organisation, natural selection, global warming, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The number of marks. In multiple choice questions there is only one mark for a cor rect answer. Other sorts of question show how many marks at the end of each part like this [2]. The number of marks helps you decide how much to write. The number of marks is a guide to how long to spend on each question or parts of a question. If you allow about 1 minute per mark then you should finish in time to check your answers. Do not waste time and write long answer for a question which has [1].You will only get one mark even if the rest of the answer has correct statements. If there are two or more marks do not write the same thing in two different ways, e. g. The leaf is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. These are called command words and tell you what to do. If a question says â€Å"Show your working† when you have to do a calculation, then write down the stages of your calculation to show how you got your answer. Even if you get the final answer wrong, you may be given a mark for knowing what to do. If a question asks you to â€Å"Na me† or â€Å"State† two things only the first two will be marked.Use the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the first is correct but the second one is wrong, you will only get the mark for the first one. Even if the third answer is correct, it will not be marked. Some questions have two commands in the question, for example â€Å"Predict† AND â€Å"Explain† †¦. † This means you have to say what you think will happen AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision Checklist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class)Make sure you know what these terms mean. e. g. â€Å"Name the process by which green plants make sugars†, all you need to write for your answer is â€Å"Photosynthesis†. A question which asks you to â€Å"Define photosynthesis† , would expect you to write one sentence such as â€Å"The process by which green plants use light energy to make sugars†. What the question is about. Make sure you know which part of your biology is being tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you begin to answer it. Some of the parts have similar answers so you need to work out the difference between them.If you write exactly the same thing in different parts of the same question, then only one of them might be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main features of a question. e. g. â€Å"Name the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant†. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you have not studied. There will be enough information in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 3) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ à ¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Look carefully at any diagrams, graphs or tables and make sure you understand what they are about. You may have to use information from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as far as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you have forgotten something, go on to the next question or part of a question. Come back to the ones you found difficult when you have finished all of the paper. Try not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you left out. Do not waste time by writing about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips †¢ Each question tests just one thing.You have about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you know and understand. For example â€Å"What part of the eye detects light? † o Some questions test if you can use what you have learned to understand new data. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To answer a question that asks â€Å"What is a characteristic feature of all living things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a quick way of remembering all seven then you can jot it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first letters of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory system and asks â€Å"In which vessel will absorbed alcohol first be found? â€Å". You need to think about what the question is asking you. – Is it about digestion? – Is it about excretion (of alcohol)? – Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. – Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer â€Å"The Hepatic Portal Vein†. So you have to choose the letter which labels the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the letter order of correct answers. o The same letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be fewer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. †¢ †¢ Written Paper Tips †¢ You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biology. o The topic is usually the same for all different parts of the question. Remember that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are being asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you see â€Å"mammal† you know that the anima ls are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only given a Latin name or a name you do not recognise, e. g. â€Å"dik-dik†, look to see if you are told anything about it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are: †¢ Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, â€Å"label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the structure of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the structures on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name next to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures.Use information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to â€Å"Use examples from† or â€Å"Use only this i nformation† or â€Å"With reference to Fig. 6. 2† . . . STOP and THINK! Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be given to you in different ways: o Diagram like a food web, a set of apparatus or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. Check the headings and units carefully o A table.Check the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. – After a diagram of a food web you might be asked to â€Å"Name an organism from this food web that is a primary consumer, a tertiary consumers and a producer†. – To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms apply to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put exa mples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to â€Å"Describe and explain the advantage of the distribution of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1† – To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and describe which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. Draw or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a simple scale, e. g. one small square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to multiply each item in the data by 2/3! o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of water loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp pencil. Draw the points lightly so tha t you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o Use a cross (x) or a dot in a circle ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a â€Å"line of best fit or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to pass through the point where the two axes meet. Do not extend you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph: o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the table. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are needed, e. g. volume of water/cm , mass of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations . If you are asked to do a calculation: o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the same as in the question – do not copy all the figures after the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, then your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or complete equations. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give either a word or a symbol equation, do not combine symbols and words in the same answer – If you have to give the word equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write: o o Glucose > carbon dioxide +ethanol + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write C6H12O6 > 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like gluco se > CO2 + ethanol and energy †¢ Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal breast milk and colostrum, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with â€Å"colostrum has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. than breast milk† or â€Å"breast milk has more †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ than colostrum†. Do not put â€Å"it has more protein. † The person marking cannot guess which you thought had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of answering is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has thick wall thick muscle layer ve in has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves †¢ veins elastic layer small amount of muscle Extended writing. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. Suggest what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond [4] o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marking your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be: – Algae and aquatic plants grow faster using the fertiliser. – Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. – These plants die. Bacteria of decay feed on the dead plants. – Bacteria increase in numbers. – These bacteria are aerobic. – They use up more oxygen. – There is not enough o xygen for other organisms which live in the water. – These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like â€Å"The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. † you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like â€Å"The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. † you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Most of the questions are short answers. This means that you writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. [1]. Longer answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four [4] or [5] marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or five sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like â€Å"telling a story†. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word – do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and link to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular habitat and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about the food chains or food webs whic h include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats inherit the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspring of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, e. g. result from an experiment you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will always be enough information in the question for you to answer it. †¢ †¢General Tips for Practical Papers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for recording observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations †¢ You can record as: o statements in writing o as tables o drawings †¢ Neat work helps to keep you calm and feeling in control. †¢ Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. †¢ Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. †¢ Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out easily if you need to corre ct a mistake. †¢ Don’t forget headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Don't forget the units! †¢ Make drawings as big as the space allows. †¢ Use a ruler for labelling lines. †¢ Label in pencil. Planning investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. †¢ When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things: 1. What is being changed – this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being measured – this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same – these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. type of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for collecting oxygen. †¢ Some investigation needs to have two parts: o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measur e the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. –which will be exactly the same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the activity of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing conclusions. †¢ Start by reading the entire first question. †¢ Think about the apparatus needed for each step and imagine using it in your mind. †¢ Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. †¢ Do the same when you are ready to begin the next question. Following the instructions †¢ Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can alt er the results. †¢ Do not take short cuts. †¢ Always label test tubes and other containers to help you remember which is which. †¢ If you are told to â€Å"Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use† make sure you do. If there is anything left in the apparatus the next stage may not work. †¢ If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. †¢ You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations †¢ Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. †¢ e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. †¢ You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. †¢ Write down exactly what you observe. †¢ e. g. if you add a drop of iodine to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the colour changes. o You should write â€Å"the colour changed fro m yellow to black. † o If you write â€Å"it turned black† you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down ‘the colour stayed yellow. ’ o If you write ‘the colour stayed the same’, or ‘no change’, you have left information out.Conclusions †¢ Use your own results for your conclusions. †¢ Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a mixture of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine once a minute for eight minutes. Then you repeat this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might disappear sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you must write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the c olour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording results and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations †¢ All of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. †¢ Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements †¢ Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearest unit e. g. mm. Do not try and â€Å"guess† 0. 5mm. †¢ Make sure you put units! †¢ If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. †¢ Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions †¢ Use your measurements or observations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. †¢ Do not rely on something you have learned as â€Å"the right answer†.