dot pointing chem answers?! (1 Viewer)

[krispykangaroo469]

hey guys i know a lot of people that "dot point their answers for chem" but i never really got how they did it or what they meant
i have an issue w waffling a bit in chem so i need to practice getting straight to the point and i was wondering if this would help
if anyone has any examples or could give me any advice on dot pointing my chem answers or just generally writing more succinct answers that would be great

 

[carrotsss]

I mostly dot point for questions that require you to explain/identify multiple explicitly different things, like for example if a question asks you to identify the risks involved in an experiment for 2 marks I’d do two dot points explaining each risk

 

[Unovan]

There was a 7 mark question in 2022(?) hsc where you had to use mass spec, ir spec, cnmr and hnmr to find a molecule and explain your reasoning and I think the model answers used dot points there. I wrote full sentences and got the marks but ig tis personal preference to some degree

 

[011235]

Personally I absolutely LOVE doing dotpointed answers. I almost exclusively use dot point answers for purely written questions (explain, analyse). I find that this allows me to keep my train of thought incredibly clear. Eg, for an explain question, I might go

• definition of concept/law A
• definition of concept/law B
• implication (times how many needed)
• link to specific explanation required in question

In science, they're rarely interested in nice prose, they are just looking to give you the marks. When I have each point that I reckon they're looking for in a dotpoint it becomes super easy for them to just go tick tick tick and I've got the marks, they don't have to go digging through the answer.

I will note: It's purely a structuring thing, and down to personal preference. Do whatever works best for you. This is what works best for me.