Dear Student...

Studying is tough, I get that. I've been there, and I don't envy you! I felt nervous as I watched you walk into the exam room - I'm sure you felt much worse though. But you'll be relieved after two hours - it's then that my pain begins!

I receive your exams with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Your assessment items are the ultimate feedback on my performance. I look at what you write, and I take it personally. Did I neglect to teach you something, or could I have explained a concept better?  I share your wish to succeed.

So let's work together. Here's some things that you can do for me:

• If you really don't know an answer, please don't make me read through waffle. Spend your time enhancing the answers you actually have something to say about;
• Read (and answer!) all parts of the question - highlighters are great for helping with this;
• Address the question - it doesn't matter how good your answer is if it doesn't meet the brief;
• When I offer you the opportunity to discuss your work before it's due, please take me up on this;
• Different coloured pens are a great asset;
• Figures, diagrams, tables are a fabulous way of not having to write heaps of text (and I thank you for this simplicity;
• There is absolutely no need to repeat the question in your answer - just tell me the answer and how you got there;
• Please don't write in pencil;
• Keep white space in your writing - i.e. leave a spare line between questions and paragraphs;
• If the question says that dot points are fine, please use them;
• If you already know that your handwriting is hard to read, at least try to make it bigger;
• Quality, not quantity! From the good Dr Suess: 'The writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads'; an
• Far better to do something simple, and do it well, than to attempt to save the world and accomplish nothing.

Good luck with your assessments!