What different types of 16 mark questions will I answer?

There are a few ways examiners require you answer a 16 mark question. In bold are the key words. Key words can be the theory(theories), topic(s) or stems they are asking you to evaluate. Generic examples of 16 markers include:

"Discuss research on the effect of misleading information on eyewitness testimony..."

"Outline and evaluate the humanistic approach in psychology..."

Usually like in the examples above, your essay is split into two parts:

AO1 - describe (6 marks)

AO2 - evaluate (10 marks)

Sometimes however, you may be asked to answer a question like this:

"Describe and evaluate Piaget's theory of cognitive development and refer to an alternative explanation for cognitive development in your answer..."

This question is asking you to split your essay into two more parts: Piaget's theory and an alternative explanation. this means the way you write your question will be slightly different.

AO1 - Piaget (3 marks) alternative explanation (3 marks)

AO3 - Piaget (5 marks) alternative explanation (3 marks)

Other times, you may be given a question "stem." This isn't as scary as it seems, and sometimes these questions are simpler to answer. It is basically an example of the theory or topic in practice, for example:

"Annie has been frightened of seagulls ever since one attacked her after trying to take her bag of chips as a child. Since then, Annie refuses to go to the beach and is cautious of other birds too. When Annie sees a bird, she freezes and panics. Using your knowledge of the behavioural approach to explaining phobias, discuss how Annie may have developed this phobia..."

If you get a question like this, the marking criteria change slightly:

AO1 - worth 6 marks

AO2 - this assessment objective applies to the stem/ example (4 marks)

AO3 - is now worth 6 marks

Knowing this is important for achieving a higher mark, showing the examiner, you have the right marking proportions and only display the relevant knowledge.