Connectives
Vocabulary
Psychology
Key Words
variable
hypothesis
sample
confound
ecological-validity
demandcharacteristics
counterbalancing
randomallocation
validity
reliability
physiological
genetic
free will
determinism
falsifiable
objective
subjective
significance-level
implication
scientific
individualdifferences
conditioning
unconscious
identification
Changing direction
however…
having said that…
on the other hand…
except…
Drawing conclusions
this suggests that…
as a result of…
therefore…
consequently…
Adding an argument
in addition…
also…
moreover…
furthermore…
Comparing
in the same way…
compared with…
likewise…
whereas…
alternatively…
…more/less than…
instead of…
Emphasising
…above all
…in particular
…especially
Applications
an application of this research
is…
one consequence of this
finding is…
Using evidence
evidence to support/undermine
this…
one research study that supports
this theory is…
this hypothesis is supported by… Using explanations/theories
one can explain these findings
with…
Illustrating your understanding these findings imply…
for example…
a different way to explain
such as…
these findings would be…
for instance…
in the case of…
in the context of…
Openings
Punctuation
Vary your sentence
openers
Full stop
Use a verb – an ‘ing’
clause
‘Investigating cultural
variations in gender
development
demonstrated….’ or
‘Evaluating the process,
we found that…’
Comma
,
Commas are used 1) to separate the items in a list 2) to mark the
boundaries between main and subordinate clauses.
Use an adverb – an ‘ed’ or
a ‘ly’ clause
‘Unexpectedly, the results
showed…’
Use a simile
‘The mind is like an
iceberg.’
Use a noun or adjective
‘Experiments often result
in demand characteristics
because….’ or ‘Results
showed that our
experiments…’
Use a preposition
‘In 1950s America…’ or
‘During our experiment…’
.
These are used at the end of every sentence.
Speech Marks/Quotation Marks “ ”
These surround words actually spoken or exact quotations from
a text.
Exclamation Mark
!
Used to emphasise something. Don’t use more than one.
Question Mark
?
Used at the end of a sentence that is a question.
Apostrophe
’
Apostrophes are used 1) to show possession (the cat’s tail) or 2)
to mark omitted letters (can’t, don’t, won’t).
Brackets
()
These are used to indicate extra information within a sentence.
Semi-colon
;
Semi-colons are used to join two related sentences together or
to separate items in a longer, more wordy list.
Colon
:
Used to introduce something, perhaps a list or quotation.
To improve your writing you must ensure:
Spelling Strategies
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Break it into sounds (d-i-a-r-y)
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What you are writing is appropriate for PALL (Purpose Audience Language Layout).
Sentences always start with a capital letter.
Sentences always end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
Vocabulary is varied – choose interesting words – use a thesaurus.
People, places and titles have capital letters e.g. Catherine, York, Kit-Kat.
A variety of sentences are used – simple, compound and complex.
Simple – The ship sailed away.
Compound – The ship sailed away and the blue sea sparkled in the sun.
Complex – Sailing into the distance, the ship disappeared on the horizon.
Writing is organised into paragraphs – start with a topic sentence and use the 3 ‘T’s rule.
You should start a new paragraph when there is a shift of topic, viewpoint or time.
Time – Finally, we all gathered together to sing around the camp fire.
Topic – Another factor to consider before travelling is...
Talk – “I’m not sure you should be doing that.”
“Why not?” asked the pupil.
Details are included by using adjectives, fact and opinions.
Spelling is accurate – use a dictionary.
A variety of punctuation has been used (. , ! ? ‘ “” ; : …).
To proof read your work aloud to ensure it makes sense.
Break it into syllables (re-mem-ber)
Break it into affixes (dis-satisfy)
Use a mnemonic (necessary – one collar, two sleeves)
Refer to a word in the same family (muscle – muscular)
Say it as it sounds (Wed-nes-day)
Use analogy (bright, light, night)
Marking Codes
Common Spelling Mistakes
Sp – spelling
achievement
beautiful
because
beginning
Pu – punctuation is incorrect and needs checking
committed
commitment
convenient
definitely
Exp – expression of idea could be clearer/needs re-phrasing
environment
excellent
government
grammar
grateful
its/it’s
lose/loose
know/no
necessary
of/off
opinion
really
separate
technique
their/there/they’re
to/too/two
until
weather/whether
were/where/wear
which
Cp – capital letter needed
SS – sentence structure needs altering or variation
// -- new paragraph
pp – poor presentation
u – underline