Last week on June 5, we had the pleasure of hosting Professor Gail Forey from the University of Bath (Department of Education) for a taster lecture: “What Do Examiners Really Want? Thinking, Talking and Writing Like a Scientist, Historian, Artist…”
Professor Forey, a distinguished linguist who previously taught in Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Hungary, and the UK, and a former Associate Head at PolyU, guided attendees through the hidden rules of exam writing. Students learned how to:
- Decode command words like explain, analyse, evaluate
- Understand why “explain” in Science differs from “explain” in History
- Structure clear, focused answers that directly address the question
- Write persuasively, whether arguing like a historian or reporting like a scientist
The session drew on Professor Forey's ongoing BAWESS Project (Disciplinary Literacy & Corpus‑Based Pedagogy), which helps students write effectively across subjects by analysing real exam responses.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Room G012 for this engaging and practical session.