On older maths and science papers, you'd get long questions which awarded 20-30 marks,
and the idea of these was to set a simple-looking but inherently complex problem, make the candidates figure out how to solve it themselves, and use the question to test the candidates' problem-solving skills. But because these questions often led to low marks, they are becoming increasingly rare.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 25 Aug 2011, 20:31, Reply)