How important is it for candidates to get the word count exactly right?

Candidates should not be concerned if they are slightly over or under the word count.

However, if an answer is significantly longer or shorter than the word count, it will most likely be self-penalising. Answers that are too short will likely lack sufficient content, whilst answers that are too long will likely be repetitive and lack concision and precision.

We suggest that candidates should practise answering questions before the exam and take note of how many pages they should write in order to stay within the word limits (this will be different for each candidate, depending on their handwriting).