Thinking Skills (9694)

9 sections available · 53 chapters available

Free Thinking Skills (9694) study notes for Cambridge International A Level students. Each chapter breaks down a key concept with examples and practice prompts you can turn into AI drills in the thinka app.

Understanding and using information

  • Understand information in a variety of forms

  • Identify and select relevant information

  • Organise the calculation(s) needed to solve a problem

  • Apply a simple model

  • Make simple deductions

  • Identify necessary and sufficient conditions (2027 syllabus)

Searching, scheduling and optimising

  • Search for solutions in simple situations

  • Search for solutions in more complicated situations

  • Identify cases that satisfy given criteria (2027 syllabus)

  • Create schedules

  • Find optimal solutions

Analysing information and data

  • Identify logical relationships, patterns and features in data

  • Apply a complex model

  • Make complex deductions

  • Transform data (2027 syllabus)

  • Explain trends in data (2027 syllabus)

  • Adapt a method of solution in response to a change in the situation

  • Develop a model (2027 syllabus)

Communicating reasoning in problem solving

  • Explain reasoning

  • Justify the solution to a problem with logical reasoning

  • State assumptions made within reasoning

  • Show and label working clearly

Evaluating evidence

  • Assess credibility of evidence

  • Assess the representativeness of a sample

  • Evaluate the presentation of data

  • Identify and compare perspectives presented in evidence

  • Assess explanations for evidence

  • Suggest explanations for evidence

Using evidence

  • Assess the significance of evidence

  • Assess inferences made from evidence

  • Suggest inference from evidence

  • Assess challenges to inferences made from evidence

  • Suggest challenge to inference from evidence

  • Develop, articulate and justify a judgment based on multiple sources

Analysing and evaluating reasoning

  • Recognise an argument

  • Identify key elements of an argument and explain their function

  • Identify unstated assumptions in an argument

  • Recognise and evaluate informal fallacies

  • Invalid deduction: affirming the consequent and denying the antecedent (2027 syllabus)

  • Recognise and assess the impact of weaknesses in reasoning

  • Identify and evaluate rhetorical devices

Constructing arguments

  • Articulate a conclusion

  • Provide reasons in support of a conclusion

  • Develop strands of reasoning

  • Structure reasoning using intermediate conclusions

  • Strengthen reasoning by the use of appropriate elements

Extended problem analysis and applied reasoning (Papers 3 and 4)

  • Combine problem solving skills across an extended scenario

  • Model a real-world situation and refine the solution in stages

  • Analyse the structure of the reasoning in a document

  • Evaluate the reasoning in a document

  • Evaluate inferential reasoning from evidence across documents

  • Construct a substantial reasoned argument from multiple documents

  • Respond to significant counter-positions

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