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Author Topic: VCE English Question Thread  (Read 847386 times)  Share 

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flickybree123

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1560 on: October 25, 2016, 01:12:23 am »
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*This is probably the wrong place to ask but this is the first time I've used this site sorry*

Can someone please tell me where I can find or send me moderatley good to pretty decent "The White Tiger" text responses? I can't find ANY.

Plz im really struggling.

call.me.blueberry

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1561 on: October 25, 2016, 03:21:08 am »
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Hey guys,

some questions about
* Section C:
1/ TONE: In the introduction when I identify the predominant tone, do I have to analyse it? And how to analyse tone (both the overall tone and the tone that shifts/adopts during the body paragraphs too), like how it is taken to persuade the reader?
2/ Can anyone please give me an example of xenophobic or scapegoating tone? Sometimes I find the writer/speaker alienate a particular group of audience by portraying them as [... some negative stuff... that contradicts...] but I'm not sure what tone are they adopting.

* Section A:
I've been searching throughout the AN English board about unpacking prompts for weeks now. But I'm still not really what is the difference between approaching a "zoom-in" prompt (character, structure (?)) and a "big-picture" prompt (v-v, themes). Can sb please give me a quick recap on this?

Thank you so much guys and good luck tmr :)
2016: Chem | Methods | EAL | Spesh | UMEP Maths

literally lauren

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1562 on: October 25, 2016, 07:47:20 am »
+5
Hey lauren just wanted your opinion on something.

for LA in my intros, i have just usually been doing a brief context sentence, followed by the contentions of the authors with their tones occasionally.

Then i move straight into my body paras is this fine ?

Thanks  :)
Yep, that's absolutely fine! :)

Hi Lauren,


My teacher says that my creative context pieces do not meet the criteria for a link to the ideas of text; however, they fulfill all the other criterion to a 9 0r 10 standard; despite the fact that included 5 quotes from the text and discussed the ideas of the text and used them as a framework for the piece? She says that the ideas from the text are not discussed  in depth. Is my teacher correct or  is  the incorporation of quotes and a link to the ideas sufficient in terms of a link to the text?
You'd probably be ticking the box for a basic text link, but part of the expectation for a 10/10 is that you somehow (i.e. explicitly for expository pieces or implicitly for creatives/hybrids) cover what the text has to say about the prompt. So incorporating your answer to that question (i.e. 'what does the set text say about this prompt?') should help you hit that 10/10 territory :)

Hey!
So I was looking at some context essays on the submissions board and got super jealous of them cool titles they got there   8)
I know that it is completely optional, but is there any particular benefits to having a title for a creative piece ?
Yep, totally optional, but it can be useful to make a good first impression on your assessor as a nice, snappy, relevant-to-the-prompt title might make a decent starting point for you to set up the direction of your ideas. Some assessors are partial to it too, but if you can't come up with a good one on the spot, it's by no means expected/compulsory :)

Hey Lauren.

For expository essays, do you recommend knowing one really well and adapting it? Do you recommend having spare paragraphs or ideas as backup?
I'm a big fan of back up options just in case; in fact, rather than rote learning a single piece, if you familiarise yourself with a bunch of potential sub-arguments and potential examples, then you can just cherry pick the best ones and apply them to whatever prompt you're dealt :)

Can someone please help me with this Brooklyn prompt?
How does Toibin's understated, economical writing style influence the reader's understanding of characters and settings of Brooklyn?
What paragraphs do you do for these types of prompts asking about the language used??
This kind of prompt would be very unlikely as it's not really in keeping with VCAA' style, but if you do get something structural or about how Toibin does something (e.g. 'How does Toibin show the differences between Enniscorthy and Brooklyn in the novel?') then you can reword it into a prompt that's a bit easier to handle. Then, within your body paragraphs, you bring up evidence that stems from the language (or the metaphors, or the setting, or the juxtaposition, or w/e structural feature is in the prompt).

Hello,
I am really worried about the text response. For Brooklyn do you have to write what techniques Toibin uses to support the prompt?

Thanks in advance!!
Referencing techniques can help, but it's not essential. You need to use textual evidence to support your contention, which will be based on the prompt. But you don't analyse techniques in the same way as you would for Language Analysis. Using metalanguage to describe what Toibin does can be useful though, so it depends which evidence you're drawing from :)

I can't remember quotes. What is the best way to find remember quotes for the exam? WHICH IS IN 2 DAYS OMG

I am doing 2 texts: Every Man In This Village Is A Liar by Megan Stack and Media.
You don't need quote for Every Man, so don't worry about that one. Talking about the ideas in that text in terms of conflict is sufficient. But for Medea, you definitely need quotes. Luckily, that play's quite short, so it shouldn't take you long to go through the ~40 page text and pick out what's important. And as Alter said, aim to find quotes that can be grouped under a list of core themes so that you can handle a variety of prompts (e.g. revenge, justice/justification, emotion, etc.)

Hey guys!
I was fleshing out this prompt for Stasiland: 'Stasiland suggests that the more difficult to walls to break down are the ones that remain in the minds of those that lived through East Germany's history. ' But I couldn't think of any counter argument. Does anyone have any ideas or do I not need to include one for this prompt?
Thanks in advance!
You don't really need counter-arguments. Instead, you can question the prompt by asking 'why is this the case?' or 'what does this tell us about ____' (then fill in the blank with a key idea from the prompt, e.g. 'what does this tell us about breaking down walls' or 'what does this tell us about the past?') That would let you discuss how, though mental barriers may have derived from physical ones, ultimately it's these psychological remnants that have the greater effect on people.

Hi there,

I was just wondering how important it is to have 4 body paragraphs? I've been hearing from a couple teachers that having 4 bps is essential to getting to that 9-10 range. Can anyone confirm/debunk this claim?

Most of the time, I can only think of 3 main ideas and usually can only write 3 bps within the time limit, unless I'm super familiar with the topic, then 4 is possible, but a little risky.

Thanks in advance!!


3 decent paragraphs > 4 mediocre ones any day!
So if it's easier for you to come up with three strong ideas, or you find yourself stretched for time and can't commit to a fourth one, just focus on making those three as good as you can - provided you're hitting a minimum of three, you wouldn't be automatically excluded from certain marks/bandwidths at all :)

Also, wondering whether anyone could critique these topic sentences? And possibly ways to make it more complex? Also not sure if it's fully unpacking the prompt:

Burial Rites is about Agnes being restored to humanity. Discuss.

Contention: Agnes' humanity is irrefutable, however is unacknowledged in the eyes of the society. However, through the regaining of her personal autonomy by being able to tell her own story, her humanity is accepted by those who listen to her. Thus, Burial Rites is about the acknowledgement of Agnes' humanity, rather than her restoration to humanity.

1. Kent asserts the existence of Agnes' humanity through demonstrating the extremities of emotions that Agnes experiences.
2. However, Kent illustrates how her humanity is unacknowledged by the unfeeling and prejudicial society in which she inhabits.
3. Nevertheless, Kent elucidates how her humanity is ultimately recognized by those who are the audience to her life's narrative.

Thank you!!
Those are excellent topic sentences! The contention is worded a little strangely w/ some repetition in phrasing, but overall it's very clear. And the three concepts you've chosen to unpack here are definitely relevant. I like the use of linking words too - it seems like you should be pretty confident for Text Response :)

So my plan of attack for context (my worst section) at this stage is to go for a creative expository hybrid kind of thing. I do a 200 ish word introduction, usually from the perspective of Galileo (my text is obviously LoG) or Brecht, and then go into an expository, and then have a quick creative conclusion

With that kind of structure, would you say it's better to have a more free flowing discussion of ideas (throwing up examples and contrasting/comparing with examples from text plus a bit of loose conceptual discussion) or try and still have three distinct ideas (paragraphs) about the prompt in an obvious, topic sentency kind of way.

Ps does anyone else feel nauseous just thinking about Wednesday....
Totally up to your preferred writing style. You're under no obligation to conform to the standard 3-4 body paragraph rules for context pieces, so you could just conduct a more general discussion and see where that takes you. Or, perhaps the structure will give you some sense of direction/clarity, so you could use it if you wanted to. I'd probably lean more towards a free-flow discussion just to make your piece stand out from all the typical essays, but again, do whatever suits your writing style!

In the language analysis section of the exam, roughly how many persuasive techniques do we need to include for each article?
It depends on the material. If you look over the VCAA past exams or some of this year's practice exams, you'll see that there are all sorts of possible combinations of articles/visuals. In general, if you have fewer than ~4 in each of your body paragraphs, assessors will probably notice. But remember that you can always unpack things like connotations or suggestions if you don't want to use a specific technique as your starting point. And remember to go beyond techniques as well - the assessors don't just want to see you point them out, they want to see you analyse them!

*This is probably the wrong place to ask but this is the first time I've used this site sorry*

Can someone please tell me where I can find or send me moderatley good to pretty decent "The White Tiger" text responses? I can't find ANY.

Plz im really struggling.
Here's one! We don't have many since it's not studied at very many schools - sorry! Maybe message some of your peers and trade essays today?

Hey guys,

some questions about
* Section C:
1/ TONE: In the introduction when I identify the predominant tone, do I have to analyse it? And how to analyse tone (both the overall tone and the tone that shifts/adopts during the body paragraphs too), like how it is taken to persuade the reader?
2/ Can anyone please give me an example of xenophobic or scapegoating tone? Sometimes I find the writer/speaker alienate a particular group of audience by portraying them as [... some negative stuff... that contradicts...] but I'm not sure what tone are they adopting.

* Section A:
I've been searching throughout the AN English board about unpacking prompts for weeks now. But I'm still not really what is the difference between approaching a "zoom-in" prompt (character, structure (?)) and a "big-picture" prompt (v-v, themes). Can sb please give me a quick recap on this?

Thank you so much guys and good luck tmr :)
1. Addressing the tone in your intro can be good, but it's not really worth any marks. Whereas, if you bring it up in body paragraphs and treat it like any other language features (i.e. analyse it, provide evidence, talk about its effect) then you can get marks, so try and do that at least once in your essay.
2. I'm not sure the writer is ever looking to segregate or disparage the readers - he's trying to persuade them, right? So he might be trying to demonise a certain group of people, but he'd be doing that to encourage the audience to reject that group, not to yell at the audience and say 'you people are dumb idiots!' I've attached a sheet to this post that has some tone vocab that might be useful for you :)
3. If a prompt seems quite narrow in its focus or mentions specific characters, then it's a ''zoomed in'' one, e.g. 'Jason is responsible for Medea's suffering. Discuss.' If it's really broad and uses the author's name or the text title, it's probably a views and values one, e.g. 'Euripides' Medea explores what it means to feel betrayed. Discuss.' This can change your focus slightly, but if you don;t find the distinction helpful then don't worry about it! :)

Coffee

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1563 on: October 25, 2016, 07:49:50 am »
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I know I'm going to need to edit my essays and I'm planning to do this in the last 20 minutes of the exam, but is it worth it if I don't manage to finish my last essay (Section C- most likely). I timed myself last night and I didn't manage to get in a conclusion within the 60 minutes although I averaged about 770 words. So I guess my question is, is it better to have three polished but unfinished essays, or three finished essays that could do with some cleaning up concerning vocabulary, minor expression issues, consistency, etc?

literally lauren

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1564 on: October 25, 2016, 07:53:38 am »
+1
I know I'm going to need to edit my essays and I'm planning to do this in the last 20 minutes of the exam, but is it worth it if I don't manage to finish my last essay (Section C- most likely). I timed myself last night and I didn't manage to get in a conclusion within the 60 minutes although I averaged about 770 words. So I guess my question is, is it better to have three polished but unfinished essays, or three finished essays that could do with some cleaning up concerning vocabulary, minor expression issues, consistency, etc?
Hmm, I'd probably lean more so to three polished-but-unfinished ones since ultimately, what the assessors are looking for is an insight into your skillset, and that's going to put you in better stead than three essays that are complete, but very flawed. That said, how much editing do your pieces need?? 20 minutes seems excessive to me, so perhaps while writing you could take note of any vocab/expression issues and try and fix some as you go? If you know editing time benefits you, then go for it, but if it means finishing everything way too early and potentially compromising quality, then you might be better off admitting that maybe the expression wasn't 100% perfect, but at least you communicated all your ideas effectively :)

edit: also, "last essay (Section C - most likely)" ...are you sure? :/ I'd advise starting with that one for efficiency's sake!
« Last Edit: October 25, 2016, 07:56:05 am by literally lauren »

MandhreeE

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1565 on: October 25, 2016, 08:16:03 am »
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Hi Lauren,
I know you're probably really busy but i was just wondering if you got my Context piece that i PM to you a couple of days ago. It's totally fine if you are too busy i just needed a second opinion on it that's all.
Thank you. :)

literally lauren

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1566 on: October 25, 2016, 08:18:37 am »
+1
Hi Lauren,
I know you're probably really busy but i was just wondering if you got my Context piece that i PM to you a couple of days ago. It's totally fine if you are too busy i just needed a second opinion on it that's all.
Thank you. :)
Yep; I'll get there! Prioritising essays and questions on the forums at the moment, but I'll get to messages soon! :)

HasibA

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1567 on: October 25, 2016, 08:42:50 am »
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Super simple q; but I seem to forget a lot of the word by word quotes in my text (it's a film, Mabo) - would I be penalized if  most, or all, my textual evidence is in the form of example and straight techniques etc. Eg instead of mentioning a specific quote like 'perkins use of the traditional Meriam music blah blah does this, instilling "eddis is nothing but a trouble maker" - would I be penalized for saying something like - 'perkins selectively uses the traditional Meriam music, alongside a close up of Mabos facial features when Mabo displays indignation as a result of not being successful in the initial supreme court trial. Etc. And then analysing like so ?
I find I mainly talk about 'perkins and how she does things for most prompts, or if it's a really specific prompt - just my reasons supporting / not supporting the prompt I.e in a do you agree prompt?
Ive pretty much done this use of 'non specific evidence' all year and my teachers have been okay with it - but now I'm a little worried haha. I'm aiming for a mid range piece for text, would it still be possible if I only had like 1-2 quotes per paragraph, but most of my evidence was a film technique, discussion of a specific scene?

Hope I made sense- thanks guys !!
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blacksanta62

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1568 on: October 25, 2016, 08:59:47 am »
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Yep, that's absolutely fine! :)
You'd probably be ticking the box for a basic text link, but part of the expectation for a 10/10 is that you somehow (i.e. explicitly for expository pieces or implicitly for creatives/hybrids) cover what the text has to say about the prompt. So incorporating your answer to that question (i.e. 'what does the set text say about this prompt?') should help you hit that 10/10 territory :)
Hey Lauren, how do we do this? I'm having some trouble trying to apply it and was hoping you could just give an example. My context is I&B and texts are Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Invictus.
Also, in my essays this year I've been quoting the book i.e. "In the Country of Men" instead of underlining. My teacher said that this was accecptable. Can I keep this in the exam or should I underline?
Thank you
2016:
Spesh | Methods CAS | Chem | Bio | Eng |

2018-2020:
BSc @ UoM

HopefulLawStudent

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1569 on: October 25, 2016, 09:16:37 am »
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Would this sort of prompt breakdown work?

"We all have abnormality in common. We're a breed apart form the rest of humanity, we theatre folk; we are the original displaced personalities."
What is it that links the characters of All About Eve?


- Their role playing links all the characters in AAE.

- Their shared ambition to “be somebody” other than who they are links them

- However, it is how they enact these ambitions that ultimately divide and distinguish them.

Hence, Mankiewicz compels his viewer to recognise that the thespians in the film are both “a breed apart” and similar. Through this, he ultimately delivers a commentary on the relationship between the “Ivory Green Room… call[ed] the Theatre” and the broader macrocosm, indicating that like the characters in the film, these two entities are both a faithful reflection of one another and a means of escapism.

HopefulLawStudent

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1570 on: October 25, 2016, 09:34:21 am »
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The society portrayed in All About Eve is depicted as fundamentally superficial and driven purely by the self-interest of members.
To what extent do you agree?


1. Superficial in that the theatre and the world of the thespians is ultimately merely an illusion, a pretense and a deception.

2. It is a superficiality that is at times maintained by these characters out of sheer self-interest.

3. And yet… it’s not. This superficiality is driven by this 1950s patriarchal society that forced women to adhere to a certain gendered role and did not allow them the freedom to be themselves.

Conclusion: Hence, at its heart, the society portrayed in AAE is driven to maintain an illusion out of not just the self-interest of its members but also the rigidity of this social structure. The inflexibility of this society means that “a woman’s career” is confined to the confines of an apartment even if her “native habitat” and her “heart” was in the “Ivory Green Room… call[ed] the Theatre”. To this end, Mankiewicz ultimately seeks to challenge and repudiate these restrictive gendered roles, advocating for a reevaluation in order to proffer women liberty from the restrictive traditional gender roles and discover for themselves what it means to “be… a woman.”

Would ^ conclusion be okay? Would that last sentence be considered too clumsily put? How could I make it more crisp/concise??

GillyAnt

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1571 on: October 25, 2016, 09:41:28 am »
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Hi Lauren, do you reckon there's a chance there'll be a prompt about family in identity in belonging? The trend seems to be steering more to change and self-growth since Summer of the Seventeenth Doll came in, and I feel as though as Summer doesn't really link to the idea of family well. But I suppose it's worth preparing for curveballs?

Manige123

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1572 on: October 25, 2016, 09:46:20 am »
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Hey Lauren, I'm not sure if you'll be able to help, but what external examples would you recommend looking at for internal/intellectual conflict for context: encountering conflict.

HopefulLawStudent

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1573 on: October 25, 2016, 09:51:25 am »
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Sorry for the question spam but...

Quote
The tensions between the theatre and Hollywood mirror the conflicts between characters throughout All About Eve. Discuss.

How would I deal with ^ prompt?? I don't know how to break it down/structure an essay around it...

Also, how do I use desist in a sentence? Can desist and stop/cease be used as direct synonyms or nah?

P.GUAN

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #1574 on: October 25, 2016, 10:04:56 am »
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Hello guys and girls,

What actually happens if you get a study score of below 20 for English? Does that mean you have failed VCE and you need to take it again?

Thanks