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March 28, 2024, 10:26:26 pm

Author Topic: What is the strongest structure for an Analytical Commentary?  (Read 2733 times)  Share 

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schoolstudent115

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I’ve heard of separating the AC by subsystems, and also splitting it into something like social purpose, context and register.

In the very top scoring responses (28-30)/30 marks is there a particular structure that is predominantly used? Or does it not really matter.

I guess the question is really if there are inherent limitations to each structure which may make it very difficult to score at the top.
2021: ATAR: 99.95
2022-2024: University of Melbourne, BSci (Major in Mathematics and Statistics)

EulerFan102

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Re: What is the strongest structure for an Analytical Commentary?
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2021, 05:39:49 pm »
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Hey!
So this is a very good question to be asking, and the answer sorta depends on who you ask.

First up, my opinion:
I personally think the best way to structure an analytical commentary is by using the 'big ideas' structure. In this way of structuring an AC, your paragraph topics will be stuff like function, social purpose, register, etc.
I really like this way of structuring ACs because I think it makes it easier to write better ACs. This is because (in my view), using the 'big ideas' method allows you to:
 • Have an over-arching theme for each of your paragraphs: because all features you're picking out and analysing relate to the same 'big idea'
 • Improve the overall flow of your paragraphs: because you're not jumping around so much linking examples to different stuff
 • Explore interesting areas with more freedom: because you can devote a half or a whole paragraph to a particular idea if it seems relevant to you (e.g. for some texts, medium or relationship between participants might be really interesting so you can dig into those ideas more)
 • Go into more depth in your analysis: because you can compare/contrast ideas easier if they're all next to each other in a paragraph
So as you can see I really like this method of structuring. And in my (purely anecdotal) experience, people that score highly on the EngLang exam prefer this way of structuring ACs too.

However, there's nothing wrong with using the alternate method: the subsystem method. Many teachers seem to prefer this method, I think because it's a nice and easy one for students to use. I've definitely seen some students write really great ACs with this structure, so you can definitely get great marks with whatever structure you use.

Hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions  ;D