English Extension 1 Question Thread

[dancing phalanges]

thanks! and is it generally be the same for prescribed texts, as in they'll only ask for 2?

Yep agree with paige should do! Can't see them changing it

[Evie mort]

From all the papers I have looked at they have only asked for two, would be a bit rough if they changed that but have you seen last year's paper (for ATB)? That seemed quite tough in contrast of previous years that have had broader questions asked

Oh i haven't seen it as I'm studying language and gender, but hopefully they don't make it too tough for our trials and HSC. Cheers

[paigek3]

Oh i haven't seen it as I'm studying language and gender, but hopefully they don't make it too tough for our trials and HSC. Cheers

Those were the questions for your topic

Question 15 — Elective 2: Language and Gender (25 marks)
‘Light can only be understood with the wisdom of darkness.’
To what extent has your understanding of language and values in Language and Gender been
shaped by considering both the darkness and the light in the texts you have studied?
In your response, refer to TWO prescribed texts and at least TWO texts of your own choosing.

Question 16 — Elective 2: Language and Gender (25 marks)
Compose a piece of imaginative writing that includes a significant character from ONE of yo
prescribed texts, an unexpected meeting and the line: I can’t say what I really mean.
Your response should reflect your knowledge and understanding of the elective Language a
Gender.

[justwannawish]

“Freedom is at the heart of After the Bomb. Yet control is also crucial.” Write an essay in which you evaluate the extent to which this is true with reference to TWO prescribed texts AND at least TWO texts of your own choosing.

Does anyone have ideas of how to tackle this for Waiting for Godot and Sylvia Plath? could you look at the composers freedom in determining insights of ATB? Or would a more straightforward essay talk about how the Cold War has eliminated one's freedom and morality, and how the poliitcal desire for control has eradicated the meaning of human existence?

[TheFreeMarketeer]

“Freedom is at the heart of After the Bomb. Yet control is also crucial.” Write an essay in which you evaluate the extent to which this is true with reference to TWO prescribed texts AND at least TWO texts of your own choosing.

Does anyone have ideas of how to tackle this for Waiting for Godot and Sylvia Plath? could you look at the composers freedom in determining insights of ATB? Or would a more straightforward essay talk about how the Cold War has eliminated one's freedom and morality, and how the poliitcal desire for control has eradicated the meaning of human existence?

Wow, that's a very interesting essay question - I think one way to approach this would be to do freedom as reflected in form.

In all honesty with you, this is very much an essay question that I'd disagree with. I'd pose that control has now place in the freedom, liberation and transcendence that permeated throughout ATB.

I'd really love a second opinion though.

[paigek3]

Wow, that's a very interesting essay question - I think one way to approach this would be to do freedom as reflected in form.

In all honesty with you, this is very much an essay question that I'd disagree with. I'd pose that control has now place in the freedom, liberation and transcendence that permeated throughout ATB.

I'd really love a second opinion though.

I can see all three stances discussed for this question. Personally I'd discuss the more straightforward opinion as the question stumbles me a bit, but if you want to stand out and give yourself a bit more of a challenge going against the statement would be interesting!

[zemilyx]

hey, I was just wondering how many words most people write in extension exams for the creative and critical (I know its quality over quantity hahah, I'm just curious)?
I'm really struggling to incorporate every element my teacher wants into my essays in a reasonable word limit, and my trial exam is tomorrow.
thanks

[dancing phalanges]

hey, I was just wondering how many words most people write in extension exams for the creative and critical (I know its quality over quantity hahah, I'm just curious)?
I'm really struggling to incorporate every element my teacher wants into my essays in a reasonable word limit, and my trial exam is tomorrow.
thanks

As I said above aim for at least eight pages for each since you have an hour to write. If you can pump out ten pages that would be fantastic. So personally I prepare around 1,400-1,500 words for each so I have enough time to also adapt to whatever question/stimulus I could get

[Lumenoria]

Hey,
I'm in prelim English Ext 1 and we have an upcoming essay which will evaluate two of our core texts, along with two related texts—so four different texts in the entirety of the response. I haven't ever had to integrate this amount of texts into an essay, so I was wondering if you could provide any tips in terms of structure? If it helps, we're studying the Gothic genre. Thank you so much!

[paigek3]

Hey,
I'm in prelim English Ext 1 and we have an upcoming essay which will evaluate two of our core texts, along with two related texts—so four different texts in the entirety of the response. I haven't ever had to integrate this amount of texts into an essay, so I was wondering if you could provide any tips in terms of structure? If it helps, we're studying the Gothic genre. Thank you so much!

Hey I do after the bomb so i won't go too in depth but the structures I've found that have worked best for myself/people I know are either intergrated paragraphs e.g.
P1 - text 1 and 2
P2 - text 2 and 4
P3 - text 3 and 1
P4 - text 4 and 1
Or just single paragraphs that although tend to sound a little less sophisticated, they are a great way to welcome you to the idea of discussing four texts

[elysepopplewell]

Hey,
I'm in prelim English Ext 1 and we have an upcoming essay which will evaluate two of our core texts, along with two related texts—so four different texts in the entirety of the response. I haven't ever had to integrate this amount of texts into an essay, so I was wondering if you could provide any tips in terms of structure? If it helps, we're studying the Gothic genre. Thank you so much!

Hey Lumenoria!

Great question. Genuinely, great question. I didn't do a four-text integrated essay until Year 12, and I wasn't even close to integrating any kind of sophisticated way until after my trials and about two weeks before my HSC. I restructured - everything. Funnily enough, an ATAR Notes guide helped me (AN wasn't even a thing during my HSC in NSW), and it is this one here. I restructured everything based on this model. It is skewed towards an ATB form, but hopefully it gives you some ideas about integrating the texts. You can be really creative with your structure in extension - but this is what I found to be very helpful, and then I manipulated it to my texts

[Lumenoria]

Hey Lumenoria!

Great question. Genuinely, great question. I didn't do a four-text integrated essay until Year 12, and I wasn't even close to integrating any kind of sophisticated way until after my trials and about two weeks before my HSC. I restructured - everything. Funnily enough, an ATAR Notes guide helped me (AN wasn't even a thing during my HSC in NSW), and it is this one here. I restructured everything based on this model. It is skewed towards an ATB form, but hopefully it gives you some ideas about integrating the texts. You can be really creative with your structure in extension - but this is what I found to be very helpful, and then I manipulated it to my texts

Alright, that seriously is helpful, thankyou so much! Just one more thing, if my teacher preferably wanted us to write in the block linear essay structure rather than integrated paragraphs, would I be comparing the first core with the first related and then the second core to the second related? In other words, am I supposed to be drawing similarities/differences only of the core text with its related, or for all of them as a whole? I don't even know if I'm making sense rn, I'm kind of at a loss right now hahahha

[elysepopplewell]

Alright, that seriously is helpful, thankyou so much! Just one more thing, if my teacher preferably wanted us to write in the block linear essay structure rather than integrated paragraphs, would I be comparing the first core with the first related and then the second core to the second related? In other words, am I supposed to be drawing similarities/differences only of the core text with its related, or for all of them as a whole? I don't even know if I'm making sense rn, I'm kind of at a loss right now hahahha

I totally see what you're saying!

To some extent - they all need to be compared. Otherwise it's like you've got two mini essays within a big essay, and the cohesion is lost. It really is up to you about how far you want to take it. You might integrated a prescribed and a related textually - talking about their medium and technical expressions, but you might compare two prescribed on an ideological point of view. So you do have a lot of freedom here! I spent hours on hours on hours working on my extension essay. Tessellating the evidence until it fits was a very long process for me, but that's just because I was following structures too much, when I should have just listened to what my texts were saying and linking them where it was natural and academic to do so.

[dancing phalanges]

Hey guys, hoping I could get a bit of help with this question:
In Romanticism, composers not only transform human experience through imagination but also manipulate textual forms and features in response to their times.
Evaluate this statement with reference to TWO prescribed texts AND texts of your own choosing.
A) Does the focus of your essay have to be on the imagination or can it also include how the imagination offers a new way of experiencing nature... the idealistic imagination in Frankenstein etc...
B) I'm having trouble with the manipulation of textual forms and features... Does this sound right: For Lime Tree Bower discussing how previously in Neo-Classicism poetry was governed by technical precision and balance while the Romantics treasured free verse and a conversation style as seen in this poem and then also going into the use of imagery. For Wuthering Heights could I simply discuss the use of characterisation/characters as symbols for different ways of thinking eg. Catherine (Romanticism) vs Edgar (Enlightenment). Then for William Blake's Chimney Sweeper what I have is the use of dramatic monologue to highlight the individual aspect and raise awareness for the issues of chimney sweepers. And the contrast between soot (darkness, malevolence) and the end quote which is of him imagining himself running in green fields (the power of the imagination and condition of innocence). Finally, I am a bit confused on Frankenstein though - I really can't think of any obvious ones to use here. Finally - do I have to link all these textual manipulations back to imagination and human experience?

Thanks so much guys this will really help as its a tough question I really want to be well prepared for since it hasn't come up since around 2011.

[Lollzza]

Hey all I'm doing my prelims and I was wondering for a paragraph in an essay is it okay to talk about the two related texts? Or do I always need to pair them with prescribed?