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Author Topic: Advice for Literature Students  (Read 20874 times)  Share 

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iamdan08

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Advice for Literature Students
« on: January 12, 2010, 12:08:01 am »
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                                                       Advice for Literature students
  

Hey everyone,

Having been in your position 2 years ago, anxiously awaiting the challenge of year 12 Lit, I thought I might give you some advice and a few tips in preparing for next year and what to expect.

Assessment tasks
The most challenging part of Literature, I believe, is understanding the requirements for the assessment tasks you will complete. Only by understanding exactly what is required, will you be able to score highly.

There are 5 assessment tasks you will complete in class throughout the year, these being:
  • Adaptations and transformations
  • Views, values and contexts
  • Considering alternative viewpoints
  • Creative responses to texts
  • Close Analysis
As early as possible, know which assessment task will be assigned to each text, as this will enable you to start thinking about what will be required of you whilst you are studying it. You may find that your teacher will not follow the exact order of tasks listed on VCAA (this doesn't really matter). I also recommend you have a read through the study design as this gives you a brief overview of the course and assessment tasks so that you know what is expected of you throughout the year. Units 3 and 4 Lit are from page 20 onwards. Link: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/literature/literaturestd.pdf
The study design gives you the essentials of what is required of you in the assessment tasks. If you do not understand everything that is expected of you, make sure you interrogate your teacher until you do. Alternatively, you can ask here  :).

Summer preparation

I recommend that you read your texts more than once. The summer holidays (NOW!) is the best time to start. I suggest that whilst reading through the text for the first time, you write down anything that you find interesting or strikes you as important to the text as a whole. These initial ideas will be your own and will be unbiased by teachers, students and other resources. Examiners (including your teacher) will mark original ideas favourably (as long as they are plausible).  Reading through a text a second, and even third time will help develop your understanding and familiarity with the text. You will be surprised at the things you pick up on that you may have initially missed in your first readings.

Exam
I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing as early as possible for the exam. Do not make the mistake of leaving exam preparation too late, as the task in the exam is different to most of the tasks you will do throughout the year (except the last “close analysis” task). Practise writing on passages and ask/force your teacher to correct them, read high scoring responses, fine tune all your ideas and the interpretations you have developed throughout the year, and most importantly, learn from you mistakes. Only through practice will you improve.

Please note: Not all the texts you study throughout the year you can write on in the exam. Only “List B” texts are on the exam, so look at the texts you are studying and work out what your options are for the exam. The link is http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vcaa/correspondence/bulletins/2009/feb/2009FEBSUP3.pdf and go to page 9 (the lit section).

I also suggest you have a look at the assessment reports and understand common errors made by students, as well as reading “high scoring responses” to gain an idea as to what level you should be aiming to write at. Don’t feel intimidated by reading these or even by reading through the exam itself. You have a whole year to prepare, and you will be amazed by how much you will improve throughout the year as you work towards the exam.

                                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best of luck to everyone. Work hard and you will be rewarded.  :)

If you have anything else to add, please do and I will include it.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2010, 12:10:06 am by iamdan08 »
2007-08 VCE - Accounting, Texts & Traditions, Methods, Chem, Physics, Lit
         
2011 Bachelor of Biomedicine (Completed) @ The University of Melbourne
2012 Doctor of Medicine (Second Year) @ The University of Melbourne

littlebecc

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2010, 08:44:29 am »
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Thanks so much for the advice :)

I have yet to read my lit book (better get onto that) because i've been focusing on my english books haha.

:D

chrisjb

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2011, 04:53:33 pm »
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Hey all, I didn't want to make a new thread for just this one question and it relates to general advice for all literature students...

What do we do about introductions and conclusions? Do we leave them out all together or just throw in a one or two line intro and conclusion?
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Eriny

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2011, 05:31:59 pm »
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It depends on what you like to do, really. From what I gather, most people don't write an intro or wrote an intro that was only a sentence of two. I tended to write a more substantial intro because it's just what I'm comfortable with and it helped me organise my thoughts and my essay well. It's up to you. Very few marks on the literature exam go on structure, so having a formal introduction doesn't really raise your mark a lot and if you have trouble writing a substantial amount in the time given, it may be better to keep it short.

chrisjb

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2011, 05:42:14 pm »
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yeah.... My introductions aren't just there for the sake of it, I kinda use them as a plan that I use to work out for myself what the hell I'm taking about and that my essay has some sort of direction rather than just aimless ramblings. I spose I'll just cut it down to a sentence or two then if they don't realy count.
2011: 96.35
2012: http://www.thegapyear2012.com/
2013: Arts (Global) Monash
2016: Juris Doctor (somewhere)

Eriny

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2011, 07:04:31 pm »
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I think if you're particularly good at intros though, you can definitely use them to your advantage, and if it's good for you you should stick to it. If it only helps a little, or if just writing out a contention would do the same job, then shorter can be better.

EvangelionZeta

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2011, 07:12:31 pm »
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Just offering the other perspective here by saying I NEVER wrote an intro or a conclusion in any form in a Lit essay.  IMO just focus on language engagement whilst building towards an interpretation.
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Finished VCE in 2010 and now teaching professionally. For any inquiries, email me at [email protected].

VivaTequila

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2012, 11:05:51 pm »
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I so wish I had read this much earlier.

Edit: Also update the booklist link - it's for 2010 and we're in 2012.

gfrances

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2012, 01:12:13 pm »
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Can anyone help with the Adaptations and Transformations task, specifically Atonement?
Also in general for the A and T task, how can I start and set out my response as that is what I have the most trouble with.

Lolly

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2012, 09:31:30 pm »
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Indeed, I'm finding the guidelines to A + T more than a little ambiguous. I understand the task, I read (and copied out) the criteria and suggestions, but as to how to go about structuring it, well I haven't found much guidance there! :D All of the essays I have read are very diverse!!
So yes. Any help out there? 
« Last Edit: May 03, 2012, 09:35:37 pm by lozmatron »

KristyDanielle

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2012, 11:51:37 pm »
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Hey everyone,

I've got a SAC in two days which I feel quite prepared for but need a little extra help. It's the 'considering alternative viewpoints' one (we are critisizing other reviews of the book) and the book being studied is Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

If anyone could give me some general advice on this topic it would be greatly appreciated. Especially on how to incorporate your own personal views in the essay and how to prove a critic is right or wrong.

Thank you in advance

rubycallaghan

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2012, 11:28:30 am »
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Oka , o i have a question about writing the close analysis for the exam... should i link the passages to the theme of the book/play or should i specificaly only mention what is in the passages???

I have been told 2 different things by 2 techers  >:(

Lolly

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #12 on: October 12, 2012, 05:02:43 pm »
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 Do both I think? You have to draw out the main ideas of the novel or play but this will happen naturally if you're analysing the passages. :)
« Last Edit: October 12, 2012, 05:29:41 pm by lozmatron »

Dabass

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #13 on: December 27, 2013, 04:25:24 pm »
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I just want to wish good luck to all undertaking Literature in 2014. After averaging about 70% on SACs I was not expecting much going into the exam. Didn't finish writing my second essay but still came out with an A plus. There is hope for all of you just never give up, it will get hard but the strain is definitely worth it !!. All the best

cute

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Re: Advice for Literature Students
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2014, 02:07:10 pm »
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I just want to wish good luck to all undertaking Literature in 2014. After averaging about 70% on SACs I was not expecting much going into the exam. Didn't finish writing my second essay but still came out with an A plus. There is hope for all of you just never give up, it will get hard but the strain is definitely worth it !!. All the best

This is currently giving me hope :) good luck to everyone else taking Lit in 2014 :D