VCE English Language Question Thread

[jacquii02]

What kind of things should I be revising over the holidays to prepare myself for unit 1 of eng language?? Also, will I need to memorise the IPA for my first outcome? 

[Bucket Hat]

What kind of things should I be revising over the holidays to prepare myself for unit 1 of eng language??

Probably nothing.

But if you really want to I'd recommend you get a metalanguage glossary and make a quizlet or Anki flashcard set so that you can frequently test yourself on metalanguage as that would help it stick in your mind and give you a huge headstart!!! (I learnt no metalanguage at all in 1/2 in didn't really start learning it properly until late term 3 in year 12 - which improved my marks massively since that's what the subject revolves around!)

Don't bother with IPA. It can impress an examiner if you learn a couple of examples by memory but mostly it doesn't matter

[JezCam]

Similar question to the last one.

What should I be revising and studying for Eng lang 3/4?

Currently I have downloaded a glossary for metalanguage and I am reading over it.

I have also downloaded some example essays just to get an idea of the structure and depth I guess.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

Thanks in advance 

[jacquii02]

Probably nothing.

But if you really want to I'd recommend you get a metalanguage glossary and make a quizlet or Anki flashcard set so that you can frequently test yourself on metalanguage as that would help it stick in your mind and give you a huge headstart!!! (I learnt no metalanguage at all in 1/2 in didn't really start learning it properly until late term 3 in year 12 - which improved my marks massively since that's what the subject revolves around!)

Don't bother with IPA. It can impress an examiner if you learn a couple of examples by memory but mostly it doesn't matter

thank you so much

[Bucket Hat]

I am reading over it.

I think in general something active (like flashcards which require you to search around in your memory to recall it) is better for making it stick in your memory than something like passive reading - so making a flashcard deck would again be my recommendation (so for the repetitiveness!)

It is good to look over high-scoring essays though Gives you a bit of a feel for the structure of the essay intro (intro sentence, sign-post the 3 body-paragraphs, concluding sentence relating to the intro) and then how to structure body paragraphs - it's relatively formulaic from my experience!

p.s. a good tip I read on AN and used in the exam is to have 1 BP agree with the prompt, 1 BP disagree with the prompt, and 1 BP say "it's not black and white and the truth of the prompt statement varies according to context" - I found this added a lot of depth to my essays)

Also - you can start looking for 2019 media examples of examples used in previous exam reports. E.g. if someone talked about how Standard English garners overt prestige in the 2016 exam report, find a 2019 example of Mercedes using the Standard in Australia to reinforce their classy image

Good luck and have fun with it - that's what can really help motivate you to go above and beyond!

thank you so much

Feel free to name your second-born-child after me

[JezCam]

I think in general something active (like flashcards which require you to search around in your memory to recall it) is better for making it stick in your memory than something like passive reading - so making a flashcard deck would again be my recommendation (so for the repetitiveness!)

It is good to look over high-scoring essays though Gives you a bit of a feel for the structure of the essay intro (intro sentence, sign-post the 3 body-paragraphs, concluding sentence relating to the intro) and then how to structure body paragraphs - it's relatively formulaic from my experience!

p.s. a good tip I read on AN and used in the exam is to have 1 BP agree with the prompt, 1 BP disagree with the prompt, and 1 BP say "it's not black and white and the truth of the prompt statement varies according to context" - I found this added a lot of depth to my essays)

Also - you can start looking for 2019 media examples of examples used in previous exam reports. E.g. if someone talked about how Standard English garners overt prestige in the 2016 exam report, find a 2019 example of Mercedes using the Standard in Australia to reinforce their classy image

Good luck and have fun with it - that's what can really help motivate you to go above and beyond!
Feel free to name your second-born-child after me

Thank you so much!

[christopher_oreilly]

Hi!

What are some good tips for writing intros and conclusions?

Thanks!

ps: I don't know if i have posted this in the correct way- so any tips on how to are appreciated!

[cookiedream]

Hi!

What are some good tips for writing intros and conclusions?

Thanks!

ps: I don't know if i have posted this in the correct way- so any tips on how to are appreciated!

First of all, welcome to ATARNotes!

For analytical commentaries, keep your intros short and succinct, such that it includes all the main linguistic features you want to talk about as well as some important sociocultural factors (e.g. names of participants, setting, register, text type, semantic field, social purpose and function). You don't need to write a conclusion for ACs

Here's an example of an AC intro:

This text is an informal, spoken conversation between husband and wife, G and K, and their close friend B, who they know for several years. Semantic fields of fishing and local, recent events is followed throughout the transcript. The functions are phatic as well as for the three interlocutors to inform and catch-up with each other. The social purpose is to build rapport and solidarity between K, B and G.


For essays, start with a general statement about the topic at hand, then allocate one (or two, if necessary) sentences for the main argument in each of your body paragraphs. You have to write a conclusion for the essay, and here the structure is kind of similar to that of your intro (start with your main contention, then the main points of your body paragraphs) and you may end the conclusion with a final statement that summarises your essay. Sometimes I would put in a quote (often by David Crystal) and briefly talk about its relevance to the essay topic and language in general.

Here's an example of an essay intro to the question: We should all speak Standard English. To what extent do you agree?

Language is a versatile tool which comes in a number of varieties, one of which is Standard English (SE), that aims to successfully serve a number of social purposes. Through its widely understood nature, the SE variety can help lower communication barriers for a wider number of individuals across different speech communities, hence acting as a world language used for international exchanges. Additionally, SE establishes overt prestige, thereby assisting exchanges in business and other official situations. Conversely, by having everyone speak this variety, there will be less opportunity for one to reflect their cultural heritage and express their linguistic creativity, both of which often contain features that deviate from SE. Whilst Standard English is pivotal in effectively allowing conversation in many situations, it should only be used to a certain extent due to greater preference for non-Standard English in other circumstances.

Hope that makes sense!

- cookiedream

[christopher_oreilly]

Thankyou so much! Just another question, how should  I embed quote into conclusion to conform to assessors standards?? Should I say something like: As famous linguist once said........

Thanks again!

[cookiedream]

Thankyou so much! Just another question, how should  I embed quote into conclusion to conform to assessors standards?? Should I say something like: As famous linguist once said........

Thanks again!

Yeah that's completely fine! I did something similar in the final year exam and it seemed to have worked out well

For SACs, however, your teacher may have a different preference (and when it comes to SACs, you need to conform to your teacher to guarantee a higher mark). So I recommend asking them first, finding out what they prefer (I know a teacher who really dislikes having quotes in the conclusion) and then maybe writing a practice piece and getting their feedback.

No problem! Glad I could help

[jollyboat]

I was wondering if anyone knows whether we can write in dot points in the SA section of the 3/4 exam?

[Bri MT]

I was wondering if anyone knows whether we can write in dot points in the SA section of the 3/4 exam?

As for any of the English subjects you need to use full sentences following SAE conventions, and can't use dot points at all in the exam

[jollyboat]

As for any of the English subjects you need to use full sentences following SAE conventions, and can't use dot points at all in the exam

Ew but thanks for the reply

[atarmaster]

when answering a question about informal language - how does one explain why a certain lexical item is informal?
for example an online chat was given and the lexeme 'geeeeeee' was used - how do u explain how it lowers the register??
aside from 'it is a non-standard lexeme'

[skzcookie]

Does anyone have any practise sacs for Unit 3 AOS 1. I feel so unprepared for this sac. Our whole class feels like we've learnt nothing! help!