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March 29, 2024, 10:49:52 am

Author Topic: Meeting Time Constraints  (Read 935 times)  Share 

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ziaxadon

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Meeting Time Constraints
« on: February 22, 2018, 08:11:10 pm »
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Hey Guys, in preparation for my upcoming SAC, I have been writing a number of practice text responses. However, in all of the mock SACS, I have completed them well beyond the required time limit of 60-70 min in SAC conditions. Aside from constant practicing, what other ways are there of ensuring that I meet the time requirements with around 5-10 minutes to spare for looking over? Thanks in advance!!!

clarke54321

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2018, 08:46:37 pm »
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Hey Guys, in preparation for my upcoming SAC, I have been writing a number of practice text responses. However, in all of the mock SACS, I have completed them well beyond the required time limit of 60-70 min in SAC conditions. Aside from constant practicing, what other ways are there of ensuring that I meet the time requirements with around 5-10 minutes to spare for looking over? Thanks in advance!!!

Hi ziaxadon :)

It's fantastic to hear that you're already familiarising yourself with time constraints, and hence the associated pressures and adrenaline of SACs and exams. After having written several essays under time conditions, can you identify the source of the problem?
You may find that you are doing one of the following:

-writing too much
-not knowing what to write
-wanting to perfect every sentence

If you're able to narrow down your weakness to one of these, myself and other users may be able to provide you with some more directed feedback :D
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Sine

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2018, 08:50:44 pm »
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Hey Guys, in preparation for my upcoming SAC, I have been writing a number of practice text responses. However, in all of the mock SACS, I have completed them well beyond the required time limit of 60-70 min in SAC conditions. Aside from constant practicing, what other ways are there of ensuring that I meet the time requirements with around 5-10 minutes to spare for looking over? Thanks in advance!!!
Plan your essay, take maybe 5 minutes to outine everything you are covering during the essay and is a good investment to make to increase your speed (once you get accustomed to it). This ensures you not only know exactly what you will discuss in your essay but also make sure you are not going off track and adding anything unecessary.

Look over your past essays and check your expression and make sure you aren't waffling (although time restrictions usually deters this anyway)i.e. If you used 3 sentences for something you could have said in 1.

Get a solid grip on writing conclusions - I generally had a decently lengthed conclusion for my essays but in case I was running short of time I had a short succint conclusion style in the cases where I had only 1-2mins. Also for language analysis some people don't have conlusions but just wrap up the piece on the last body paragraph.

keep practicing with time you'll get quicker in idea generation  and with being more comfortable with the ideas you will obviously be able to put it down on paper faster. Also I wouldn't be too worried about needing 5-10mins to check over because in the end of year exam that relates to 15-30mins leftover which would definitely be better put into writing your essays rather than checking over them.

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2018, 11:40:15 pm »
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It's  really  just practice the  more you practice writing up questions  the faster and better you'll be at doing it.

Not really a secret or anything,

Some minor things can help like getting a better more ergonomic pen

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ziaxadon

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2018, 12:46:28 am »
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Hey Guys,
Thank you very much for your prompt replies!! I am sorry that I haven't been very specific with my problems. If I had to narrow down my issues, it would be struggling to find things to write to expand a body paragraph even though I have the main idea (topic sentence) . Another issue would be having the idea but constantly stopping and thinking about wording this idea in the most articulate manner possible. Together these have meant that I have had to spend a far longer time in completing a text response than the required SAC condition times of 60 minutes. 

sophomania

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2018, 06:48:29 am »
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Hey Guys,
Thank you very much for your prompt replies!! I am sorry that I haven't been very specific with my problems. If I had to narrow down my issues, it would be struggling to find things to write to expand a body paragraph even though I have the main idea (topic sentence) . Another issue would be having the idea but constantly stopping and thinking about wording this idea in the most articulate manner possible. Together these have meant that I have had to spend a far longer time in completing a text response than the required SAC condition times of 60 minutes. 

In terms of finding ways to expand your body paragraphs, it may be that you're lacking ideas. In that case, I would suggest brainstorming ideas and practicing planning essays. And when you plan, make it really detailed - write down your topic sentences and all the supporting evidence and examples you are going to use. Once you've taken the time to plan essays, it's much easier to write the essay.

Regarding articulating your ideas, I wouldn't worry too much about wording. Yes, having quality wording and language is good and will make your essay appear better. However, it's much more important to get the content down. But if you do want to be able to better articulate in your essays, I would suggest writing essays in <b>untimed<b/> conditions. Write a few essays without any time constraints, and try to make it <i>really<i/> good. Then when it comes to writing essays in timed conditions, all that vocabulary and sentence structures and the manner in which you wrote should just flow out and it should be easier to write a more articulate essay.
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clarke54321

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Re: Meeting Time Constraints
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2018, 03:20:08 pm »
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Hey Guys,
Thank you very much for your prompt replies!! I am sorry that I haven't been very specific with my problems. If I had to narrow down my issues, it would be struggling to find things to write to expand a body paragraph even though I have the main idea (topic sentence) . Another issue would be having the idea but constantly stopping and thinking about wording this idea in the most articulate manner possible. Together these have meant that I have had to spend a far longer time in completing a text response than the required SAC condition times of 60 minutes. 

Hi ziaxadon,

Thanks for specifying some more particular areas :)

Although I understand that your SAC is coming up fairly soon, I'd strongly encourage you to write 1-2 more essays with no time restrictions. From what you've described above, it seems as though you have a solid understanding of the text's overarching ideas and thematic concerns, but are lacking meaty evidence. And if this is the case, you are more likely than not going to delve into the zone of retelling, as opposed to analysing. You don't want to be floundering like this in SACs or the end of year exam. Hence, use the time you have now to cultivate some well thought out points of evidence that will support your main assertions. If you can do this, you'll find that your problem of ill-articulation will correct itself very soon, given that you have gone through all appropriate thinking processes beforehand (in a calm head space). I can honestly say that I spent every Sunday (from morning to evening) writing English essays, and scrutinising every single sentence/word. Because of this close engagement with my writing, I was able to write with ease once I completed timed essays.

All the very best  :D
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