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VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English & EAL => Topic started by: EvangelionZeta on October 01, 2010, 11:22:53 am

Title: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 01, 2010, 11:22:53 am
As we approach D-Day, I've started to notice the same sorts of questions pop up repeatedly in threads.  As a result, I think it would be prudent to compile common concerns, and address them with one sticky topic - so here goes.

Dear EZ: What do I do?

One of the most common concerns of people is "How do I study for English?".  Fair enough.  Unlike maths or science, it doesn't seem like you can just jump straight into an exam, mark it yourself, and work out approximately what study score you'll get.  So where to begin?

Genesis: The Beginning

Initially, I would recommend you work out where you stand in regards to the three tasks required of you - language analysis, context, and text response.  The former is arguably the only one which can be approached in a science/maths sort of fashion, something which I will go into later.  For the context and the text part of the exam however, what you need to do is reflect upon how much you actually know - can you list all of the major scenes in your texts (for both context and text response) off the top of your head?  Do you remember quotes?  Can you pick out the major themes for the prompts you're going to get?  If no is the answer to these questions, it's time for some note-making to occur.

In terms of notes, English actually doesn't need to be that detailed, save for perhaps the quote sheet.  In my experience, it's easiest to start by looking at old/company exam prompts; some of the are horrendeous (for instance, the prompt "How do Richard's soliloquies influence the audience's response to the play?" in the Kilbaha 2009 exam is too narrow to come up unless the VCAA wants to screw you over), but on the whole you can probably glean from them the commonly occuring "themes" which occur.  In Whose Reality, for instance, you'll often find that topics relate to how our realities our formed (with a special focus on subjectivity, memory, illusion and relationships) and the results of differences occuring within our realities (usually conflict or misunderstanding).  

Language Analysis: The Unloved Child

I should point out before I get too detailed that language analysis is, first of all, probably the worst part of the English exam, and secondly, the easiest.  Everything from here onwards pretty much applies to language analysis (minus most of the notemaking part), but in less detail.  If you're not too good on language analysis terms, read one of the various guides on the forum - they're all great resources.  You won't need to spend as much time working on language analysis, but it's absolutely essential you start off by writing the essays with no constraints, so that you can perfect whichever "formula" you intend on using.  As soon as you have your "formula" perfected, go write a bunch of timed ones, until you can do a "perfected formula" response to time.  After that, write one every so often, but concentrate more on the other two tasks, since they're much more complicated and require more thought to succeed in.  Godspeed.

The Manipulator: Making the Notes

Moving on from that segue, after you've identified the common themes of the various prompts, the next stage is to work out exactly what kind of arguments you'll need, and what kind of evidence you'll need to support it.  To be honest, I'd recommend tackling a few of the easier looking essay prompts first before doing anything else - that way, you work out what kind of quotes are easy to use, and what kind of arguments flow most naturally when writing.  When you've done a handful of such essays (I usually moved on after three), I would then begin to compile a set of notes.  You can, of course, plagarise your own work - in fact, my quote sheet for Richard III was essentially just copy-pasting all the quotes I had used in three essays and a set of thirty comprehension/analysis questions which my teacher had set.  By the same token, note down points you've used before (especially in Context, where each text will only really lend itself to being used for half a dozen points at most if you're not doing Creative), and set them all out in a document, for easy reference.

Study Scores: Revenge of the Essays

With this process done, it's easiest to go back to writing more essays.  I would actually recommend against "memorising" anything until the final two or three weeks before the exam (in fact, I consciously tried to memorise my Classics quotes in the last week before the exam) - in the process of compiling notes and writing essays, you actually come to remember things, so it's unnecessary to try and remember things until you KNOW you need to work to remember them.  

Of course, there's more to it this time.  In the process of writing the essays following the note process, it's absolutely essential (even moreso than before) that you get your work marked, whether it be by your teacher or (failing that) somebody whom you know, like a tutor or even people on VCENotes.  This is because you want to "perfect" your work - I would allow for redrafting and spending unrealistic amounts of time writing, and at this stage I would definitely recommend avoiding writing to time.  The easiest way to explain why is by analogy: writing a lot of "dumb" essays at this stage is like sifting through a dark, smelly hole to find the light of camembert cheese.  Writing a lot of "perfected" essays is, in contrast, more akin to making the cheese yourself in the middle of a gourmet cheese kitchen (or wherever they make cheese).  Sure, you might randomly find some camembert one day wandering around (provided you don't die first from a lack of nourishment and sunlight), but growing the camembert yourself will allow you to replicate its process, until gradually, even in the middle of a dark, smelly hole, you can do it using the moulds which grow on cave walls or something.

Just an extra note that by "perfect", I don't mean that it has to be a 10/10.  Obviously, different people will "max out" at different numbers - what I mean is that you should get to a level where you feel satisfied, before you proceed to the next stage.

Time: The Next Frontier

Ignoring my almost pointless analogy, you should maintain your untimed essay writing until say, the end of the term 3 holidays (which, at the time of writing, is around now).  I'm not suggesting you should NEVER have written a timed essay by this point - I'd expect you to have done so in class, but if not, I guess do one or two earlier in the year to get the hang of it.  

Anyway, following your "perfecting" of your essays (and even if you aren't getting the scores you want by this stage), I would start to write to time.  Don't begin with the exact exam time - allow yourself maybe half an hour extra at the start if you REALLY need it, and gradually work your way up.  You don't want to throw yourself into the deep end too quickly - like a Pokemon, gradually build your skills from fighting level 20s, then levels 30s, instead of jumping right into the Elite Four.  Maybe try a practice exam with two or three weeks to go to see how you are with writing essays progressively.  This might be sounding like it's leaving it a bit late, but as long as you've had some practice beforehand, and as long as you've got "perfect" essays to work on, the speed-writing process should be made a bit faster, and hopefully, with three weeks to go, you can comfortably settle into the exam writing time.  My school has their practice exam two weeks before the actual one - this worked for me personally, but I would probably aim to do at least one three hour slogfest before the final two week run.  Don't overdo it though - to borrow my teacher's analogy, you don't want to train for a marathon by repeatedly running marathons.

Neon Genesis VCE English: The End of VCE English

By the last two or three weeks, you'll want to just keep practicing timing.  If it's really not working out (you're spending say, five-ten minutes more than you should), maybe cut back on your word count, but don't panic too much, since adrenaline in the exam will make you slightly faster (I went from finishing practice exams just in time in Classics to having about ten minutes leftover).  At the same time, try not to stress out to the point of figurative death - you don't want to work yourself up too hard before the big day, and in particular, you don't want to overwrite to the point where it all gets stale.

Once you feel fully confident (can't say when this will be for everyone, but for a couple of my friends it was around 10 timed essays in), it might be a better use of your time to write DETAILED plans instead of full essays.  This approach is actually quite useful, as it allows you to go through the same process as essay writing, with less emphasis on getting the writing done to time/quality (which you've already perfected) and more emphasis on mastering ideas.  The best way to go about this in my opinion is to write a full intro, topic sentences for every point, and then list the examples/quotes you're going to use under every point.  I know somebody who got 50 in the past, who wrote around 10-15 essays total, but something like 30 plans.  Crazy?  Perhaps.  Efficient?  Definitely.

The night before, just chill out, and don't stress too much.  It's time to start getting relaxed - you don't want to burn out right before the big three hours the next day.  Reread notes/essays/plans.  Memorise quotes.  Just don't stress, and don't write more essays.

On the day of the exam, take a deep breath and step in.  Calm yourself down beforehand and get a good night's sleep.  Make sure you use your reading time properly, and if you see an essay topic you've done/planned before, count yourself lucky, but don't get complacent.  Always make sure you work towards the nuances of what they are requiring of you.  The power is yours.

A Song of English and Concern: A Storm of Woes

What?  You want more?  Ok, here's a few miscellaneous comments to address common questions about the English exam.

To begin with, probably the most common (and controversial) query is how many words to write.  Personally, I would recommend 1000+ for all three (preferably 1200+ for Context and Text Response if you want the perfect 10s), but 800+ will probably suffice if you want to comfortably get an 8.  Something like a 9 or even a 10 is also doable (although 10s in particular are almost always of a considerable length) with such a number, but realistically, the longer an essay is, the more depth and content it can potentially have.  With that said, don't just write a lot for the sake of writing a lot - if you simply can't do it to time, or get 1000+ by padding out with pointless sentences, then you'd probably score better with less words.  

Second point, read the examiner's report, but remember that their samples are usually of the 8/10 level.  They might say that they're high scoring responses, but to get a 9 or a 10, you'll need to top what they provide you with.  Look at the work directory sticky to find essays written by people who have gotten in the mid-high 40s range - they are generally superior to what you will find on the VCAA website.

Thirdly, the issue of time may often be significant.  If you really feel concerned, start earlier than I have indicated.  Nevertheless, I stand by what I say in arguing that the best way to improve time is to write a lot of essays after having "perfected" what you are going to write.  Memorise if absolutely necessary.  Also, as an extra tip, I'd recommend not giving the same amount of time to your three essays - language analysis is generally accepted to be shorter, so ideally you'll spend only 50 or 55 minutes on it to allow for extra time with the other two.

Fourthly, this isn't really a query or even common, but I feel the need to vent.  Whilst you should take advantage of what is available on this forum, don't abuse it.  Exercise some independence in your studies - don't become clingy and annoying and entirely reliant on VCENotes.  I say this because I've had a few pms asking me specifically to mark work: whilst this is fine and dandy, don't abuse the kindness of others (ie. don't spam inboxes with requests...), but more importantly, be polite.  Personally, I for one am much more inclined to mark work from somebody who asks nicely, over somebody who is all "OMG MARK ME ESSAY PL0X".  

Finally, in regards to study guides and tutors, go for them by all means.  I would also highly recommend lynt.br, Shinny, costargh and Nick's guides, which are also stickied - all tfour are well written and contain pretty much everything you need to grapple with the course.  

Conclusion: 2000 Words Later

Remember, the VCE English Exam is not a monster.  It will not bite your head off.  You can conquer it through hard work, determination, and perhaps a bit of luck.  But also remember that it isn't really an indication of "real" English ability (well, I guess it sort of is), and that it's not the end of the world if you don't get an amazing score in it.  

Good luck.

"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools." - King Lear, Act IV, Scene vi
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: vea on October 01, 2010, 11:28:52 am
+1, loved the headings!
This is going to be useful for my endeavours in english :)

EDIT: When I can karma again lol

EDIT2: LOL@pokemon analogy, this guide is win in so many ways :p
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: littlebecc on October 01, 2010, 12:06:09 pm
I...I think i love you.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: shinny on October 01, 2010, 12:41:22 pm
Finally, in regards to study guides and tutors, go for them by all means.  I would also highly recommend Shinny, costargh and Nick's guides, which are also stickied - all three are well written and contain pretty much everything you need to grapple with the course. 

Thanks for mentioning mine but can't believe you forgot lynt.br's guide D: He writes with an almost identical structure to me so I'd definitely recommend it.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Russ on October 01, 2010, 12:53:52 pm
Quote
A Song of English and Concern: A Storm of Woes

 :smitten:
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Richiie on October 01, 2010, 12:56:59 pm
Very nice guide, hopefully now I can increase my chances of getting a high study score in English. =S
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 01, 2010, 06:46:43 pm
Finally, in regards to study guides and tutors, go for them by all means.  I would also highly recommend Shinny, costargh and Nick's guides, which are also stickied - all three are well written and contain pretty much everything you need to grapple with the course. 

Thanks for mentioning mine but can't believe you forgot lynt.br's guide D: He writes with an almost identical structure to me so I'd definitely recommend it.

Forgot!  I remember all of the sticky'd guides as being good, so I just listed the ones I saw.

-edits-
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: jasonn93 on October 01, 2010, 08:13:16 pm
great post, thank you!
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: tram on October 01, 2010, 09:15:47 pm
That made be laugh and feel ever more slight motivated (no mean feat given my rocky relationship with english)

Cheers EZ :)
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Andiio on October 01, 2010, 09:29:20 pm
I love the Pokemon analogy.

The three starting pokemon could also be a metaphorical representation of each of the essays which need to be written in the exam - Lang Analysis, Context and Text. :) Levelling them up to level 100 = SS of 50.

Okay now I'm just rambling on -.-

In retrospect, a very well-written guide, very helpful. :)
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: kakar0t on October 01, 2010, 09:31:44 pm
I...I think i love you.

Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: taiga on October 01, 2010, 09:33:11 pm
I'm one of the guys who always bugs EZ about marking my essays :D :D :D

MARK MY ESSAYS PL0X
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: LachyMc on October 05, 2010, 11:53:32 pm
Awesome guide, cool titles and pokemon analogy, thanks for all the tips i will be sure to use them..cheers EZ

Also, taiga you really go 13 in geography last year?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 8039 on October 06, 2010, 02:00:11 am
How many essays should we realistically write?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 06, 2010, 11:16:49 pm
I'm aiming for about 20 overall!
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: m@tty on October 06, 2010, 11:19:32 pm
You mean, for instance, 8 contexts, 8 text response and 4 language analysis?

That seems a fair amount.

Offtopic: How many are you going to do for Lit?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 8039 on October 07, 2010, 04:58:44 am
I'm aiming for about 20 overall!

Whoa what a go-getter :P I've yet to read the books so I should probably limit myself to about 8 or so as we're approaching exam time. Are you going to be focusing on 2 main texts or everything that your teacher set for the year? also I saw your essay for A Farewell to Arms which was really great, where about did you get your notes for it (if any)?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 98.40_for_sure on October 07, 2010, 11:00:52 am
I'd say it's pretty realistic that from now to the exam (exactly 21 days), that at least 15-20 essays can be done by anyone. 5 a week isn't too much and would prepare you very well for the exam. That 15-20 & the 20+ or so that should have already been done = ~40? So EZ's 20 isn't that much, but he's just out of this world and would still ace it doing 0 practice essays :P
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 07, 2010, 04:49:59 pm
You mean, for instance, 8 contexts, 8 text response and 4 language analysis?

That seems a fair amount.

Offtopic: How many are you going to do for Lit?

Lit I'm aiming for around 20 as well - I did ten of each over the term 3 holidays.

I'm aiming for about 20 overall!

Whoa what a go-getter :P I've yet to read the books so I should probably limit myself to about 8 or so as we're approaching exam time. Are you going to be focusing on 2 main texts or everything that your teacher set for the year? also I saw your essay for A Farewell to Arms which was really great, where about did you get your notes for it (if any)?

I'm only focusing on one text (Richard III) for the exam - studying for two just isn't practical.  =/  As for my A Farewell to Arms essay, I actually didn't use any notes for it - at the time, the book was fresh in my mind, and I just used what I'd gotten out of reading it and what the teacher had pointed out in class.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 8039 on October 07, 2010, 05:34:03 pm
Quote
I'm only focusing on one text (Richard III) for the exam - studying for two just isn't practical.  =/  As for my A Farewell to Arms essay, I actually didn't use any notes for it - at the time, the book was fresh in my mind, and I just used what I'd gotten out of reading it and what the teacher had pointed out in class.

Oh well we have one text (AFtA) and a movie (Look Both Ways) for the text response area of the exam and two texts for the context area (The Crucible & The Secret River). I hate LBW and don't have time to read all of TSR (even tho it's probably much better for my encountering conflict context). Kinda worried that I might get a really ambiguous question for my chosen text which will jeopardize my entire exam. i.e "Hemingway's female characters are less convincing than his male characters, do you agree?"... how the hell would anyone manage to write a 1,000+ word essay about that?!
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 2317 on October 07, 2010, 05:36:18 pm
Can you use both texts for context?
btw Great Post EZ
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Abdi on October 07, 2010, 05:41:06 pm
Can you use both texts for context?
btw Great Post EZ

you can as long as one text is dominating the other in terms of how much you actually write about it! well that's what I was told......
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 07, 2010, 05:46:09 pm
Quote
I'm only focusing on one text (Richard III) for the exam - studying for two just isn't practical.  =/  As for my A Farewell to Arms essay, I actually didn't use any notes for it - at the time, the book was fresh in my mind, and I just used what I'd gotten out of reading it and what the teacher had pointed out in class.

Oh well we have one text (AFtA) and a movie (Look Both Ways) for the text response area of the exam and two texts for the context area (The Crucible & The Secret River). I hate LBW and don't have time to read all of TSR (even tho it's probably much better for my encountering conflict context). Kinda worried that I might get a really ambiguous question for my chosen text which will jeopardize my entire exam. i.e "Hemingway's female characters are less convincing than his male characters, do you agree?"... how the hell would anyone manage to write a 1,000+ word essay about that?!

Off the top of my head there's enough in AFtA to answer a question like that (compare Catherine and that nurse woman against Frederic, the priest, the drunk guy, etc.) - what really dig into the text whilst making notes, and you should find yourself a bit better off.  If you follow the process I recommend (making notes for all the major "themes" or "strands"), then you shouldn't get a topic that's too ambiguous to answer. 

Can you use both texts for context?
btw Great Post EZ

What Abdi said - my school recommends using two texts, but writing two paragraphs on one and one on the other.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 2317 on October 07, 2010, 05:46:38 pm
Can you use both texts for context?
btw Great Post EZ

you can as long as one text is dominating the other in terms of how much you actually write about it! well that's what I was told......

Just wondering coz ive never come across one that included twp but
 In last years exam:
"Section B requires students to complete an extended written response.
In your writing, you must draw on ideas suggested by one of the following four Contexts.
Your writing must draw directly from at least one selected text that you have studied for this Context
and be based on the ideas in the prompt.
Your response may be an expository, persuasive or imaginative piece of writing.
If you write on a selected film text in Section A, you must not write on a selected film text in
Section B.
Section B is worth one-third of the total assessment for the examination.
Your response will be assessed according to the criteria set out on page 14 of this book."


...at least one selected text that you have studied for this Context...
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 8039 on October 07, 2010, 06:03:28 pm
Quote
I'm only focusing on one text (Richard III) for the exam - studying for two just isn't practical.  =/  As for my A Farewell to Arms essay, I actually didn't use any notes for it - at the time, the book was fresh in my mind, and I just used what I'd gotten out of reading it and what the teacher had pointed out in class.

Oh well we have one text (AFtA) and a movie (Look Both Ways) for the text response area of the exam and two texts for the context area (The Crucible & The Secret River). I hate LBW and don't have time to read all of TSR (even tho it's probably much better for my encountering conflict context). Kinda worried that I might get a really ambiguous question for my chosen text which will jeopardize my entire exam. i.e "Hemingway's female characters are less convincing than his male characters, do you agree?"... how the hell would anyone manage to write a 1,000+ word essay about that?!

Off the top of my head there's enough in AFtA to answer a question like that (compare Catherine and that nurse woman against Frederic, the priest, the drunk guy, etc.) - what really dig into the text whilst making notes, and you should find yourself a bit better off.  If you follow the process I recommend (making notes for all the major "themes" or "strands"), then you shouldn't get a topic that's too ambiguous to answer. 

I just don't get what it means by "less convincing", as in relation to what? the only thing I was able to come up with was to write about the actual author, his era and his background of being a "man's man" which may have influenced his depiction of female characters (I remember him being criticized for his female characters being weak). Although I don't think we're supposed to write about the author till part 2 of the exam :/
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 07, 2010, 06:23:33 pm
Quote
I'm only focusing on one text (Richard III) for the exam - studying for two just isn't practical.  =/  As for my A Farewell to Arms essay, I actually didn't use any notes for it - at the time, the book was fresh in my mind, and I just used what I'd gotten out of reading it and what the teacher had pointed out in class.

Oh well we have one text (AFtA) and a movie (Look Both Ways) for the text response area of the exam and two texts for the context area (The Crucible & The Secret River). I hate LBW and don't have time to read all of TSR (even tho it's probably much better for my encountering conflict context). Kinda worried that I might get a really ambiguous question for my chosen text which will jeopardize my entire exam. i.e "Hemingway's female characters are less convincing than his male characters, do you agree?"... how the hell would anyone manage to write a 1,000+ word essay about that?!

Off the top of my head there's enough in AFtA to answer a question like that (compare Catherine and that nurse woman against Frederic, the priest, the drunk guy, etc.) - what really dig into the text whilst making notes, and you should find yourself a bit better off.  If you follow the process I recommend (making notes for all the major "themes" or "strands"), then you shouldn't get a topic that's too ambiguous to answer. 

I just don't get what it means by "less convincing", as in relation to what? the only thing I was able to come up with was to write about the actual author, his era and his background of being a "man's man" which may have influenced his depiction of female characters (I remember him being criticized for his female characters being weak). Although I don't think we're supposed to write about the author till part 2 of the exam :/

You have to define less convincing for yourself, but personally I'd discuss it in terms fo strength of character.  So for instance, Frederic is becomes quite fleshed out and strong as an individual as the novel progresses, but equally, Catherine's determination and love leaves her as a "convincing character".  Then contrast with the rest fo the cast. 
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: m@tty on October 07, 2010, 10:23:25 pm
Can you use both texts for context?
btw Great Post EZ

What Abdi said - my school recommends using two texts, but writing two paragraphs on one and one on the other.

Where do you fit outside examples in? Do you just slot them in the appropriate paragraphs?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 07, 2010, 10:28:51 pm
Pretty much - I usually dedicate a whole paragraph to them.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: m@tty on October 07, 2010, 10:30:43 pm
So you normally do four body paragraphs? Ah, that's how you get 1500 words. Ok.

EDIT: What about text response, 4 body paragraphs there also?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 07, 2010, 10:48:52 pm
Five.  =)
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: m@tty on October 07, 2010, 11:56:02 pm
Five in text response?

They must be quite small paragraphs. What, around 200 words?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: 8039 on October 08, 2010, 12:02:14 am
Five in text response?

They must be quite small paragraphs. What, around 200 words?

Paragraphs shouldn't go longer then 200 words imo
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: kyzoo on October 08, 2010, 04:48:52 pm
>.< My paragraphs are 350 words
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: tram on October 08, 2010, 05:56:42 pm
yeah, my aprs are defs logner than 200 words but i tend to waffle a lot >.<
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Greggler on October 08, 2010, 07:15:07 pm
my bodies are usually 220-300 for text response and lang analysis
270-350 for expos.

I try to, as often as possible, do four for text responses ~1000-1200 words
Most often only do 3 for expos's ~1200-1300 words
And probably 3 for lang analy ~800-1000 words

Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Russ on October 08, 2010, 08:18:57 pm
Paragraphs shouldn't go longer then 200 words imo

200 is a bit short to be the upper limit. Then again, i'm weird and usually end up writing 400 word paragraphs and only having 2 or 3
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 08, 2010, 08:58:20 pm
Five in text response?

They must be quite small paragraphs. What, around 200 words?

Yep, 200 words.  It's even less for me in Lit - I do nine 150 word paragraphs (although Lit is a lot more liberal structure-wise).
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: happyhappyland on October 08, 2010, 09:43:33 pm
I would never do more than 3 paragraphs cos I usually only have three strong ideas. I write around 250 words per paragraph with the first one often longer than the others since I use my strongest idea first.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: Souljette_93 on October 08, 2010, 09:50:50 pm
I always had my standard as four body paragraphs, no less no more. Don't know why though.

How much is roughly ~ 3 pages of writing? is it +1000?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: kyzoo on October 08, 2010, 11:02:57 pm
I always had my standard as four body paragraphs, no less no more. Don't know why though.

How much is roughly ~ 3 pages of writing? is it +1000?

Depends on handwriting. For me 4.5 pages is 1000 words.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: lynt.br on October 09, 2010, 01:10:02 am
Paragraph size and numbers is arbitrary and depends on your personal style of writing. I prefer depth over breadth and like to interrelate ideas, meaning I tend to have a small number of meaty paragraphs. Others, however, are very good at separating their ideas and arguments, or breaking down their arguments into there base components. Both styles are effective so choose whichever you find easier to write.

Also, some food for thought: you might want to consider planning around arguments rather than paragraphs. A lot of students make plans based on what they are going to write about in each paragraph. I was hopeless at this. I would always have one undeveloped paragraph which I thought would have a lot more content than it did and another paragraph which was 500 words long and still didn't feel 'complete'.

What I ended up doing was just dot pointing 3 or 4 main things I wanted to say and then just paragraphed logically. I felt this gave me a lot of freedom as to what I wrote and how much time I spent on each idea. If I liked where a particular line of thought was going then I could devote 2-3 paragraphs on it and not feel like I was ruining my 'plan'. This meant where there was a particularly meaty idea I wanted to discuss, I could give it the attention it deserved and really attack it in detail. Of course, this did require a bit of on the spot improvisation to make sure everything transitioned nicely but I found it more enjoyable than being limited to a plan that I probably wouldn't follow 30 minutes in. For those who want to try something new, it might be worth writing this way a few times and seeing how you like it.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: iffets12345 on October 24, 2010, 09:35:52 pm
Paragraph size and numbers is arbitrary and depends on your personal style of writing. I prefer depth over breadth and like to interrelate ideas, meaning I tend to have a small number of meaty paragraphs. Others, however, are very good at separating their ideas and arguments, or breaking down their arguments into there base components. Both styles are effective so choose whichever you find easier to write.

Also, some food for thought: you might want to consider planning around arguments rather than paragraphs. A lot of students make plans based on what they are going to write about in each paragraph. I was hopeless at this. I would always have one undeveloped paragraph which I thought would have a lot more content than it did and another paragraph which was 500 words long and still didn't feel 'complete'.

What I ended up doing was just dot pointing 3 or 4 main things I wanted to say and then just paragraphed logically. I felt this gave me a lot of freedom as to what I wrote and how much time I spent on each idea. If I liked where a particular line of thought was going then I could devote 2-3 paragraphs on it and not feel like I was ruining my 'plan'. This meant where there was a particularly meaty idea I wanted to discuss, I could give it the attention it deserved and really attack it in detail. Of course, this did require a bit of on the spot improvisation to make sure everything transitioned nicely but I found it more enjoyable than being limited to a plan that I probably wouldn't follow 30 minutes in. For those who want to try something new, it might be worth writing this way a few times and seeing how you like it.

Like you, I just tend to write big paras, even if I can't help myself. I just think "its not enough I can go more"and end up writing extra 10 lines . Sometimes the thing I thopught I had heaps on ironically is less because, well, there's only so much you can say on the BIG things funnily enough.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 27, 2010, 10:49:53 am
Just a global goodluck within the thread - chill out, and remember, take a deep breath, today and tomorrow!
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: taiga on October 27, 2010, 10:58:12 am
Just a global goodluck within the thread - chill out, and remember, take a deep breath, today and tomorrow!

Remember guys if you do badly its okay!


LOL JOKEZ ur parents will kill you and it will ruin your ATAR! YOU WONT GET INTO YOUR COURSE, youll be come homeless!, have no job!, have no friends, and turn to a life of crime!

NO PRESSURE!


oh yeah and on the semi off topic topic of responding to text response topics: I always do 4 no matter what, some examiners are rather superficial and do a "tick the box" sort of marking method, I don't want them to have any reason to say that I haven't gone into depth/breadth when I really have.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: iffets12345 on October 27, 2010, 11:14:07 am
IS IT BAD IF ONE PARA IS EXCESSIVELY SMALLER THAN THE REST
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: EvangelionZeta on October 27, 2010, 11:45:33 am
IS IT BAD IF ONE PARA IS EXCESSIVELY SMALLER THAN THE REST

IT'S OK BUT IT'S NOT ADVISABLE.  BETTER THAN ONE PARAGRAPH BEING EXCESSIVELY LONG THOUGH.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: iffets12345 on October 27, 2010, 12:26:29 pm
really... damn I really need to structure my essays better. I never could write small paragraphs.
Also, would you agree that context is LESS analysis of text, more about ideas and reasoning?
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: m@tty on October 27, 2010, 12:33:20 pm
Also, would you agree that context is LESS analysis of text, more about ideas and reasoning?

Isn't that what's been drilled into you since the beginning of time?

First come YOUR IDEAS, then you draw on relevant textual and other details.

But, of course, you must still critically analyse any evidence you do elect to mention.
Title: Re: EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam
Post by: iffets12345 on October 27, 2010, 01:05:15 pm
Yea well you know, I'm double checking :)