VCE English Question Thread

[seth]

What will happen to the marks if i didnt finish the written explanation of my creative sac? will it drag down my marks by a lot?

The written explanation shouldn't significantly drag down your mark as it only makes up a small portion of the overall SAC. It's more of a support for your actual piece as it explain your choices, so if your creative piece is clear in its direction and ideas, then you shouldn't worry too much about marks lost. Also, do note that English pieces are usually marked holistically, meaning that if from what you have demonstrates an insightful and detailed explanation of your choices, then there's no reason for marks to be deducted.

[NAT0003]

What do i need to do from now until october 2018 to ensure a raw 25+ study score for english. Please help!!!!

[Quantum44]

What do i need to do from now until october 2018 to ensure a raw 25+ study score for english. Please help!!!!

Read lots of quality literature to improve writing style and turn of phrase. Practice text response, language analysis and comparative essays to understand the best way to structure your responses for those formats. Read the texts the year 12s are studying this year multiple times as they will likely be your texts for next year. Regularly read newspaper articles and think about how the author is using language to persuade. This will improve your language analysis and will expose you to issues you may want to speak about for your oral SAC next year.

[NAT0003]

Read lots of quality literature to improve writing style and turn of phrase. Practice text response, language analysis and comparative essays to understand the best way to structure your responses for those formats. Read the texts the year 12s are studying this year multiple times as they will likely be your texts for next year. Regularly read newspaper articles and think about how the author is using language to persuade. This will improve your language analysis and will expose you to issues you may want to speak about for your oral SAC next year.

Thank so you much

[undefined]

hey, probably an obvious question, but is there a place where we can get some feedback on our general english essays? or is it only available for hsc students?

[seth]

hey, probably an obvious question, but is there a place where we can get some feedback on our general english essays? or is it only available for hsc students?

https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?board=406.0

[Gogo14]

I have to do an oral creative for this boys life. I am really stumped on how to present it, and what I can do. I want to recreate a scene from the novel, but dont know how to present it.

[hello friends]

Hello! I have a question regarding the use of the word 'contends' in argument analysis; should I use it? I know some teachers are against it since it's a pretty bland word by definition, but I also see the merit in it that it says "this is the contention" quite clearly. So, opinions? 

(my teacher is fine with me using either contends or a more specific alternative)

Thanks.

[illuminatisky]

Will you lose a lot of marks if you wrote 200 words for a 600-800 word essay

[Syndicate]

Hello! I have a question regarding the use of the word 'contends' in argument analysis; should I use it? I know some teachers are against it since it's a pretty bland word by definition, but I also see the merit in it that it says "this is the contention" quite clearly. So, opinions? 

(my teacher is fine with me using either contends or a more specific alternative)

Thanks.

You would be better off using words that are more descriptive and alludes to the writer's emotions (such as [tone] condemns, castigates, accentuates, decries etc...) as these words are more specific than contends, which is a really general words (From what I know, a lot of students use "contends" or such generic terms in their LA exam) .

Do make sure that you are using the right words in the right context though.

Will you lose a lot of marks if you wrote 200 words for a 600-800 word essay

If you have written a sophisticated piece in 200 words, that explains everything really well, then no. However, if your piece lacks analysis, then you would most likely lose marks. Generally, English teacher marks your piece based on your vocabulary/ grammar, understanding of the text and how well you remain on point through out your essay (so like not going off on tangents).

With a 200-word essay, you are likely to lose a lot marks, as I believe it will not be enough.

[literally lauren]

I have to do an oral creative for this boys life. I am really stumped on how to present it, and what I can do. I want to recreate a scene from the novel, but dont know how to present it.

Could you give us a bit more info on the SAC details? Do you have to deliver an oral from the point of view of one of the characters or something? Is this an individual task or a group one? Is there anything in particular your teacher wants you to address, or anything/anyone you'd be interested in exploring?

Hello! I have a question regarding the use of the word 'contends' in argument analysis; should I use it? I know some teachers are against it since it's a pretty bland word by definition, but I also see the merit in it that it says "this is the contention" quite clearly. So, opinions? 

(my teacher is fine with me using either contends or a more specific alternative)

Thanks.

Defs agree with Syndicate in that if there's a more descriptive word you can use - go for it! However, if you can't think of one, you can bundle the word 'contends' with an adverb describing tone e.g. (the author enthusiastically contends that... the author bitterly contends that... the author sympathetically contends that...)

Will you lose a lot of marks if you wrote 200 words for a 600-800 word essay

It's not that you'd *lose* marks... it's just that you wouldn't be able to gain many since you wouldn't have demonstrated sufficient skills. It's kind of like if someone asked you to judge their cooking abilities when all they've made for you is half a toasted cheese sandwich - maybe it's a great sandwich, but it's not much to go on.

If this is just a hypothetical you're worried about, then suffice it to say that writing 200 words is definitely not enough if you're looking to score more than 3/10. But if this has happened to you in a SAC or a practice essay, consider why you found it difficult to write any more - did you end up wasting time because you didn't know how to word your ideas properly, or did you not understand the text/material in enough detail to talk about it? Hopefully you'll be able to wring more than 200 words out of and prompts/material you get given, but if not, talk to your teacher or let us know if there's anything we can do to help

[Gogo14]

Could you give us a bit more info on the SAC details? Do you have to deliver an oral from the point of view of one of the characters or something? Is this an individual task or a group one? Is there anything in particular your teacher wants you to address, or anything/anyone you'd be interested in exploring?
Defs agree with Syndicate in that if there's a more descriptive word you can use - go for it! However, if you can't think of one, you can bundle the word 'contends' with an adverb describing tone e.g. (the author enthusiastically contends that... the author bitterly contends that... the author sympathetically contends that...)
It's not that you'd *lose* marks... it's just that you wouldn't be able to gain many since you wouldn't have demonstrated sufficient skills. It's kind of like if someone asked you to judge their cooking abilities when all they've made for you is half a toasted cheese sandwich - maybe it's a great sandwich, but it's not much to go on.

If this is just a hypothetical you're worried about, then suffice it to say that writing 200 words is definitely not enough if you're looking to score more than 3/10. But if this has happened to you in a SAC or a practice essay, consider why you found it difficult to write any more - did you end up wasting time because you didn't know how to word your ideas properly, or did you not understand the text/material in enough detail to talk about it? Hopefully you'll be able to wring more than 200 words out of and prompts/material you get given, but if not, talk to your teacher or let us know if there's anything we can do to help

The sac is open ended and I can pretty much present anything. It can also be a group presentation if I want, also my teacher really wants us to explore and extend on the themes in the book. My idea is:
Having Toby hitckhike with a stranger. I want to explore themes of family, identity, and escapism
The problem is that I don't know how to present it

[OOOOO]

Hello VCE friends, I have a question; how are you guys being taught to structure argument analysis essays?

My school is teaching contradicting stuff, on one hand they're claiming that the new course in essence is the old language analysis with just a relabel and a few clarifications, but on the other hand, they're telling me to focus on arguments and start all body paragraphs with a sub-argument. This however is obviously flawed when it comes to comparison with pieces that have 5-6 points. To solve this problem, they've taught to discuss piece 1 solely in the first few paragraphs, ignoring less important arguments if necessary, then do that with piece 2 but with comparisons of piece 1 woven within. I'm a bit iffy with this method though since at its core, we're being assessed on how we compare so it's a bit unwise in my opinion to start doing so only half way through. So, are your schools teaching something different, or the same method as mine? 

Thanks for all help. 

P.S I know I should follow whatever my teachers say in SACs, but I got pretty cool ones that are pretty open minded provided that I can argue the merit of another structure.

[clarke54321]

Hello VCE friends, I have a question; how are you guys being taught to structure argument analysis essays?

My school is teaching contradicting stuff, on one hand they're claiming that the new course in essence is the old language analysis with just a relabel and a few clarifications, but on the other hand, they're telling me to focus on arguments and start all body paragraphs with a sub-argument. This however is obviously flawed when it comes to comparison with pieces that have 5-6 points. To solve this problem, they've taught to discuss piece 1 solely in the first few paragraphs, ignoring less important arguments if necessary, then do that with piece 2 but with comparisons of piece 1 woven within. I'm a bit iffy with this method though since at its core, we're being assessed on how we compare so it's a bit unwise in my opinion to start doing so only half way through. So, are your schools teaching something different, or the same method as mine? 

Thanks for all help. 

P.S I know I should follow whatever my teachers say in SACs, but I got pretty cool ones that are pretty open minded provided that I can argue the merit of another structure.

Hey OOOOO,

My school is also doing your method. I suppose that you analyse the first piece in isolation, as this will generally be the biggest piece and the one which the comparative is based around. For example, an article (the bulk) and then a smaller write in from a reader (in relation to the bulk piece).

And yes, this new addition is, in essence, the old language analysis. VCAA are just trying to formalise the way students set out their work. For example, instead of just having paragraphs centred around single language devices, VCAA are trying to encourage students to take a holistic approach and explain how these language devices support the arguments throughout.

Good luck! 

[Gogo14]

How do you write a written explanation for a creative SAC? Dont know how to structure it and what to include. Thanks