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March 29, 2024, 08:51:29 pm

Author Topic: English Advanced Question Thread  (Read 1231960 times)

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angewina_naguen

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4620 on: May 19, 2020, 11:25:39 pm »
+1
Hi, angewina_naguen,

I'm really sorry - I'm a QCE student so I don't really know much about the HSC curriculum! However, I was just trying to give my advice of what I would do in this situation so hopefully, it does help to an extent but thanks so much for contributing to this question as I'm sure your response would be more in-depth and more related to the HSC curriculum than mine oops.

Hopefully, that clears my opinion up a bit.

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

Hey!

Not a problem at all! All advice is welcomed here on the forums regardless what syllabus you are doing and what level of experience you have. That's the beauty of such a cooperative space like this!

If you're ever unsure, you can always just write at the end of your suggestions "I'm not a HSC/VCE student but hopefully that helps and someone who is more familiar with your situation can provide some further clarity!" The more help someone gets, the better! 

Angelina  ;D
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jessica.ngo

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4621 on: June 18, 2020, 08:19:28 pm »
0
Hi all,
I have to write an essay on Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning. My question is a 'to what extent' type of question but I have no idea on how to approach these types of questions. Please help me!! Thankyou so much!

Chocolatepistachio

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4622 on: June 18, 2020, 08:58:02 pm »
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When answering a to what extent type of question If the question is asking to what extent do you agree with the statement you could say to a certain extent, or you could say to a great extent or something like that

alice343

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4623 on: June 18, 2020, 09:19:40 pm »
+4
When answering a to what extent type of question If the question is asking to what extent do you agree with the statement you could say to a certain extent, or you could say to a great extent or something like that

Hey Chocolatepistachio,

When it comes to 'to what extent' questions, it isn't necessarily asking you to provide a direct answer like 'to a significant extent'. The way that my teacher explained it to me was that you can express your answer in a more sophisticated manner by using high modal language and other ways of wording your thesis that indicates the extent to which you agree with the statement. I hope this helps!

Alice
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s110820

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4624 on: June 19, 2020, 12:54:16 pm »
+3
Hey Chocolatepistachio,

When it comes to 'to what extent' questions, it isn't necessarily asking you to provide a direct answer like 'to a significant extent'. The way that my teacher explained it to me was that you can express your answer in a more sophisticated manner by using high modal language and other ways of wording your thesis that indicates the extent to which you agree with the statement. I hope this helps!

Alice

Elaborating on Alice's brilliant advice, in order to effectively answer a to-what extent question, you need to construct a nuanced and discerning thesis prior to analysing the texts. To write a nuanced and discerning thesis, please use the advice below:

•    The names of both authors/composers and the titles of each of their text.
•    A distinguishable relationship/coherent thread between both of the texts -> how one text affects the other in terms of its themes and main ideas. It is also important to analyse both perspectives (one of each text), rather than just one.
•    A clear and “straight to the point” thesis where the most important parts of the key question should be explicitly mentioned and as specific as possible.
•    And an overview of what you will be arguing.

An example of a nuanced and simple thesis would be:

Hence, despite Shakespeare’s “positive” narrative of human behaviour in The Tempest, Atwood takes a more pragmatic approach to the representation of grief and trauma. For example, Atwood mirrors the readers’ social and psychological milieu to construct how the characteristics of vengeance, power and metaphorical “imprisonment” will always characterise human behaviour.

Hopefully, this helps :)

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

QUT 2021 - Bachelor of Education (Primary).

jasminerulez9

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4625 on: June 22, 2020, 10:17:13 pm »
0
Can someone please help me out with an assessment task that requires me to critically analyse the theme of life and death in David Maloufs Earth Hour ( Radiance, Aquarius, Ladybird etc..)- we need to only talk about two poems.

twelftholmes

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4626 on: June 25, 2020, 09:45:55 am »
0
Hey!
I wanted to ask someone's opinion before I plan on doing this because I'm not sure if it's the right thing.

So so far this year for module C my texts are The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Spotty-Handed Villainesses by Margaret Atwood, however I've spent maybe 90% of my study for module C on The Awakening and have basically neglected Atwood's speech. I'm really  happy with my The Awakening notes and I've written a few imaginatives with it. I feel like I know the techniques and style generally well.

What I'm not sure about is if I should just not study Atwood's speech at all, since at this point in the year it may be a waste of time. I feel like to study it as well as I studied Chopin would consume a large amount of time that I could spend on the other english modules or even my other subjects (which like most people I enjoy much more than english  ;D )

However my conundrum is that I think NESA may prescribe two texts for a reason. The Awakening is much better when used for imaginatives, and I think Spotty-Handed Villanesses is better when used for persuasives or discursives. What if in the HSC there comes a question or stimulus that would be better suited for a discursive or persuasive rather than an imaginative? In that case I would be lost because my only experience is with imaginatives and Chopin's work. I could still use that I think but I doubt it would be   the greatest haha.

What should I do? Should I leave Spotty-Handed Villanesses and just spend my time now practicing imaginatives for The Awakening?

I hope this makes sense, thanks in advance for any thoughts.
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alice343

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4627 on: June 25, 2020, 07:41:28 pm »
+3
Hey!
I wanted to ask someone's opinion before I plan on doing this because I'm not sure if it's the right thing.

So so far this year for module C my texts are The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Spotty-Handed Villainesses by Margaret Atwood, however I've spent maybe 90% of my study for module C on The Awakening and have basically neglected Atwood's speech. I'm really  happy with my The Awakening notes and I've written a few imaginatives with it. I feel like I know the techniques and style generally well.

What I'm not sure about is if I should just not study Atwood's speech at all, since at this point in the year it may be a waste of time. I feel like to study it as well as I studied Chopin would consume a large amount of time that I could spend on the other english modules or even my other subjects (which like most people I enjoy much more than english  ;D )

However my conundrum is that I think NESA may prescribe two texts for a reason. The Awakening is much better when used for imaginatives, and I think Spotty-Handed Villanesses is better when used for persuasives or discursives. What if in the HSC there comes a question or stimulus that would be better suited for a discursive or persuasive rather than an imaginative? In that case I would be lost because my only experience is with imaginatives and Chopin's work. I could still use that I think but I doubt it would be   the greatest haha.

What should I do? Should I leave Spotty-Handed Villanesses and just spend my time now practicing imaginatives for The Awakening?

I hope this makes sense, thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Hey twelftholmes !

I'm also studying Spotty Handed Villainesses for Mod C. I think it is a good idea to study it, it's always good to have a range of texts where you can source different features and ideas from. It is such a strong example of a discursive that I think it would disadvantage you to solely look at Chopin's text (I don't know if you are studying the entire text or just an extract - but it is imaginative).
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angewina_naguen

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4628 on: June 25, 2020, 10:54:46 pm »
+3
Hey!
I wanted to ask someone's opinion before I plan on doing this because I'm not sure if it's the right thing.

So so far this year for module C my texts are The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Spotty-Handed Villainesses by Margaret Atwood, however I've spent maybe 90% of my study for module C on The Awakening and have basically neglected Atwood's speech. I'm really  happy with my The Awakening notes and I've written a few imaginatives with it. I feel like I know the techniques and style generally well.

What I'm not sure about is if I should just not study Atwood's speech at all, since at this point in the year it may be a waste of time. I feel like to study it as well as I studied Chopin would consume a large amount of time that I could spend on the other english modules or even my other subjects (which like most people I enjoy much more than english  ;D )

However my conundrum is that I think NESA may prescribe two texts for a reason. The Awakening is much better when used for imaginatives, and I think Spotty-Handed Villanesses is better when used for persuasives or discursives. What if in the HSC there comes a question or stimulus that would be better suited for a discursive or persuasive rather than an imaginative? In that case I would be lost because my only experience is with imaginatives and Chopin's work. I could still use that I think but I doubt it would be   the greatest haha.

What should I do? Should I leave Spotty-Handed Villanesses and just spend my time now practicing imaginatives for The Awakening?

I hope this makes sense, thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Hey, twelftholmes!

I agree with alice343's advice and definitely think you should prepare for the possibility that you might have to justify how both your Module C prescribed texts have influenced your writing. However, I would almost argue that you don't actually have to study SPV in depth in order to incorporate it effectively in a written response. How you view your texts in Module C is different to the other modules; instead of analysing it to justify a point, you're using the texts to catalyse your own creative endeavours. The connections you make to SPV can be more in terms of effect. You could, for example, incorporate high modality in the voice of your discursive response since it is a key feature for Atwood. I would then discuss how, similar to Atwood, the effect of high modality is to strengthen the perspectives being explored within the text and generate a more convincing argument. The discursive itself could be on literally nothing at all related to SPV but as long as you can draw inspiration from the way Atwood has constructed meaning and ideas in her text, you will be able to do just fine!

Hope that helps and let us know if you have any further concerns!

Angelina  ;D
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pine-apple01320

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4629 on: July 03, 2020, 12:37:47 pm »
0
Hi,

Sorry I just had a few questions but I'm not sure if they have been previously answered on here:
1. Do you get marked down for having long paragraphs that go over like 2 pages? When its typed and I submit it for feedback teachers don't say anything but comment on it on my papers?
2. Would you recommend having pre-prepared essays to go in?
3. Is it better to analyse every quote in the paragraph or is it better to have more quotes and have then 'integrated' as part of the argument?
4. How do you best prepare for Mod C?

angewina_naguen

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4630 on: July 03, 2020, 01:50:44 pm »
+5
Hi,

Sorry I just had a few questions but I'm not sure if they have been previously answered on here:
1. Do you get marked down for having long paragraphs that go over like 2 pages? When its typed and I submit it for feedback teachers don't say anything but comment on it on my papers?
2. Would you recommend having pre-prepared essays to go in?
3. Is it better to analyse every quote in the paragraph or is it better to have more quotes and have then 'integrated' as part of the argument?
4. How do you best prepare for Mod C?

Hey, pine-apple01320!

Never apologise for asking too many questions  :) That's how you get answers and learn! Here are my thoughts  :D

- It is a common myth that markers will do this but I can guarantee you will never marked down for anything. HSC markers are trained to give, not deduct, marks. Some schools don't follow this and deduct marks for things like handwriting, long paragraphs etc. but I can assure you that you will not be marked down for anything in the HSC. That being said, paragraphs that go over 2 pages are a bit extensive for Advanced English (going over 2 pages was normal for me in Extension but most of my paragraphs in Advanced were a page long or just a bit over). See if you could structure your essay with more paragraphs. If, for example, you have two super long body paragraphs, you might consider splitting it into three or four paragraphs and introducing two other themes for discussion. As long as your paragraphs are balanced in length and quality (so not having one ridiculously long and the other with barely anything), I doubt there will be a problem with it.

- Absolutely not. The new syllabus is designed to completely negate pre-prepared essays. I would recommend constructing flexible essay plans and notes for your textual evidence but the majority of your practice and study in lead up to your Trials and HSC exams should be application-based. Try to expose yourself to as many different questions as possible and simulate timed conditions when attempting responses for them. This is how you can best figure out your areas of strength and in need of improvement for the subject. Submit those responses as well to your teacher for feedback or engage in peer marking so you and your friends can hold yourselves accountable.

- I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this question but I'm assuming that you're asking about how quotes should be used. Your quotes are being analysed in order to prove an argument that has stemmed from your thesis. Your analysis needs to support the idea you are exploring in the paragraph and be integrated within it in a way that when you read it aloud, it sounds like a flowing discussion. I've attached a sample below to illustrate what I mean using Great Expectations from Module B. I hope this illustrates it effectively!

Sample Body Paragraph (Great Expectations)
Central to the text’s enduring value is the empowering portrayal of personal memories. Reflecting on one’s history in retrospection can reveal the impact of one's experiences over the duration of their life. Dickens facilitates this exchange between past and present with his masterful manipulation with tense as Pip narrates what “was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me.” Distinctively highlighted with the epistrophe “me”, the recollection Pip shares to the reader creates a foundation for the commonality of memory to arise. A successive shift to what “is the same with any life” orients readers with present tense to the immediate context, transcending the Victorian era of the text’s conception and manifesting his words in our own context. With authorial intrusion, “Pause you who read this”, the second person plural pronoun engages the readers in a dialogue Dickens has intentionally constructed with his reflective protagonist. The author successfully motivates readers to consider the metaphorical “long chain” of memories and their lasting impact on the individual currently. This alliance with the past, in turn, “invites readers to anticipate the future of the story and... is capable of raising the reader’s feeling for the future as well.” (Daniel Tyler, 2011) Thus, the academic longevity of Great Expectations invariably lies in how Dickens illuminates the continual significance of our personal experiences and the empowering quality of introspection today and across time.

- Even if you have prepared a creative/discursive/persuasive/informative piece of writing for this module, I would argue the same with Module C in that you should expose yourself to a variety of stimuli and attempt practice questions. Doing this can enable you to consider alternative angles for your writing and prepare for different scenarios. You can actually use past HSC creative writing questions in the Discovery Area of Study module for practice; it's just important to remember that you need to remain fixed on a "craft of writing" mindset when attempting them. I have also linked the Trials and HSC Revision Practice Questions I wrote for Standard here if you wanted to attempt either the Common Module or Craft of Writing questions  :D

Hope these help but let me know if there was anything you wanted me to elaborate more on!

Angelina  ;D
« Last Edit: July 03, 2020, 01:54:44 pm by angewina_naguen »
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pine-apple01320

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4631 on: July 03, 2020, 02:53:24 pm »
0
Hey, pine-apple01320!

Never apologise for asking too many questions  :) That's how you get answers and learn! Here are my thoughts  :D

- It is a common myth that markers will do this but I can guarantee you will never marked down for anything. HSC markers are trained to give, not deduct, marks. Some schools don't follow this and deduct marks for things like handwriting, long paragraphs etc. but I can assure you that you will not be marked down for anything in the HSC. That being said, paragraphs that go over 2 pages are a bit extensive for Advanced English (going over 2 pages was normal for me in Extension but most of my paragraphs in Advanced were a page long or just a bit over). See if you could structure your essay with more paragraphs. If, for example, you have two super long body paragraphs, you might consider splitting it into three or four paragraphs and introducing two other themes for discussion. As long as your paragraphs are balanced in length and quality (so not having one ridiculously long and the other with barely anything), I doubt there will be a problem with it.

- Absolutely not. The new syllabus is designed to completely negate pre-prepared essays. I would recommend constructing flexible essay plans and notes for your textual evidence but the majority of your practice and study in lead up to your Trials and HSC exams should be application-based. Try to expose yourself to as many different questions as possible and simulate timed conditions when attempting responses for them. This is how you can best figure out your areas of strength and in need of improvement for the subject. Submit those responses as well to your teacher for feedback or engage in peer marking so you and your friends can hold yourselves accountable.

- I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this question but I'm assuming that you're asking about how quotes should be used. Your quotes are being analysed in order to prove an argument that has stemmed from your thesis. Your analysis needs to support the idea you are exploring in the paragraph and be integrated within it in a way that when you read it aloud, it sounds like a flowing discussion. I've attached a sample below to illustrate what I mean using Great Expectations from Module B. I hope this illustrates it effectively!

Sample Body Paragraph (Great Expectations)
Central to the text’s enduring value is the empowering portrayal of personal memories. Reflecting on one’s history in retrospection can reveal the impact of one's experiences over the duration of their life. Dickens facilitates this exchange between past and present with his masterful manipulation with tense as Pip narrates what “was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me.” Distinctively highlighted with the epistrophe “me”, the recollection Pip shares to the reader creates a foundation for the commonality of memory to arise. A successive shift to what “is the same with any life” orients readers with present tense to the immediate context, transcending the Victorian era of the text’s conception and manifesting his words in our own context. With authorial intrusion, “Pause you who read this”, the second person plural pronoun engages the readers in a dialogue Dickens has intentionally constructed with his reflective protagonist. The author successfully motivates readers to consider the metaphorical “long chain” of memories and their lasting impact on the individual currently. This alliance with the past, in turn, “invites readers to anticipate the future of the story and... is capable of raising the reader’s feeling for the future as well.” (Daniel Tyler, 2011) Thus, the academic longevity of Great Expectations invariably lies in how Dickens illuminates the continual significance of our personal experiences and the empowering quality of introspection today and across time.

- Even if you have prepared a creative/discursive/persuasive/informative piece of writing for this module, I would argue the same with Module C in that you should expose yourself to a variety of stimuli and attempt practice questions. Doing this can enable you to consider alternative angles for your writing and prepare for different scenarios. You can actually use past HSC creative writing questions in the Discovery Area of Study module for practice; it's just important to remember that you need to remain fixed on a "craft of writing" mindset when attempting them. I have also linked the Trials and HSC Revision Practice Questions I wrote for Standard here if you wanted to attempt either the Common Module or Craft of Writing questions  :D

Hope these help but let me know if there was anything you wanted me to elaborate more on!

Angelina  ;D

Thank you very much for your help :) just one more thing - for Mod B We're doing Eliot - just wondering if the question doesn't specify how many poems would you write on and would you integrate the paragraphs with the different poems?

angewina_naguen

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4632 on: July 05, 2020, 01:36:02 pm »
+4
Thank you very much for your help :) just one more thing - for Mod B We're doing Eliot - just wondering if the question doesn't specify how many poems would you write on and would you integrate the paragraphs with the different poems?

Hey again!

Great question! You should work with either two or three poems; there's no "better" option because it depends on more how you choose to structure it. If you want to go for a non-integrated approach, you would structure it like this. Most students who do T.S Eliot work with this structure.

Structure 1
Introduction
Body 1- Theme 1, Poem 1
Body 2- Theme 2, Poem 2
Body 3- Theme 3, Poem 3
Conclusion

However, if you want to go with an integrated approach, you could have it something similar to this. This allows more synthesis and comparison to be facilitated between the texts within the paragraph.

Structure 2
Introduction
Body 1- Theme 1, Poem 1 + Poem 2
Body 2- Theme 2, Poem 2 + Poem 3
Body 3- Theme 3, Poem 1+ Poem 3
Conclusion

Alternatively, you could also go with a semi-integrated structure with four paragraphs instead. With this structure, you only need two themes to make it work. With this, you're still comparing the texts with one another under shared arguments but allowing for independent analysis to be conducted.

Structure 3
Introduction
Body 1- Theme 1, Poem 1
Body 2- Theme 1, Poem 2
Body 3- Theme 2. Poem 1
Body 4- Theme 2, Poem 2
Conclusion

I have used all three of these structures myself in my HSC and found them all effective in their own way. I personally would recommend the semi-integrated structure because it found it more manageable under exam conditions. I could really develop my two arguments with those themes and ensure both of my texts were being equally discussed and linked to one another. You can always adapt your structure to the question, especially if they specify a poem or how many poems you need to use. Try them out in your Trials practice and study to see what works best for you  :D Hope this helps!

Angelina  ;D
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SIP0002

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4633 on: July 14, 2020, 12:32:27 pm »
0
Hi,

I was wondering if I could send you some of my writing pieces and then you can edit it and give me tips on how I can improve.

This would be much appreciated. Thanks.

angewina_naguen

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Re: English Advanced Question Thread
« Reply #4634 on: July 15, 2020, 04:19:53 pm »
+1
Hi,

I was wondering if I could send you some of my writing pieces and then you can edit it and give me tips on how I can improve.

This would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hey, SIP0002!

Welcome to the forums! I am in a bit of a busy period with work so I'll have to very kindly decline. However, you definitely could post anything you want to be marked to the HSC Marking and Feedback Thread  :D Apologies that I couldn't be of more help but if you do have any more general questions about English Advanced, feel free to ask here in this space!

Angelina  ;D
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