How harsh is VCAA's marking?

[PhoenixxFire]

I don't really have any comparison point to know how hard it is to get marks in English.

Like, if you write a complete essay and it's relevant to the prompt and whatever but not brilliant in any way, what sort of mark are they going to give it?

[dashnog]

VCAA never looks for something “brilliant”, because a) that’s subjective and b) it’s impossible to quantify. High scoring essays doesn’t mean they uncover something revolutionary or take a perspective that no one or very few people have taken before. They have set criteria, and if the essay answers the question and is fluent then it will be given a very high mark.

If you want to check essays to see if they will get a high mark, always ask “does this answer the question?” and read it back to yourself (aloud is always best) and see if it makes sense.

I believe I saw a thread around here somewhere that had a direct comparison between a “bad” essay and a “good” essay, although I can’t remember where it is, or even if I’m creating a false memory. Chances are though, you can find easy comparisons and analyses on what makes a “good” essay.

[vceme]

Hey,
I would suggest that you get your teacher to mark your essays so you can get an indication of where you're at. The essays are marked holistically, but I'm pretty sure there's a marking criteria on the VCAA website to guide their marking. I've read essays that VCAA markers have marked as 5 to 10. From that, I think if you are able to write a complete essay that is relevant to the prompt, you'd be expecting 5-7 or even 8, depending on your level of detail and fluency.