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Author Topic: VCE English Question Thread  (Read 847409 times)  Share 

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Dr. Nick

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2160 on: January 07, 2018, 05:46:27 pm »
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Does spelling influence the mark you get in vce english?
Its my greatest weakness... I would consider myself a fairly good writer in terms of essays and stuff but I suck at spelling, will this bring my marks down by a lot?

clarke54321

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2161 on: January 07, 2018, 06:05:30 pm »
+4
Does spelling influence the mark you get in vce english?
Its my greatest weakness... I would consider myself a fairly good writer in terms of essays and stuff but I suck at spelling, will this bring my marks down by a lot?

Hello Dr. Nick,

If you're making the occasional spelling error, then it won't adversely influence your marks. However, if inaccurate spelling becomes a frequent occurrence in your essay, then yes, you're most likely to lose marks. Precise and accurate language application is part of the criteria. And while assessors do not rigidly mark essays with a checklist beside them, they can, from a holistic overview of the essay, gauge your skill in this area.

Here are some links, which outline criteria:

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/exams/english/english-crit-descriptors-w.pdf
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/english/index.aspx#H2N10088 (under the subtitle "support material" click on "advice for teachers")

All the very best :)
« Last Edit: January 07, 2018, 06:15:05 pm by clarke54321 »
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snowisawesome

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2162 on: January 08, 2018, 05:09:56 pm »
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Does anyone know what it means when we have to give a brief explanation of a quote? Like what do we need to specifically talk about etc?

clarke54321

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2163 on: January 08, 2018, 05:26:45 pm »
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Does anyone know what it means when we have to give a brief explanation of a quote? Like what do we need to specifically talk about etc?

Hello!

When you say ‘brief explanation of a quote,’ do you mean in terms of an essay? Or is this a homework task?

If this is a homework task, perhaps your teacher is looking for you to pull out the main view/value of the evidence snippet. What is the main idea that is coming through? In an essay, a brief explanation may mean providing some context to the evidence.

We may be able to help you out more if you can clarify your question :)
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snowisawesome

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2164 on: January 08, 2018, 05:29:24 pm »
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Hello!

When you say ‘brief explanation of a quote,’ do you mean in terms of an essay? Or is this a homework task?

If this is a homework task, perhaps your teacher is looking for you to pull out the main view/value of the evidence snippet. What is the main idea that is coming through? In an essay, a brief explanation may mean providing some context to the evidence.

We may be able to help you out more if you can clarify your question :)
It's a homework task, so would that make a difference?
Thanks

Sine

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2165 on: January 08, 2018, 05:32:49 pm »
+1
homework task would mean less of a context in contrast to using it within an essay.
For your task try to explain the possible interpretations of the quote and any ideas you can synthesise from it.

ilikenoodlez

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2166 on: January 08, 2018, 10:16:55 pm »
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Is it necessary to read your english books? I've finished reading the Crucible and 1/3 of the way with Left Hand of Darkness and I honestly can't tell if my understanding of the texts has improved compared to when i only read the online summaries. I'm also a slow reader and it takes me ages to finish a book, and english is really boring for me even though i try to enjoy it

Sine

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2167 on: January 08, 2018, 10:33:47 pm »
+1
How is it possible to gain a deeper understanding of texts without the proper resources? For example, I'm going to have to write a creative piece on 'Like a House on Fire' by Cate Kennedy, and I haven't come across any resources online that could help me gain a better understanding about the short stories in her novel.

Also, on a different note, how important is it to include historical context in essays? I've started to do this as a habit, but is it always required?

Thanks.
As for historical context it's quite useful to show the asessor that the piece of work was not done in isolation and obviously influenced by exterior sources. I used to try to include a little bit of history whilst I introduced the text. (text response)

lovelyperson

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2168 on: January 08, 2018, 11:01:55 pm »
+1
How is it possible to gain a deeper understanding of texts without the proper resources? For example, I'm going to have to write a creative piece on 'Like a House on Fire' by Cate Kennedy, and I haven't come across any resources online that could help me gain a better understanding about the short stories in her novel.

Also, on a different note, how important is it to include historical context in essays? I've started to do this as a habit, but is it always required?

Thanks.

to get a better understanding, talk about it with other people. challenge each other's interpretation, question your own. just keep asking yourself why? how? what if? what does this mean? resources will only get you so far; your own thinking and interpretation will get you there.

historical context is only important when relevant. don't just plonk it in for the sake of it.

clarke54321

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2169 on: January 09, 2018, 06:35:00 am »
+3
Is it necessary to read your english books? I've finished reading the Crucible and 1/3 of the way with Left Hand of Darkness and I honestly can't tell if my understanding of the texts has improved compared to when i only read the online summaries. I'm also a slow reader and it takes me ages to finish a book, and english is really boring for me even though i try to enjoy it

Hello!

Unfortunately, reading texts in English is a necessity. This can be especially difficult when a text is boring, or is written in an odd style. Like yourself, I’ve always found that the online summaries make a text clearer (on the first reading). But this is generally in terms of plot only. All originality and nuanced ideas will stem from your own close reading of a text, meaning that it is fundamental that you read them yourself. Of course there are analyses available online, relating to symbolism/imagery/plot analysis. However, half of the state will be privy to this information, making it very difficult for you to set yourself apart.

To ensure that you don’t grow bored too quickly, try and set yourself allocated page numbers each day. Eg. Today I will read 20 pages of text X. And when you allocate yourself these pages, commit to being fully absorbed in the text. Annotate it, ask yourself questions about it, or write some notes beside yourself. This should ensure full engagement, and make it easier for you to understand the text.

All the best :)

How is it possible to gain a deeper understanding of texts without the proper resources? For example, I'm going to have to write a creative piece on 'Like a House on Fire' by Cate Kennedy, and I haven't come across any resources online that could help me gain a better understanding about the short stories in her novel.

Also, on a different note, how important is it to include historical context in essays? I've started to do this as a habit, but is it always required?

Thanks.

Hello!

Lovelyperson and Sine have already provided some fantastic advice, but I’ll just add some further ideas!

To gain a deeper understanding, I really recommend that you go through each short story and highlight important (only important) phrases or words that you think are central to either a character or certain theme. Once you’ve done this, transfer these highlighted segments onto a word document, where beneath each of them, you can carry out a 2-3 sentence analysis. Now, this analysis does not need to be in full academic English. It can be as simple as you finding the main view/value, asking questions, unearthing strange traits of a character. Although this task can become tedious at times, it will elevate your perspicacity by 10. You’ll start finding links that you’ve previously never come across, illuminating aspects of characters that were never clear, or establishing a deeper understanding of the author’s intent/style (a critical element for the creative response).

In relation to historical context, it’s always nice to weave elements throughout your essay. But as lovelyperson and Sine have mentioned, don’t turn this into a history lesson for the examiner. They are aware of a text’s background. All they want to know is that you can effectively link textual elements to context, and analyse the significance of this.

Hope this helps :)
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 06:58:11 am by clarke54321 »
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snowisawesome

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2170 on: January 09, 2018, 12:05:04 pm »
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https://www.shmoop.com/1984/book-2-chapter-9-quotes-2.html


In Oceania at the present day, Science, in the old sense, has almost ceased to exist. In Newspeak there is no word for "Science." The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc. And even technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for the diminution of human liberty.

I was getting quotes from 1984 and the website says that the above is a quote, but in the book it's not in inverted commas, so is it really a quote?
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 12:09:15 pm by snowisawesome »

Sine

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2171 on: January 09, 2018, 12:10:24 pm »
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https://www.shmoop.com/1984/book-2-chapter-9-quotes-2.html


In Oceania at the present day, Science, in the old sense, has almost ceased to exist. In Newspeak there is no word for "Science." The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc. And even technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for the diminution of human liberty.

I was getting quotes from 1984 and the website says that the above is a quote, also in the book it's not in inverted commas, so is it really a quote?
you can pick out anything from the book and use as a quote. When you are quoting something you yourself input the inverted commas to show that it is not yours originally.

snowisawesome

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2172 on: January 09, 2018, 12:14:26 pm »
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you can pick out anything from the book and use as a quote. When you are quoting something you yourself input the inverted commas to show that it is not yours originally.
But isn't there a difference between picking out anything from the book as a quote and someone speaking in the book as a quote?

clarke54321

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2173 on: January 09, 2018, 01:22:26 pm »
+2
But isn't there a difference between picking out anything from the book as a quote and someone speaking in the book as a quote?

If you’re quoting something that has already been quoted in the text (meta), then add double marks, “ “, within the normal single marks, ‘ ‘. Here is a fantastic resource from UniMelb, which clarifies all these quotation concerns: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/529776/Using_quotation_marks_Update_051112.pdf
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snowisawesome

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Re: VCE English Question Thread
« Reply #2174 on: January 12, 2018, 03:25:05 pm »
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Is it generally possible to memorise essays and then fit it to the specific topic/prompt on a sac?