2014 English Thread! (3 Viewers)

[deswa1]

A well-written essay is one that is well-supported by close textual analysis. According to our teacher, the highest mark an essay without analysis can get is around 15-17. (don't quote me on this...)
Unless the person's written expression is so poor, that they are unable to formulate an articulate response, their mark should not be affected. Most people say simple language is better than sophisticated language, simply because it's easier to read and understand. At the end of the day, what matters most is your ability to get your ideas across to the marker.
(I think... Idk)

Actually I would argue that without analysis you would get significantly lower marks- the entire premise of advanced english is pretty much analysis.

 

[HSC2014]

My hope in english has been restored I'm so bad with using long words, etc

 

[enoilgam]

Actually I would argue that without analysis you would get significantly lower marks- the entire premise of advanced english is pretty much analysis.

Any essay without proper analysis (i.e. a purely descriptive response) should not score higher than a band 4. In uni, if you dont have any analysis you fail.

 

[iEatOysters]

So basically, if you have no analysis, you're dead. D:
Btw, how long is too long for a paragraph?

 

[enoilgam]

So basically, if you have no analysis, you're dead. D:
Btw, how long is too long for a paragraph?

Depends on the length of an essay, but I try and keep them below 350 words (there is no hard and fast rule though).

 

[iEatOysters]

Depends on the length of an essay, but I try and keep them below 350 words (there is no hard and fast rule though).

Is over a page (handwritten) too much? D:

 

[enoilgam]

Is over a page (handwritten) too much? D:

Depends on the size of your writing - but probably not.

 

[iEatOysters]

Depends on the size of your writing - but probably not.

Awesome, thank you!!

 

[HSC2014]

Is over a page (handwritten) too much? D:

wTF? ONE PAGE FOR ONE PARAGRAPH?

 

[enoilgam]

wTF? ONE PAGE FOR ONE PARAGRAPH?

Old HSC writing booklets held an average of 125 words per page - so paragraphs which were over a page in length weren't uncommon. You should go by words not page length.

 

[russ3l]

I'm really curious - what has everyone done so far in English?

(I'll post my marks so you know how much I hate narratives)

- Postcards from No Man's Land (essay) [20/20]
- Kite Runner (Borders --- essay + narrative) [10/10, 12/15]
- Animal Farm (Satire --- narrative) [10/15]
- Macbeth (Shakespeare --- essay + narrative) [19/20, 12/20, not assessment based]
- Ted Hughes (Poetry --- speech) [16/20]

>devastated for getting 19/20 for my Macbeth essay
>devastated because narratives are screwing up my ranking

lol

Those are some great marks! I like to treat narratives like any other text (looking for its technique and effect). Also, we should get used to them, there is more to come! Haha

I've gotten

18/20 for macbeth I lost a mark for careless spelling and words haha

 

[iEatOysters]

Old HSC writing booklets held an average of 125 words per page - so paragraphs which were over a page in length weren't uncommon. You should go by words not page length.

But what if it's over a page on normal lined paper? D:
Would it look "unstructured"?

 

[enoilgam]

But what if it's over a page on normal lined paper? D:
Would it look "unstructured"?

On normal lined paper you could fit in heaps more, so I would imagine that for most, a page would be too much for a single paragraph.

 

[iEatOysters]

On normal lined paper you could fit in heaps more, so I would imagine that for most, a page would be too much for a single paragraph.

Aw man... I guess I'll know next time... Thank you! ^^
Wait, do you normally have 4 paragraphs in an essay?

 

[enoilgam]

Aw man... I guess I'll know next time... Thank you! ^^
Wait, do you normally have 4 paragraphs in an essay?

Well, with a senior essay, you should be writing about 1,000 words. In such an essay, you should be aiming for an intro, 3/4 body paragraphs and a conclusion.

 

[deloving]

Well, with a senior essay, you should be writing about 1,000 words. In such an essay, you should be aiming for an intro, 3/4 body paragraphs and a conclusion.

I thought it was Intro - Body x6 - Conclusion. 40 minutes. 5 minutes per paragraph. At least thats what I've been taught and am aiming towards...

 

[deswa1]

wTF? ONE PAGE FOR ONE PARAGRAPH?

But what if it's over a page on normal lined paper? D:
Would it look "unstructured"?

A lot of my paragraphs are a page long. Consider that if you write 6 page essays then yeah... they will take up space

I thought it was Intro - Body x6 - Conclusion. 40 minutes. 5 minutes per paragraph. At least thats what I've been taught and am aiming towards...

It depends on the essay. Most of mine are Intro - Body x4 - Conclusion but don't be really rigid with the structure. Some essays lend themselves to more paragraphs, some require less. And 5 minutes per paragraph again- depends on the individual paragraph- for some spend longer, some shorter. Like a conclusion should not take 5 minutes

 

[russ3l]

Deswa1 be sure to post your yr 11 essays! And perhaps after the english exam, your hsc ones as well?

 

[StephanieMit]

AHhh! Thanks for putting this thread up! Do you guys know if we are still doing belonging for the HSC?

 

[deswa1]

Yeah I will defs- I'm actually trying to find my year 11 ones lol- I'll upload them when I do.

And yeah, after the english exam, I'll upload some of my HSC essays