How does one get better at short answers in english? (1 Viewer)

v.tex

Active Member
Joined
May 9, 2024
Messages
255
Gender
Male
HSC
2025
I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
 

Masaken

Unknown Member
Joined
May 8, 2021
Messages
1,726
Location
in your walls
Gender
Female
HSC
2023
I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
practise, the more you do them the more you realise how the questions can ask the same thing over and over just with different buzzwords for the rubric and the themes. also the key to short answer is bsing your answer if you don't understand what the text is about - the best thing about short answers is that you can just take the most surface-level idea or analysis and as long as you have quotes and techniques with 'analysis' that you can just bs a link back to the ideas of the question, that grabs you the marks even if you have no idea what the text is about

the one that's stuck with me the most is a 20/20 exemplar i remember seeing ages ago where the q was 'how does the text show winter in [place]?' and the answer the student wrote was 'they show winter by saying what you can do in it'. it's a very simple topic sentence and idea but since it answers the idea it gets the mark and it made me realise that you have to oversimplify your mindset because in essays you're expected to have complex sophisticated ideas and you need to dumb yourself down for short answer
 
Last edited:

iloveeggs

future cat lady <3
Joined
Aug 1, 2023
Messages
841
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
practise, the more you do them the more you realise how the questions can ask the same thing over and over just with different buzzwords for the rubric and the themes. also the key to short answer is bsing your answer if you don't understand what the text is about - the best thing about short answers is that you can just take the most surface-level idea or analysis and as long as you have quotes and techniques with 'analysis' that you can just bs a link back to the ideas of the question, that grabs you the marks even if you have no idea what the text is about

the one that's stuck with me the most is a 20/20 exemplar i remember seeing ages ago where the q was 'how does the text show winter in [place]?' and the answer the student wrote was 'they show winter by saying what you can do in it'. it's a very simple topic sentence and idea but since it answers the idea it gets the mark and it made me realise that you have to oversimplify your mindset because in essays you're expected to have complex sophisticated ideas and you need to dumb yourself down for short answer
i agree with all of this, plus i would suggest maybe looking through the content and syllabus for the modules being tested (just look at the kinds of words and phrases being used). the reason why is bc the short answer is sometimes related to the things they are assessing in your essays as well, but more indirectly, and you an always recycle the type of logic you use in an essay for the short answer.

for example in english advanced this term there is an emphasis on storytelling and challenging worlds in my school and that is what will show up on my essay. if we had short answer id assume that if i got a piece of art/poem or smth like that, that it relates to storytelling in some way. storytelling can refer to the type of techniques they are using, and how they convey their message etc, and obv this translates across to all art. so i can essentially receyle the thesis i might use in an essay on my short answer too. obv not word for word but just the ideas.

this is just smth to think about, if your short answers have nothing to do with your essay stuff ignore this
 
Last edited:

katev3s

New Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2024
Messages
15
Gender
Female
HSC
2023
I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
Easiest way genuinely, is to revise the most common techniques you’ll see in a short answer response or image. I continuously practiced the longer responses as they can automatically fit into short answers. Finding common, yet, sophisticated techniques can really elevate your response. Definitely look at some past papers, specifically the answers. Hope this helps 👍🏻
 

iloveeggs

future cat lady <3
Joined
Aug 1, 2023
Messages
841
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
Easiest way genuinely, is to revise the most common techniques you’ll see in a short answer response or image. I continuously practiced the longer responses as they can automatically fit into short answers. Finding common, yet, sophisticated techniques can really elevate your response. Definitely look at some past papers, specifically the answers. Hope this helps 👍🏻
you guys get sample answers for english?
 

katev3s

New Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2024
Messages
15
Gender
Female
HSC
2023
you guys get sample answers for english?
Yeah we got LOTS of essay samples last year, that’s how I was able to formulate good essays I suppose. But it was also from my hard work. You can check some HSC websites too! I think it’s called ACEHSC? But my HSC days are over… but best wishes! :)
 

iloveeggs

future cat lady <3
Joined
Aug 1, 2023
Messages
841
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
Yeah we got LOTS of essay samples last year, that’s how I was able to formulate good essays I suppose. But it was also from my hard work. You can check some HSC websites too! I think it’s called ACEHSC? But my HSC days are over… but best wishes! :)
thanks!
 

v.tex

Active Member
Joined
May 9, 2024
Messages
255
Gender
Male
HSC
2025
Bruh, I just sat my english exam and it went absolutely terrible. I studied so much for it aswell. Didn’t even answer a 5 marker and it’s out of 40 marks..
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top