SMH Article on Paper 2 (2 Viewers)

[Not-That-Bright]

When you're making an argument about how english is taught, and saying that we need a greater emphasis on the basics, I think demonstrating the lack of basic skills has some significance to the argument.

 

[_dhj_]

Not really. It doesn't add any weight to the argument that "basic skills" are that important in the first place.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

How doesn't it? If you're saying that basic english skills need to be taught, and people are saying "we lernt that in yr 10", then it definately adds to your argument.

 

[_dhj_]

Well that's based on the assumption that "basic skills" matter at all. I'm saying that it doesn't, since obviously you know what "we lernt that in yr 10" is supposed to read.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Basic skills are important because they strengthen your writing. I dunno how many times last year when I was looking through the stimulous package there were people with strong theoretical answers that simply failed to explain it in a more coherant way because they were lacking more basic english skills.

So while of course I can understand 'we lernt that in yr 10', you would have to assume that someone who often makes mistakes like that is probably going to write similarily in their assignment and have problems conveying their message as well as someone who has got the basics down pact.

The other issue is that as the HSC is a mass-marked exam, having it based on more basic principles rather than more complex theories would make it easier to mark and less of a mind-dump.