Will you get lower marks if you use related texts from study guides? (1 Viewer)

Sanical

SpiderAnderson
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
499
Location
In the middle of Little Italy
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Do you think that a person would get lower if they use a related text from a study guide like excel? I'm guessing a lot of people in the state would have been desperate for a text and just used whatever the study guides have so they don't have to do the hard work. Will the markers catch on this and become tougher when marking these? Is it worth getting a related text 100% spoon-fed from a study guide which many people will use or is it better to use unique related texts?

I'm fail at english so I was going to borrow some study guides and see which one covers the most info on a related text and choose it. Although I'm guessing many people will so I'm not sure if I will be marked toughly because of it
 

Tacitus

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
75
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Absolutely not. If it's not on the official prescribed text list, then nobody will mind.

HSC markers have a professional obligation to mark each essay as an individual piece and not compared to any other submission. Popularity (or simplicity) of a text will not drag down your mark at all if your analysis is clear and relevant to the question.

Good material will always be good material, whether it's from a BOS-sanctioned study guide or if it came to you in a dream.

What makes study guide texts so handy is that they're easier to relate to a wide variety of questions. There's nothing to lose from consulting one.
 

Sanical

SpiderAnderson
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
499
Location
In the middle of Little Italy
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
a lot of people are going to use it so it might be frowned upon
That's what I thought :O

Absolutely not. If it's not on the official prescribed text list, then nobody will mind.

HSC markers have a professional obligation to mark each essay as an individual piece and not compared to any other submission. Popularity (or simplicity) of a text will not drag down your mark at all if your analysis is clear and relevant to the question.

Good material will always be good material, whether it's from a BOS-sanctioned study guide or if it came to you in a dream.

What makes study guide texts so handy is that they're easier to relate to a wide variety of questions. There's nothing to lose from consulting one.
Thanks for that :D
 

Sanical

SpiderAnderson
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
499
Location
In the middle of Little Italy
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Wait, but our teachers want more unique texts. Even if it's a teacher's obligation to mark each essay without bias, I'm sure they're going to mark differently (harshly) to a related text that keeps coming up. I know my teachers hate it when people use similar texts..
 

jnney

lemon
Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
1,437
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
My teacher would say that's frowned upon.
 

determine

Premium Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
631
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
it's not frowned upon as such, but if you do a poor job of it and you basically just regurgitate information that is already in a study guide (and that all the other students doing the same text regurgitate too), then you'll most likely end up getting a lower mark. however, if you do a commonly used text and put your own spin on it, analyse it freshly and contribute your own thoughts and perspectives on the belonging process and how belonging is represented in the text, then I cannot see why you can't penetrate the A range and possibly even score 15/15!
 

Bobbo1

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
971
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
it's not frowned upon as such, but if you do a poor job of it and you basically just regurgitate information that is already in a study guide (and that all the other students doing the same text regurgitate too), then you'll most likely end up getting a lower mark. however, if you do a commonly used text and put your own spin on it, analyse it freshly and contribute your own thoughts and perspectives on the belonging process and how belonging is represented in the text, then I cannot see why you can't penetrate the A range and possibly even score 15/15!
+1
 

Aluminesis

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
54
Gender
Female
HSC
2011
I'm quite sure it's alright. I used one from a study guide and frankly did quite well. As determine said, it's all about how unique your argument is. They can't mark you down for what text you do; it's how well you can analyse it, and how deeply you can make relevant connections to the essay question. If you spill back everything from the study guide, rest assured someone else has the same idea. Try to pick out the text, read/watch it yourself, and analyse it on your own. Then, when you're really stuck or just want to be thorough, read through the study guide's points. Original ideas are important :)
 

Aquawhite

Retiring
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
4,946
Location
Gold Coast
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Uni Grad
2013
I used the film Momento (old prescribed text for Mod C: History and Memory) and MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech from the Standard English course. I used them both in Mod C and got a mark of 18/20 for my essay.

Do it well, the markers won't mind. If you're reiterating the same ideas and concepts and quotes found in study guides, they're not going to like it.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
2,225
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2012
The thing is if you do a popular related text...there are gonna be standouts for these. ie essays on that text that are just so much better. Hence you may be compared to these. But if you do a not-so-well-known text there is nothing to compare to and you will be judged on your own merits.

if that makes any sense
 

Sanical

SpiderAnderson
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
499
Location
In the middle of Little Italy
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Yeah, I think it's better not to use a related text from study guides anymore. I asked my teachers and they said they see it all the time and to do very well, you'd need to have information that aren't found in study guides. Overall, not a good choice if wanting to get an A.
 

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

Top