Scoring 96+ HSC Mark in Advanced English (1 Viewer)

[superstar12]

Can someone provide tips on how to score 96+ HSC mark in Advanced English?

 

[astroman]

STUDY
get essay's checked by all your teachers to get a lot of opinions.
make sure you master one essay before starting a new one.
revise and know all HSC terminology

 

[study1234]

In addition to answering the question, you need to be able to write with both flair and sophistication.

 

[randomly_generated]

practice

 

[superstar12]

What kind of practice should I be doing?

 

[randomly_generated]

past papers; and a lot of them

 

[superstar12]

But the thing is, I'm doing Advanced English in 2015, the year in which all the prescriptions change, and hence no more past papers. What should I do then?

 

[Machiavelli1]

past papers; and a lot of them

Don't do them if they aren't being marked, as you won't improve.

 

[randomly_generated]

But the thing is, I'm doing Advanced English in 2015, the year in which all the prescriptions change, and hence no more past papers. What should I do then?

no more "past papers" is not a logical reason or a reason for all at that matter. The maths 3U paper changed in 2012 but does that mean everyone before that is completely invalid? -> no it doesn't

what you can do is take the question like "belonging is about exploration" discuss the statement with reference to (blah) and change it to "discovery is about exploration" discuss the statement with reference to (blah blah)

Don't do them if they aren't being marked, as you won't improve.

well yeah. I am sure if you give like one or two to your english teacher (or post it on the forums) then it will get marked and you can get some feedback

 

[superstar12]

no more "past papers" is not a logical reason or a reason for all at that matter. The maths 3U paper changed in 2012 but does that mean everyone before that is completely invalid? -> no it doesn't

what you can do is take the question like "belonging is about exploration" discuss the statement with reference to (blah) and change it to "discovery is about exploration" discuss the statement with reference to (blah blah)

But haven't Modules A & C changed their syllabus rubric too?

Also, do most 96+ Advanced English students often use analysis from school/book resources, or do create their own original analysis?

 

[study1234]

But haven't Modules A & C changed their syllabus rubric too?

Also, do most 96+ Advanced English students often use analysis from school/book resources, or do create their own original analysis?

Most state rankers and high Band 6-ers use original analysis to set themselves apart from the rest of the cohort, who are using generic analysis.

Not sure how you solve the problem of the lack of past papers though.

 

[superstar12]

Most state rankers and high Band 6-ers use original analysis to set themselves apart from the rest of the cohort, who are using generic analysis.

Not sure how you solve the problem of the lack of past papers though.

Alright, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, because it's a new syllabus as well.

Also, I've read a lot of my friends' essays who score high marks, but some of them write in a very convoluted manner. This conflicts with what my teacher has been telling us (which is to write in a clear, straightforward manner so the marker can understand). What should I be doing?

 

[faisalabdul16]

Alright, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, because its a new syllabus as well.

Also, I've read a lot of my friend's essays who score high marks, but some of them write in a very convoluted manner. This conflicts with what my teacher has been telling us (which is to write in a clear, straightforward manner so the marker can understand). What should I be doing?

Your essays should be sophisticated, fluent and demonstrating a large vocab. Your teacher is advising you to steer away from the common mistakes students make by finding synonyms for simple words and changing them to long, complex words (trying to make their essays seem as if it is top shit) when in reality it doesn't make sense. I think that's what your teacher is trying to say.

 

[moonshoes]

Alright, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, because its a new syllabus as well.

Also, I've read a lot of my friend's essays who score high marks, but some of them write in a very convoluted manner. This conflicts with what my teacher has been telling us (which is to write in a clear, straightforward manner so the marker can understand). What should I be doing?

Don't fall under the impression of wordiness=higher marks. A lot of the time this style of writing sounds pretentious and reads terribly.


If you read a sentence and feel like you need to come up for air half way through, it's probably too wordy.

 

[superstar12]

Don't fall under the impression of wordiness=higher marks. A lot of the time this style of writing sounds pretentious and reads terribly.


If you read a sentence and feel like you need to come up for air half way through, it's probably too wordy.

Thanks for the great tips faisalabdul16 and moonshoes! Much appreciated

About how long should each sentence be? Would it vary for topic/concluding sentences and analysis in body paragraphs?

 

[obliviousninja]

Yoro sweg

 

[Mdyeow]

Around 25 words, or however much sounds right when you read it aloud. Remembering of course the Orwellian rule about rules.

The best way to get around the issue of no past papers is to set yourself your own questions. This in fact helps align your thinking with what the unit's covering - you're essentially having to pretend to be the examiner, and thus think about what the examiner is looking for as a result.

You don't need a large vocab to score well. Just write in a way that makes sense. For more sophisticated arguments and syntheses, you will likely require more precise terminology - but you're not going to get points simply for calling a spade a low-capacitance entrenchment device.

A note on techniques: the words that we call "techniques" (like metaphor, simile, tricolon) are not just long-ass BS terms that you shove willy-nilly into your essay like pins into a Barbie doll. They are, in fact, shorthand - for common devices that a lot of authors use as part of their works. So "metaphor", for example, is shorthand for "saying that one thing is actually another, which emphasises similarities between the two which may be unusual or otherwise less apparent than usual". You're speaking in a common code which all academics in English literature understand and implicitly agree to uphold as a standard. In other words, you only use techniques when they function as the most precise and concise descriptor of what's going on in a particular bit of text, not as filler or pseudo-intellectual fluff.

Techniques often get described cynically in this forum, but they do have a very useful function.

 

[superstar12]

Around 25 words, or however much sounds right when you read it aloud. Remembering of course the Orwellian rule about rules.

The best way to get around the issue of no past papers is to set yourself your own questions. This in fact helps align your thinking with what the unit's covering - you're essentially having to pretend to be the examiner, and thus think about what the examiner is looking for as a result.

You don't need a large vocab to score well. Just write in a way that makes sense. For more sophisticated arguments and syntheses, you will likely require more precise terminology - but you're not going to get points simply for calling a spade a low-capacitance entrenchment device.

A note on techniques: the words that we call "techniques" (like metaphor, simile, tricolon) are not just long-ass BS terms that you shove willy-nilly into your essay like pins into a Barbie doll. They are, in fact, shorthand - for common devices that a lot of authors use as part of their works. So "metaphor", for example, is shorthand for "saying that one thing is actually another, which emphasises similarities between the two which may be unusual or otherwise less apparent than usual". You're speaking in a common code which all academics in English literature understand and implicitly agree to uphold as a standard. In other words, you only use techniques when they function as the most precise and concise descriptor of what's going on in a particular bit of text, not as filler or pseudo-intellectual fluff.

Techniques often get described cynically in this forum, but they do have a very useful function.

WOW, this is amazing advice. Thanks so much!

Also, what is your stance on memorising essays?

 

[wonderer]

THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD ALL WORK TOGETHER AND SHARE IDEAS AND NOTES AND EVEN SCHOOL PAPERS MAYBE ON DISCOVERY AHAHA
since we are like the guinea pigs of this new AOS
and it may be relatively easier because Discovery is new

 

[wonderer]

Share school papers with me