English Extension II ~ Free Resources + Tips (can also be used for Ext1 and/or ADV) (1 Viewer)

rh_06

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HSC
2024
Hi people!
I've just completed my HSC (Class of 2024) and I've decided to share you some resources that I found quite useful in composing my major work (MW). I got an E4 (47/50) so if you have any questions, feel free to ask either here or pm.
For starters, I'll outline my MW in simple terms:
Short Fiction -> Allegory -> Romanticism -> Cultural narrative (Korean culture) -> Magical Realism -> Biophilia (google it. It was my concept/central idea)

A good resource I found for allegory was:
I also used my knowledge from studying George Orwell's 1984 in the English ADV common module.

Guide to narratology (useful for researching/understanding form) ~ I am not the author of this resource but for me to share it, I had to paste it onto a google doc.
- Attached as a file - google doc

My top 10 tips:
1.
Form drives purpose which in turn, fuels value/textual integrity.
2. Feedback is key! Pester your teacher for feedback! I handed in somewhere near 50 drafts overall (MW and tasks).
3. Get it done ASAP. No point procrastinating.
4. Steal ideas from previous texts or authors - No text is truly original. Every idea, every concept, has been either recycled or reappropriated from some guy that died like 1000 years ago.
Side note- I found Neil Gaiman and his masterclass to be quite useful
5. Use your knowledge from Ext 1 and Adv. For Ext 1, my elective module was 'Worlds of upheaval' and a lot of concepts I learnt were transferrable to my MW. As for Advanced, all of the modules were useful but I found common mod (George Orwell's 1984) to be extra useful in that my MW is also an allegory (and somewhat satirical).
6. Authenticity. To give you an idea, my story revolved on the basis of a cultural narrative. I chose to explore Korean culture because of its rich folklore etc and my ethnicity- I was able to construct a truly authentic narrative by drawing inspiration from personal experiences and family. If anything, authenticity empowers your story- it makes it unique and original.
7. uniqueness. Similar to my point of authenticity. Parts of my story were written in Hangul (Korean text), mainly the dialogue. This fostered a sense of escapism/worldbuilding, cultural authenticity, and a sense of uniqueness. I mean, seeing foreign symbols amongst a sea of English certainly stands out. To make my story even more unique, I chose to research/focus on the concept of 'biophilia.' I doubt any of you have heard of it. By choosing a relatively niche and unexplored topic, this made my story somewhat unique.
8. DO NOT underestimate/ignore the internal assessment tasks. Your viva voce, lit review etc are just as important as your MW. In fact, I didn't drop a mark below 90% which quite literally gave me my E4. It also gives you leeway for your MW, in that if for some reason its not as good as you think, your internals can save you.
9. Research is key. Research also fuels your purpose. You need to understand what your writing about and HOW you go writing it. Anyone can pick up a pen and write a story. What makes yours special? What makes yours different to someone else's on the same topic?
10. This is more of a 'aesthetic' thing, but picture yourself as a NESA marker reading through hundreds of MW's. The last thing they want is another cluster of words on a page with tiny font and little to no visual appeal. Use those fonts to your advantage (But don't go overboard)! Chuck in a 'tab' or line space every now and then to give the reader a breather. Throw in some images or relevant symbols on the page (but be careful of copyrights)- One of the key symbols in my story was a Korean flower (mugunghwa). I put a little petal at the top of some pages or along the border. Just makes it look nice. Oh and use chapters/chapter titles. Saves you writing in transitions which take up more words.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or pm (I am a bit busy so please don't ask me to read through your MW etc... Just small questions). Also, if you need help with resources, I'll see if I have some on hand.

Good luck!
 

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