Is anyone using already prepared essays? (1 Viewer)

[danz90]

true. i managed to turn my prepared essay into a debate with minimum stress.




lol our teachers told us that a prepared response with cursory acknowledgment of the question (i.e. top and tail) will receive a maximum of 16/20

lol my teacher really stressed the top and tail thing... and stressed the fact that we need to continually thread in the question consistently throughout our analysis.


i personally do have a pre-defined structure for each essay, but i havent really memorised word for word what i'm going to write. i obviously have ideas in my head about each body paragraph and for each theme of the texts, which i will use in answerin the question. meh.. it worked pretty good for trials.

 

[sirfeathers]

tell that to the majority of state rankers who memorise generic essays then adapt to question.

going to put it out this way.

even if you write a generic essay. and mention the question in intro and conc. you're going to get a high band 5/lowband 6 if your essay is good.

in contrast, walk into the exam, waste 15 minutes or so trying to structure ur essay mid-exam, and end up with less content/unfinished essays and you're pushing a band 5 if your lucky.

agreed. this is the stupidity of hsc english. it breeds kids with the physicality to speed-write essays and comparatively disadvantages people who try to show the spontaneous creative and analytical skills that english is all about. plus a lot of the top-ranked english students in my year are rehashing essays from past students, 3rd or 4th hand reproductions of band 6 essays. it's so stupid.

 

[killarahigh]

agreed. this is the stupidity of hsc english. it breeds kids with the physicality to speed-write essays and comparatively disadvantages people who try to show the spontaneous creative and analytical skills that english is all about. plus a lot of the top-ranked english students in my year are rehashing essays from past students, 3rd or 4th hand reproductions of band 6 essays. it's so stupid.

Unfortunately all true.

But then as someone else once said: "don't hate the player, hate the game."

Ie it ain't the kids' faults but the system.

 

[u-borat]

true. i managed to turn my prepared essay into a debate with minimum stress.




lol our teachers told us that a prepared response with cursory acknowledgment of the question (i.e. top and tail) will receive a maximum of 16/20

yeah buddy 16/20, 80% will get you a mid-high band 5 easyyyyyyyy.

 

[sirfeathers]

Unfortunately all true.

But then as someone else once said: "don't hate the player, hate the game."

Ie it ain't the kids' faults but the system.

yes, agreed. The biggest problem lies in the nature of the tasks that we are set. They do not test what they are supposed to test

 

[killarahigh]

yes, agreed. The biggest problem lies in the nature of the tasks that we are set. They do not test what they are supposed to test

Ah well, good luck for your english paper sirfeathers

 

[Zephyrio]

Same as me...

Memorising generic essays and trying to adapt it to the question will most likely end up in you not answering/addressing the question as specifically as you should to get a good mark.

Threading in question's key words, and using SPECIFIC examples that directly address the question is essential in getting good marks. You could regurgitate excellent analysis of quotes etc etc.. but if they don't address the question, what's the point?

I, like sonya lee, have a set introduction structure and a good outline of techniques used associated with particular quotes... but I will use my methodical way of structuring each body paragraph to write my essay.

Memorising just isn't the way in my opinion.

I don't think this is true. I've personally asked people who have done very well in English, what they did... and surprise, they've produced at least one generic essay on each module, and just adapted it to the question. One topped James Ruse, and the other came 2nd in the state...

As I've said before: it takes a brilliant person on a burst of inspiration to come up with a 20/20 in 40 minutes.

 

[Nasonex]

i estimate over 80% of the state will use prepared answers for this years English exam

But the fags at Board of Studies, teachers and Journos still say "Do not use prepared answers, as you do not know the question"

Use prepared answers

No prepared --> Death

 

[sirfeathers]

Ah well, good luck for your english paper sirfeathers

thanks. you too...in 2 years

 

[sonyaleeisapixi]

true. i managed to turn my prepared essay into a debate with minimum stress.




lol our teachers told us that a prepared response with cursory acknowledgment of the question (i.e. top and tail) will receive a maximum of 16/20

I think we're all thinking about this the wrong way

Its fine to have a very generic, very skeletal essay that's malleable enough to be completely altered if the questions left feild or requires you to adapt a newer thesis.
What I do is very similar, I just dont remember the whole essay, just the beginning and bits of the middle and develope a thesis when I see the question based on my texts and my knowledge of the AOS. I'm after a band 6, not a state rank, so bugger what they do because I'm more than on my way there with my own method. Different things work for different people.

A prepared answer to me is an essay that you've memorised since day 1 of AOS, and when you walk in HSC English AOS morning this friday, when you see the question you're just going to change your intro and your conclusion, throw in the key word once, and leave it basically the same with out tweaking and altering to properly answer the question.
That, according to nearly any teacher I've asked and most of which mark HSC regularly, will generally recieve at most 12/20. In any subject, English, History etc because it fails to address the question and properly answer it and meet the marking guide requirements.

 

[midifile]

I used prepared essays in the pretrials and trials and got good marks for them - I guess its because Im better at adapting something ive prepared then coming up with something new on the spot.

I just make sure i read over the question (or at least the key words of the question) every few sentances so I make sure I keep addressing the specific words of the question

 

[mattmeadows]

yeah im thinking about doing it and from the past papers ive seen you can adopt almost every quote into your own prepared story

 

[addikaye03]

if u keep re writing the question throughout it seems less mechanical, but bloody oath i will be remembering essays. i would remember unseen text if i could lol

 

[-may-cat-]

I think we're all thinking about this the wrong way

Its fine to have a very generic, very skeletal essay that's malleable enough to be completely altered if the questions left feild or requires you to adapt a newer thesis.
What I do is very similar, I just dont remember the whole essay, just the beginning and bits of the middle and develope a thesis when I see the question based on my texts and my knowledge of the AOS. I'm after a band 6, not a state rank, so bugger what they do because I'm more than on my way there with my own method. Different things work for different people.

A prepared answer to me is an essay that you've memorised since day 1 of AOS, and when you walk in HSC English AOS morning this friday, when you see the question you're just going to change your intro and your conclusion, throw in the key word once, and leave it basically the same with out tweaking and altering to properly answer the question.
That, according to nearly any teacher I've asked and most of which mark HSC regularly, will generally recieve at most 12/20. In any subject, English, History etc because it fails to address the question and properly answer it and meet the marking guide requirements.

lol, this is exactly what i do and usually get 16-17-18. Well nearly, i dont just 'throw in key word of the question' i do change bits.

My method is to learn a generic essay which i know in different forms (letter, personal reflection etc), apply it to every past paper question to make sure my adapting skills are up to speed, and if i have problems doing it, i use my head and just remove the unsuitable parts of the essay and fill them in with general relevant concepts of the text.

Ive tried going in without memorising something and i just cant do it, i spend too much time thinking, not enough time writing.

 

[cookiemonsterz]

Everyone at my school memorises essays... The best students are the ones with the best memory . I can memorise 90% of an essay word for word in about 2 hours of reading and self testing...

 

[dance2urownbeat]

definitely!
i'd be screwed with going in with just quotes/techniques and just writing off the top of my head. for english at least. you can work out basically what they can ask you anyway and my idea is that if i know the essay well enough then i can manipulate it to the question. that's what i did for trials and i did pretty damn well so i'm not gonna risk changing for the hsc!
i think if you just went in and wrote your essay without much reference to the question then the markers would see through that but if you tweak it well enough/are constantly referring to the question then IMO you shouldn't have a problem really.

 

[dwarven]

i just memorize a generic essay and adapt it to the question. =/

 

[sonyaleeisapixi]

i just memorize a generic essay and adapt it to the question. =/

And by adapting it, you're not using a prepared essay, not really.

Everyone with half a brain has memorised their essay. How and to what effect they use it is what differs.

 

[kid123]

I im going in fridays exam with a memorised imaganative story and skryznecki essay. All you have to do in the essay is incorporate the quote from the question in your essay, and always remeber quotes and techniques used! With the story just chuck the stimulus material verbally. Anyways different ways suit differnet people.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS!!!
Yay first post!!!!!!

 

[2S1D3]

I think we're all thinking about this the wrong way

Its fine to have a very generic, very skeletal essay that's malleable enough to be completely altered if the questions left feild or requires you to adapt a newer thesis.
What I do is very similar, I just dont remember the whole essay, just the beginning and bits of the middle and develope a thesis when I see the question based on my texts and my knowledge of the AOS. I'm after a band 6, not a state rank, so bugger what they do because I'm more than on my way there with my own method. Different things work for different people.

A prepared answer to me is an essay that you've memorised since day 1 of AOS, and when you walk in HSC English AOS morning this friday, when you see the question you're just going to change your intro and your conclusion, throw in the key word once, and leave it basically the same with out tweaking and altering to properly answer the question.
That, according to nearly any teacher I've asked and most of which mark HSC regularly, will generally recieve at most 12/20. In any subject, English, History etc because it fails to address the question and properly answer it and meet the marking guide requirements.

To OP if by prepared you mean the words in bold then yes that's what I'm planning on doing, but it's good to write introductions to a few questions so it will become easy for you to write an excellent one in the test.