Is it better to... (1 Viewer)

[TQuadded]

Hey guys!

(Please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere in there.)

I just wanted to ask if it's better to prepare an essay, then adapt it to the question?
PROS: perfect for open questions, better prepared
CONS: get destroyed by closed questions

Or is it better to have an arsenal of flexible quotes, and the techniques that come with them?
PROS: perfect for open questions (if you can think of a good thesis from the infinite possibilities) AND closed questions
CONS: less prepared

 

[iforgotmyname]

How good is your First Draft?

My first draft is generally shit AF, so i memorize essays (takes a shitload of time) but if you are gifted in humanities and generally a good writer then you should just not memorize whole and just know your texts ie quotes and analysis

 

[jakewist]

Not a direct answer but the way i do it is good to have a mix of both.
The way i study for English essay exams is to remember the thesis, introduction, evidence and analysis. The only thing i change when doing the test is just shaping the analysis and thesis towards the question. I use the same evidence for any essay questions of the same module. To me flexible quotes does not really matter, as it's the shaping of the analysis to answer the essay question that's more important.

 

[crowley926]

It's really whichever works best for you. I know people who do well by using either method. Personally I think it's better to write a generic essay (with word count leeway) and then just adapt it to the question on the spot. It's easier because at least I know my ideas are coherent, can link, are supported by enough techniques/quotes that I can analyse well etc. and it's just more structured since I've written it beforehand. I also don't find it difficult to link to questions - just bs and integrate the terms of the question consistently and have good topic/concluding sentences. (However I do note this method is more difficult for Mod B since they can ask anything)

I've tried the second one like once before and it was annoying in that I had to worry about structure, cohesion, sophistication, analysis as well as answering the question all at the same time and with only 40 mins and really no time to spare to make a plan or read over it to see if it even made sense.

 

[TQuadded]

Woah these are all very helpful.

iforgotmyname:
I'm on the same boat as you. I have memorized essays in a very short amount of time (about an hour or two, not including time writing them), and when they are written by myself, the time it takes decreases which is great! So I guess I've got a plan for the HSC.

jakewist:
So you do the memorize and adapt technique then. It's hard for me to match any piece of evidence to answer a specific question in the exam. Do you have any tips I can use in making question-matching analysis for the same evidence?

crowley926:
My main problem is making arguments. With the thesis I create in the introduction (which is from the question), It's really challenging for me to make arguments from it for my body paragraphs. Do you have any advice on this?

Thanks for the response guys!

 

[crowley926]

crowley926:
My main problem is making arguments. With the thesis I create in the introduction (which is from the question), It's really challenging for me to make arguments from it for my body paragraphs. Do you have any advice on this?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean... do you mean you find it difficult to sustain your thesis in the body?

 

[TQuadded]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean... do you mean you find it difficult to sustain your thesis in the body?

That's exactly what I meant. Sorry if I seem to be speaking gibberish. I sort of do it the "colour-by-numbers" strategy, sort of like a checklist.

 

[keepLooking]

Personally, I prefer the first method. The teachers that I have had thus far all recommend the second. I don't feel comfortable going into the exam and writing an essay straight up with just quotes. I am unable to present a coherent essay as I begin remembering quotes that could've been used for the last paragraph. That said, you can do a mix of the first and second by just memorising some quotes so maybe you are less vulnerable when it is a 'closed' question.

 

[TQuadded]

Personally, I prefer the first method. The teachers that I have had thus far all recommend the second. I don't feel comfortable going into the exam and writing an essay straight up with just quotes. I am unable to present a coherent essay as I begin remembering quotes that could've been used for the last paragraph. That said, you can do a mix of the first and second by just memorising some quotes so maybe you are less vulnerable when it is a 'closed' question.

Me neither, I'll just talk gibberish. I fear that the first method will result in a comment from the marker, "Prepared response."

Balance never fails. Maybe I'll try the mixed strategy.

 

[PhysicsMaths]

It depends on what you're aiming for

IMO:
State rank - only memorise creative
B6 - possibly better to not memorise - easier to mould to the question
B5 - memorise and write everything you know on the day

Also depends a lot on the individual. I remember BOS user Crobat stating that he remembered his essays (he almost achieved a state rank in adv), whereas Rebecca Ha (who recently created a state rankers Q&A on this site) said that she only memorised her creative.

However, whether memorised or not, i'm certain that they made a great effort in moulding their essay/quotes to better suit the question instead of just regurgitating it on the day. I know this is sort of obvious, but it's actually a hard skill to master

 

[crowley926]

That's exactly what I meant. Sorry if I seem to be speaking gibberish. I sort of do it the "colour-by-numbers" strategy, sort of like a checklist.

Haha no it's fine ! What is that strategy? Also *not sure* if this will actually be useful so just elaborate or give me specific examples if you want better advice haha

You should prepare by reading the rubric/syllabus for each module to gauge exactly what ideas should be embedded throughout your essay (e.g. for AOS it would be essentially what your texts reveal about the nature of discovery - so it's kind of like an umbrella idea) which you obviously already do since you can formulate theses fine. So then you should specifically write down how (ideas + techniques and quotes) each of your texts proves this umbrella thesis. I think it's really important that you actually plan and outline your ideas and have like a major argument for each paragraph that supports this

e.g.
Overarching thesis: Discoveries are inherently dynamic and heighten our understanding of the world around us.
body 1:
-Robert Gray's poems act as a catalyst for discovery by reinventing the image of Australia and --> renewing our relationship with the physical landscape. This is the main argument for this paragraph that links to the q and supports the thesis - I'll then use this paragraph to elaborate on this idea: so I'd talk more about the process and impact of this discovery
-techniques: coastal imagery of "the sea/beaches" in Australia as opposed to the held belief of a rural country etc.


But I'm so sorry if this isn't the kind of help you were looking for. I'm just still not sure where your problem is coming from with regards to sustaining your thesis. Maybe you're just lacking consistent links to the question? But like I said I'm happy to help more if you need!

 

[TQuadded]

Haha no it's fine ! What is that strategy? Also *not sure* if this will actually be useful so just elaborate or give me specific examples if you want better advice haha

You should prepare by reading the rubric/syllabus for each module to gauge exactly what ideas should be embedded throughout your essay (e.g. for AOS it would be essentially what your texts reveal about the nature of discovery - so it's kind of like an umbrella idea) which you obviously already do since you can formulate theses fine. So then you should specifically write down how (ideas + techniques and quotes) each of your texts proves this umbrella thesis. I think it's really important that you actually plan and outline your ideas and have like a major argument for each paragraph that supports this

e.g.
Overarching thesis: Discoveries are inherently dynamic and heighten our understanding of the world around us.
body 1:
-Robert Gray's poems act as a catalyst for discovery by reinventing the image of Australia and --> renewing our relationship with the physical landscape. This is the main argument for this paragraph that links to the q and supports the thesis - I'll then use this paragraph to elaborate on this idea: so I'd talk more about the process and impact of this discovery
-techniques: coastal imagery of "the sea/beaches" in Australia as opposed to the held belief of a rural country etc.


But I'm so sorry if this isn't the kind of help you were looking for. I'm just still not sure where your problem is coming from with regards to sustaining your thesis. Maybe you're just lacking consistent links to the question? But like I said I'm happy to help more if you need!

That strategy is just like "technique - check. quote - check. linkage - check."

This is exactly what I'm having problems with.
Going from "Discoveries are inherently dynamic and heighten our understanding of the world around us."
to "Robert Gray's poems act as a catalyst for discovery by reinventing the image of Australia and renewing our relationship with the physical landscape."

 

[crowley926]

This is exactly what I'm having problems with.
Going from "Discoveries are inherently dynamic and heighten our understanding of the world around us."
to "Robert Gray's poems act as a catalyst for discovery by reinventing the image of Australia and renewing our relationship with the physical landscape."

In my paragraphs I usually just have a generic sentence that links to the question and module. Then in the second sentence I jump into the text and say something like "These ideas are exemplified in Robert Gray's "Poem" that reinvents our relationship with landscape etc."

Then you kind of just have to go over the text and find the things/ideas that actually allowed you to come to this conclusion (or whatever your teacher said was important). So since I have 1 main idea per paragraph I usually pick about 3 points from the text that support the main idea but also link together and flow from each other (and I have to make sure that I'm not being repetitive and that all these points are inherently different) and stretched out with actual content this usually takes me to 200 words per paragraph (incl. topic sentence and concluding sentence.)

Like if I were to write this about Harry Potter and how it redefines our ideas about the evil nature of witch craft (main idea) I'd be like

-it allows the characters to develop stronger friendships and relationships (evidence: allows Harry to escape neglect and abuse and enter a world where he is treated with respect)
-however despite magic being used as a tool for goodness, it can also be manipulated for evil(evidence: voldemort) but ultimately the text clearly condemns this behaviour (evidence: death eaters name carries negative connotations and in general bad wizards are given a bad rap)
-finally harry potter shows how witchcraft is not inherently evil as it is used as a weapon of the good (incl. some quote about saving the day)

So you kind of just have to do that with every paragraph you have.

That strategy is just like "technique - check. quote - check. linkage - check."

This strategy is fine but don't get caught up with the formula/structure while compromising the depth of your actual analysis. I usually just say a point (with links to q. and module), then follow it with evidence (whether it be quote or technique... i don't always have both together but in a paragraph I usually use 5 techniques and 3-4 quotes), and a short phrase (or short sentence but I try not to spend too many words) on how this proves my thesis.