pre writing essays for humanities . (1 Viewer)

[omgd.]

how do people pre write essays for humanities courses ?

a lot of people keep telling me my subs are easy because i can pre write my essays

i just agreee but i have no idea what theyre on about =/

how do you prewrite ?

i mean we dont know the question =|

 

[savio23q]

What? I have no idea how one can pre-write essays for a humanity subject...

I do business studies and PDHPE (i dont really consider this a humanity but whatever) and I have NEVER written an essay in advance...

However, I did do that for english coz there's less variations in what they could ask you. For example, for journeys they pretty much just ask you what you learnt, the challenges, how the characters grew, detours, bla bla bla so it's easy to manipulate a pre-written essay.

But for something like business studies, there's no way you can pre-write an essay. The last 2 sections consist of a business report and an essay. These 2 extendeds can ask you about ANY of the 5 topics you have studied whilst linking 2 or 3 topics together. So they might ask you how marketing, employment relations and globalisation work together to do whatever...

The only thing I would recommend is just memorising the content and understanding it. If you're half decent in writing essays, the knowledge you have of the content in the syllabus will flow right out when trying to answer the question. There's really no need for you to pre-write essays for humanities (not that you can anyway).

 

[cem]

What I try and get my students do is to take the various sections of the syllabus and write a series of paragraphs on those that they can adjust to exam questions.

As a marker of Modern History we do get students who have memorised essays which they then try to fit to the question. Some do so successfully but most don't.

 

[omgd.]

oh really

sigh *

yeah thats what i thought too

i mean it cant be THAT easyyy ...

but i was still hoping there was some way you could LOL

i dont get it then, how do people do it =S

maybe they write it about all the topics =/

 

[omgd.]

What I try and get my students do is to take the various sections of the syllabus and write a series of paragraphs on those that they can adjust to exam questions.

As a marker of Modern History we do get students who have memorised essays which they then try to fit to the question. Some do so successfully but most don't.

how do you adjust the questions ?
should we do this with every dot point ?
i really want to try this pre writing thing, however it works ...
because all my subjects are humanities

 

[Smithereens]

How do markers distinguish from memorised and improvised answers?

 

[omgd.]

How do markers distinguish from memorised and improvised answers?

i have no idea but ill just take a guess
maybe its like English
where they have a lot to say
but they don't answer the question
so you can tell its memorised
because its structured well and explained well
just about the wrong thing
that might be how ?
i don't know though, just guessing =)

 

[Smithereens]

But if you had a memorised essay, linked it continuously to the question, and reinforced your arguments by adding relevant examples to your generic essay and actually answer the Q, would that count as a 'prepared response'?

 

[omgd.]

hmmm..
i really dont know =S

 

[cem]

Some kids just write the answer they want to write and ignore the question or give it lipservice in the introduction and/or conclusion

e.g.

in Modern History they know that they will get a two part question on the personality.

Many students actually memorise Part a to rehash the person's life but... the question will ask something like this year's with background and historical context so what many kids will do is ignore those two specified bits and write the prepared rehash of their life. Some will get lucky and throw in a phrase or two that accidentally shows historical context and others will take their prepared answer and adjust the rehash of the life by ensuring that each point is identified as either background of context.


We can tell due to the way it is put together (unless the student is outstanding and is really able to adjust if - but those kids don't tend to memorise essays but rather have written heaps of them and really know their stuff) because it tends to be straight chronology rather than syllabus driven or where the question is put in at the end of the paragraph and just doesn't read right.

 

[cem]

how do you adjust the questions ?
should we do this with every dot point ?
i really want to try this pre writing thing, however it works ...
because all my subjects are humanities

As I go through the course I have my kids simply write paragraphs e.g. at the moment I am preparing to have them write a couple of paragraphs about life in the trenches and causese of the stalemate. When they have a couple of basic paragraphs I will then throw a couple of actual sources at them that they have to weave into their paragraphs (due to WWI being source based in the exam).

When we get to Germany I take the issues and dot points of the syllabus and do basic explain then assess type questions for them to write.


By writing increasingly long responses on each part of the syllabus they should be comfortable with writing it in the exam.

 

[Smithereens]

Well, if the prepared response was to answer the question and acually utilise relevant examples, would markers till look down upon them?

 

[omgd.]

As I go through the course I have my kids simply write paragraphs e.g. at the moment I am preparing to have them write a couple of paragraphs about life in the trenches and causese of the stalemate. When they have a couple of basic paragraphs I will then throw a couple of actual sources at them that they have to weave into their paragraphs (due to WWI being source based in the exam).

When we get to Germany I take the issues and dot points of the syllabus and do basic explain then assess type questions for them to write.


By writing increasingly long responses on each part of the syllabus they should be comfortable with writing it in the exam.

Oh okay.
I'll try that with my subjects.

Thank you for that =)

 

[tau281290]

You can't really do a preprepared essay for humanities, unlike some English essays. However, you can do lots of practice essay questions and they will most likely to be one of the question in the exam.

There can be a lot of varieties in humanity subjects. I did economics, most of the essay questions are just repetition, and they usually add in a specific variable to the end,

e.g. effect of Monetary policy on A.
Next year could be effect of Monetary Policy on A and B.

So you just do a pre-prepared essay on all the variables then just pick the one being asked in the exam.

 

[christy...never]

Any dumbass can memorise an essay but it takes real skill in humanities to properly answer a question in an exam...you just need a wide knowledge of the course and by following the dot points of the syllabus and writing essays based on those you cant go wrong

 

[cem]

Well, if the prepared response was to answer the question and acually utilise relevant examples, would markers till look down upon them?

No - we admire their skill (but if they do it really well we probably wouldn't pick it anyway).

 

[TunaFish]

I have never pre-writen an essay for a humanities subject and my scores for extended response questions would average at 19/20. That's not be brag but to support a point.

However, in the past I have found social sciences ER questions pretty easy to guess. At my school, they tend to follow this pattern in terms of coming up with a question:
- Business: The longest syllabus subheading.
- Legal: Assess the effectiveness of the law in dealing with (your focus group).
- Economics: Questions are very broad based. Eg evaluate the role of the gov't in the Australian economy. you'll have lots to talk about if you know your syllabus dot points well.
- Community and Family Studies: Whateverthehelltheywant.

The key is memorising the syllabi and following its order, and doing extra research on the topic(s) which you think they will ask for in the ER.

 

[alex.leon]

Well, you don't know the exam.
So you wouldn't truly be properly answering the question if your essay was off by a bit.

It's ridiculous anyway. Honestly, who memorises WHOLE essays? Especially for humanities subjects. Cmon, now.