what does this mean?? (1 Viewer)

[Dolfingerpie]

For our English exam, we had to do speech+analysis.
Our teacher (first year of teaching) gave half of the class the EXACT SAME MARKS
the speech was out of 20 and half of the class (the ones that are really good at English+the ones who get B's or C's) got 15
and the analysis was out of 15 and I know 12 people in our class got the same mark
This meant that no one got A's in our entire class.
I went with two of my friends to ask him and he said it's because the marking criteria was really high and was usually the marking criteria that they'll use for Year 12's and that's why no one got in the A range in our class. I also commented that a girl who stuttered during the introduction of her speech got the same mark as me (who memorized the entire speech and was told after the exam that it was 'one of the best performances I've ever heard' by him) for performance.
I've read three of the other class's A grading speeches and to be honest, there were people in our class who did better speeches with characteristic, had better examples and concepts, and better understanding.
That's why there's a rumour going around our school that some teachers deliberately lowered their standards a little bit so that people can get a wide range of marks.
Do you think this is true? I mean, it's only his first year of teaching and I think he's marking was a bit harsh.
And also, I am panicking at the moment because I want to decide whether I'm going to do extension English or not. Do you think my mark is a reliable source that determines whether I'll do extension or not?

 

[sourmilk]

You don't do a speech in ext eng, so don't worry. So far in EXT we did a creative story and an analysis on reoccurring themes.
I literally did my speech a few nights before and my reflection statement 20 minutes before it was due and manage to score 18/20. Speeches, in my honest opinion, just literally test your oral presentation since it's essentially a vocalised essay.
I just finished speeches and only 6 people got an A grade, out of roughly 40-ish people. The marking was pretty strict to the point where some students plan on lobbying the English staffroom for answers lol.
Just note that if he was marking harsh, and you got 15/20 for it, that's pretty damn good if you look at it in hindsight. Cause' would you rather being blessed with A+ and then only to be smacked in the face with the real scores in the HSC?

 

[EarthSci34]

Hey!

I do Extension 2 English, and I've had loads of English teachers and each respective teacher have their own standards in marking, regardless of the marking criteria and how its presented. I've had loads of time when a teacher would say my work is a "C-range" and then when I showed it to another teacher, they would say "It's A-Standard!"

The important thing for Extension English (both Extensions, I think) is refining your essay technique, vocabulary and tightening its structure. Speeches are a facet of what could be tested in HSC English: English Advanced has a module with speeches, English Extension 1 usually has a speech assessment and English Extension 2 has the Viva Voce.

Just let this one go, it's only Year 10 and you've got heaps of time to improve. TBH it's not worth arguing for the marks- by Year 12 you would've forgotten about it! Trust me, your year 10 marks are not at all an indication for your capacity for any subject (except maths, which builds on previous skills).

This is coming from a student supposed to be doing ESL (my old school didn't want me to do EX1 on the basis that I was in Australia for only 2 years and lucky to be doing advanced).

Best of luck, and enjoy Year 10!! I DID!!