Just a quick question about topic sentences - I know we are supposed to have extensive links between paragraphs (ie, not just using similarly, conversely etc), and link back to the author's overall philosophical purpose for example - but I wondering how to do that without just rehashing what you just talked about?
Hey, pine-apple01320!
Great question! Try to think of your topic sentences as branches off of the trunk that is your thesis. They should essentially be building your judgement using themes to argue a specific stance on the text. Each topic sentence will be different since you're using different ideas but the key words of the question (and relevant synonyms, as well as concepts, can help you write them. For example, let's say this was your thesis.
"Compassion is represented as an essential quality when responding to human experiences that emerge out of adversity. Through showcasing the importance of compassion, composers are able to catalyse and generate personal reflection within their audiences."
Your topic sentence could be something along the lines of this.
"Central to the portrayal of compassion is, paradoxically, the prejudice that is present in the attitudes of the documentary's individuals."
As you can see, the topic sentence is an extension of the thesis and uses the theme to provide the rest of the body paragraph direction. Let me know if that makes sense!
Hey guys, I’m really struggling to study for the common module (I’m doing 1984) in the lead up to trials and could really use some help.
I’ve been trying to memorise techniques, quotes and explanations from the text by creating tables but end up struggling with how to insert them into a cohesive paragraph! Should I instead be looking to memorise an essay that I can adapt to in my exam? What should my paragraphs look like and how much should I be aiming to write? Just generally, what should my study for these big essay components of the HSC look like?
I’ve never been a fan of English and am especially struggling to get my head around these exams and boost my confidence back up so any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Lara
Hey, Lara!
Welcome to the forums! I would really discourage memorising an essay because the new HSC is designed to actively challenge students to respond to questions on the spot. Instead, use your existing notes to respond to practice questions. If you're struggling to write the paragraphs, I would advise firstly making a plan for your essay which includes the thesis, your chosen themes for each body and the quotes/techniques you will be using to argue your points. Diving straight into an essay might be daunting so this can help you ease yourself into writing your responses
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How you structure your paragraphs depends on what your school has taught you and what you think you're most comfortable with doing. The structure I generally recommend is as below but you can definitely pull off a great essay with only three examples per paragraph (I'd just recommend five if you can).
Writing Bodies- Step by Step!
- Topic Sentence
- Elaborate
- Example 1 Analysis
- Example 2 Analysis
- Example 3 Analysis
- Example 4 Analysis
- Example 5 Analysis
- Argument summary
- Linking sentence
You should aim for anywhere between 800-1000 words in the exam since you have 45 minutes to respond to the Common Module essay and 40 minutes for the Module A and B essays.
Here is a great Band 6 sample for a Common Module essay on
1984 if you wanted to see how you might approach it yourself!
Let me know if this helps and if you have any other questions. All the best with your Trials revision to the both of you!
Angelina
![Grin ;D](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/grin.gif)