English Standard Question Thread

[sanj123]

That seems to be the safest course of action in my perspective! For not a lot of effort, you could be guaranteeing serious marks for the prep of another paragraph

Thanks i will get to that right away then

This may be a dumb question but with paper 1 any strategies on which section to start and approximately how long on each section

Moderator Edit: Posts merged, please try to avoid double posting where you can

[jamonwindeyer]

Thanks i will get to that right away then

This may be a dumb question but with paper 1 any strategies on which section to start and approximately how long on each section

Not a dumb question at all! I normally started with the short answers, then the essay, and finished with my creative! This is because I could cut my creative shorter if I needed to, but it is harder to do that in the essay/short answers. Roughly, my times were probably:

Short Answer - 40 Minutes
Essay - 45 Minutes
Creative - 35 Minutes

[elysepopplewell]

This may be a dumb question but with paper 1 any strategies on which section to start and approximately how long on each section

I followed Jamon's strategy as well, but I will add that I read nearly the entirety of the unseen texts in the reading time, so I only spent about 30 minutes on answering the unseen text questions. I used the reading time only for reading the unseen texts so that every moment of "writing" time was literally spent writing!

[sanj123]

Not a dumb question at all! I normally started with the short answers, then the essay, and finished with my creative! This is because I could cut my creative shorter if I needed to, but it is harder to do that in the essay/short answers. Roughly, my times were probably:

Short Answer - 40 Minutes
Essay - 45 Minutes
Creative - 35 Minutes

ok thanks so i should read the questions and texts in reading time and then answer the questions in 30 minutes and then use that extra time where i need to.Oh ok that helps alot. To finish section1 in 30 minutes does it come with alot of practice

[elysepopplewell]

ok thanks so i should read the questions and texts in reading time and then answer the questions in 30 minutes and then use that extra time where i need to.Oh ok that helps alot. To finish section1 in 30 minutes does it come with alot of practice

Not a lot - but some! Reading and analysing fast is the biggest skill, the writing speed is something that comes more naturally with your exam prep for all subjects!

[sanj123]

Not a lot - but some! Reading and analysing fast is the biggest skill, the writing speed is something that comes more naturally with your exam prep for all subjects!

thank you. so while reading you should already start analysing and starting thinking about your response

[Nicki]

thanks sarah!  i think i'll just have to go with how i feel on the day as your absolutely right it does depend on the question
ahh its scary stuff lol

Hey Nicki! I think it mostly comes down to personal preference as well as what the actual questions are on the day.
 I personally prefer to do my weakest essay first so I can just get it over with, and then finish with my strongest one. If you're more confident with an essay you're more likely to be able to write it faster and more coherently under pressure. So my plan would be to go in and do Mod A >> Mod B >> Mod C.
However for example if the question for Mod B looked particularly difficult and Mod A looked easy, I may switch the order a bit when I'm in the exam.   

[dylan862]

Hey guys

So my essay has 8 quotes but a bulk amount of explanations. It adds up to about 5 pages handwritten. Is this a good structure or should I reduce the explanations for more quotes? I don't want to be trying to remember quotes on the day.

[jakesilove]

What is the difference between standard and adv?
I do adv and sometimes I think I shouldve done standard...

Hey! If you're in Year 12 right now, it's probably a bit late to think about the differences; you're in it now! Exams are less than a week away, so focus on what you're doing. If you're in Year 11 right now, going into year 12, then don't stress! If you find Advanced to not be to your liking, you can always change to Standard throughout the year

[jamonwindeyer]

What is the difference between standard and adv?
I do adv and sometimes I think I shouldve done standard...

I agree with Jake! But for the benefit of anyone interested, the main difference is in:

- The rationale behind your examination of the texts
- Advanced does Shakespeare

Realistically the courses are virtually identical, differentiated only by the fact that Advanced students must actually be writing at a higher standard to do well in Paper 2

[jakesilove]

Hey guys

So my essay has 8 quotes but a bulk amount of explanations. It adds up to about 5 pages handwritten. Is this a good structure or should I reduce the explanations for more quotes? I don't want to be trying to remember quotes on the day.

I would say your structure sounds totally fine I would aim to remember a few more quotes, only because some of them may not be relevant on the day given the question. It's nice to have some 'back-up' quotes. That being said, sounds like you're totally on top of your essay plan; the bulk SHOULD be explanation, you just need enough quotes to 'prove' your thesis

Jake

[dylan862]

What is the difference between an A and B range essay? My teacher keeps telling me my essays are in the B range but doesn't say what exactly I need to do. They just say expand more but I've expanded heaps!! My essays are generally 3 pages long.
What are the main things hsc markers look for in essays?

Moderator Edit: Merged posts, use the 'Modify' button to avoid double posting

[jamonwindeyer]

What is the difference between an A and B range essay? My teacher keeps telling me my essays are in the B range but doesn't say what exactly I need to do. They just say expand more but I've expanded heaps!! My essays are generally 3 pages long.
What are the main things hsc markers look for in essays?

Moderator Edit: Merged posts, use the 'Modify' button to avoid double posting

Your best bet here is to consult the marking criteria for the essay in question, check here for how last years AoS paper was marked, for example if you want specific feedback on your essays, you can post one here once you hit 15 posts and we'll let you know what we think!!

[dylan862]

Should my prescribed and related texts be equal in length? Or can i get away with talking more about my prescribed than my related?

[:3]

Do advanced students get scaled better than advanced?

If you mean standard, then the answer would be yes.

Keep in mind, if you do exceptionally well in standard, then you'll be on equal par (or greater than) an advanced student doing relatively well.