English Extension 1 Question Thread

[elysepopplewell]

Hey,
I'm trying to get ready for Trials at the moment and I have no clue how to study for this subject! Do you have any hints about how to make them? Also, what are your tips for writing essays in exams - its my downfall!
Thanks a bunch,
Arlee

Hey! Are you hoping to use a planned essay/creative? This was my approach. So I spent these holidays polishing off my work. Making sure my analysis was strong, I touched on all of the right things, and had a thesis statement prepared. I did the same for my creative. Then, in the two weeks leading up to the exam, I was whipping out past papers to see what would throw me and what I was prepared for. Ext 1 is notorious for being the "unpreparable exam" but that didn't stop me from trying, and I think it proved effective!

If you aren't the kind who wants to use a planned essay, make sure you have plenty of evidence from your ORTs and set texts that you can apply to various themes and perspectives to create a really cohesive and well-supported essay in the exam!

If you're looking for tips for memorising essays, I wrote about how I did that here!

Let me know what you think. What areas are you particularly thinking about?

[cmbarnes]

Hi,

I'm doing Romanticism for Texts and Ways of Thinking, and my teacher recommended doing an artwork as one of my related texts. My analysis of the prescribed texts (Frankenstein, Bright Star and Coleridge's poetry) is generally really well done, I just struggle with the related texts, especially the artwork. With the trials coming up I'm concerned about making sure the integrity of my argument isn't let down by my analysis of the artwork, so I was wondering if anyone had any feedback or advice on how best to analyse an artwork and its use as a representation of (Romantic) Ways of Thinking.

The artwork I'm using is The Raft of Medusa by Theodore Gericault.

I was also wanting to know how many texts I should be talking about in an essay. I know that generally, the question will ask for two prescribed texts and two ORT's, but should I talk about more than this in order to achieve a Band 6 response? And does one of Coleridge's poems count as one prescribed text, or should I be doing two of his poems?

Thank you,
Chelsea 

[Jess S]

Hey there!
Where do you begin to improve an ATB creative?! / how do you write a good ATB creative and how many prepared creatives should we have for trials?
Thank you.

[Lauradf36]

In general with English Extension essays, just wondering how much of the essay should be based on prescribed texts and how much should be on related texts? One of my teachers said they are just as, if not more, important. Which makes me freak out because I feel like I have prioritised them a lot less...  thoughts?? Advice??

Thanks so much! These discussion boards are a life saver xx

[elysepopplewell]

Hi,

I'm doing Romanticism for Texts and Ways of Thinking, and my teacher recommended doing an artwork as one of my related texts. My analysis of the prescribed texts (Frankenstein, Bright Star and Coleridge's poetry) is generally really well done, I just struggle with the related texts, especially the artwork. With the trials coming up I'm concerned about making sure the integrity of my argument isn't let down by my analysis of the artwork, so I was wondering if anyone had any feedback or advice on how best to analyse an artwork and its use as a representation of (Romantic) Ways of Thinking.

The artwork I'm using is The Raft of Medusa by Theodore Gericault.

Hey! I'm so sorry I missed this and it's been like a week! With the influx after the lectures we held last week, I missed a bunch of comments and unfortunately this was one! I promise to be more on the ball next time! So, I didn't study romanticism, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. The image sounds like a great idea for a related text. If you feel really uncomfortable studying a visual image, then I suggest against it. You need to play to your strengths! But, if you are willing to have a crack at this, then by all means! So, with a visual text, I think it is important to go beyond the classic technique=effect. I mean, try linking techniques, or try acknowledging a technique, and then recognise the several effects that the technique has. Essentially, be willing to break out from the one technique = one effect notion, and be ready to be linking and joining things all over the place! Which leads me to the next section...

I was also wanting to know how many texts I should be talking about in an essay. I know that generally, the question will ask for two prescribed texts and two ORT's, but should I talk about more than this in order to achieve a Band 6 response? And does one of Coleridge's poems count as one prescribed text, or should I be doing two of his poems?

Thank you,
Chelsea

I don't recommend talking about more than 4 texts in an Extension essay in detail. I think if you do more, your scope will be limited and you won't be able to dive into each text in the same way that other students may be able to. But, don't limit yourself to 4 texts if you want to bring in a fifth text for a comparative purpose, but not necessarily to completely analyse. So, you have two prescribed, two related, and there's another related in the back of your mind that is a testament to similar values, ideas, etc. If you are studying poetry, you're likely to focus on maybe 2 or 3 poems, but you want to bring in a fourth just for a sentence or two to enhance your ideas. How many poems are there for Coleridge? I had 6 (I think) poems for my module as the single "prescribed text" and I talked in depth about 3 to show that I understood not just the individual poem, but the oeuvre.

But, that's getting more complicated.

I stuck to two prescribed texts and two related texts and that was plenty for me! I really enjoyed that structure because it was balanced, and I wasn't kidding myself about how much I could fit in an exam, it sat perfectly.

I hope this makes sense! If not, please ask back and I can think of this in a new light

[elysepopplewell]

Hey there!
Where do you begin to improve an ATB creative?! / how do you write a good ATB creative and how many prepared creatives should we have for trials?
Thank you.

Hi there Jess! I only ever used one prepared creative! Remembering more than one is a very big task, which is great if you can do it, but I spent my time committing to making one creative the best it could be. It is incredibly hard to do this for extension because they always drop bombs (I promise that was an unintended bomb) with creative stimuli. Soooo, I had my single creative, and then I picked at it until I worked out which parts I would leave flexible to the stimulus. In other words, I'd think of possible alternate endings, starts, etc. So even though I had one creative, I considered ways to adjust it incase I needed to for a stimulus!

In terms of improving what you have...have you got a completed creative already? Consider the ways of thinking - are they strong enough? This is an enormous deal! You must show the ways of thinking as your number one responsibility. Make sure all of the contextual details are correct because the marker will know if its not, thus lowering the integrity of your response

Be confident with it, really try your best to know it well enough that you are comfortable in altering it in an exam, even under the pressure!

[elysepopplewell]

In general with English Extension essays, just wondering how much of the essay should be based on prescribed texts and how much should be on related texts? One of my teachers said they are just as, if not more, important. Which makes me freak out because I feel like I have prioritised them a lot less...  thoughts?? Advice??

Thanks so much! These discussion boards are a life saver xx

I'm not so sure about the related text being MORE important. In Advanced, most teachers will say to privilege your prescribed text in a 70/30 ratio, or 60/40. Some suggest 50/50. In Extension, I think 60/40-50/50 is both acceptable. You can be creative with it too. For example, two of my three main arguments only talked about one prescribed and one related, and then the third argument just featured the other related and the other prescribed. So I didn't split mine into related or prescribed, but into whatever text fit my argument. If you're thinking "how does that work??" then you can read my essay here to get an idea! Thanks for asking your questions, I'm positive you're not the only one thinking this!

[trixqwe]

Hi there!

I'm planning on using Godot as one of my texts for my ATB essay, and I was going to discuss the idea: disillusionment with the world leading to the stagnant nature of life
Sadly, I'm really stuck in terms of coming up with supportive quotes I was planning on using the notion of 'hell' to show disillusionment, but I was wondering if you knew of better (or stronger) evidence to support the idea.
Also, do you perhaps know of any self-selected texts that deal with the notion of disillusionment with life? I'm trying to find one that relates but so far I'm having no luck

Thankyou so much for taking the time to help, it is greatly appreciated!!!   

[elysepopplewell]

Hi there!

I'm planning on using Godot as one of my texts for my ATB essay, and I was going to discuss the idea: disillusionment with the world leading to the stagnant nature of life
Sadly, I'm really stuck in terms of coming up with supportive quotes I was planning on using the notion of 'hell' to show disillusionment, but I was wondering if you knew of better (or stronger) evidence to support the idea.
Also, do you perhaps know of any self-selected texts that deal with the notion of disillusionment with life? I'm trying to find one that relates but so far I'm having no luck

Thankyou so much for taking the time to help, it is greatly appreciated!!!   

I think the problem with Godot and that thesis is that for such a long time, they don't necessarily show disillusionment on the surface. They just keep waiting. You can take some of their humour to show their disillusionment though, like hanging themselves for an erection. They are so unstimulated (pardon the pun) in their environment, so disillusioned, that they want to hang themselves for a bit of fun. So the disillusionment is there, but you have to dig a bit for it. A moment of disillusionment that comes to mind for me also is when they all fall in a pile. I think there's bags? This is off the top of my head - I think it is towards the time of that Lucky makes the speech. You'll have to have a look, I can't remember off the top of my head

Keep in mind that disillusionment, although a sad feeling, isn't always expressed in a sad way. (This could be a follow up thesis!). Satire often makes a comedy out of a disillusionment - like Dr Strangelove, the film. That talks about the disillusionment with the American government and the entire world situation and how the whole damn thing was in incompetent hands. So there's a lot of working with that idea too as a set text.

The Wall: Growing up behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sis, deals with disillusionment until the Berlin wall comes down and things get exciting. It's a picture book/graphic novel. A good read! And there's a Youtube commentary on it by the author himself.

They are my suggestions! You're on the right track for sure!

[senara]

Do you think it's risky to do a related text that is very recent and not from the post war era but is based on the era? (if that makes sense) for example, revolutionary road

[elysepopplewell]

Do you think it's risky to do a related text that is very recent and not from the post war era but is based on the era? (if that makes sense) for example, revolutionary road

Are you considering the book or the film? Both work! Goodnight and Goodluck is a prescribed text that wasn't made in the target era, but depicts the era. The film of Revolutionary Road is the same! As long as you can flesh out the ways of thinking, you're in with a good shot!

[senara]

Hey I read your Article on related texts for After the Bomb. I really like the sound of "The 1959 newlyweds that spent their honeymoon in a fallout shelter – featured in LIFE magazine". I was just wondering where can I view the article? Do you possibly have a link?

[Lauradf36]

Random question: someone told me that if you're studying a bunch of poems as one of your core texts (e.g. we're doing Wordsworth), they can ask you to use specific poems from the syllabus? Is that right??

[ssarahj]

Hey I read your Article on related texts for After the Bomb. I really like the sound of "The 1959 newlyweds that spent their honeymoon in a fallout shelter – featured in LIFE magazine". I was just wondering where can I view the article? Do you possibly have a link?

Hey senara! I did a quick google for this, check out this link and see if it's the right article you're looking for... (Elyse might be able to give you a better idea about where to find it if this isn't it)
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2UkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA51&ots=IUYMPmDOer&dq=life+magazine+mininson&pg=PA51&redir_esc=y&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
 

Random question: someone told me that if you're studying a bunch of poems as one of your core texts (e.g. we're doing Wordsworth), they can ask you to use specific poems from the syllabus? Is that right??

Hey Lauradf36! From my understanding the essay questions for Ext 1 are concept based for each module, not text based, since each module has a a variety of texts in which not everyone does the same combination + related texts. So in short, they can't ask you to write about a specific poem for Ext 1! (thank god  )

[Lauradf36]

Hey Lauradf36! From my understanding the essay questions for Ext 1 are concept based for each module, not text based, since each module has a a variety of texts in which not everyone does the same combination + related texts. So in short, they can't ask you to write about a specific poem for Ext 1! (thank god  )

Thank you, that puts my heart at rest!!