The simple and effective way to conquer Section C of the English ExamHey guys and girls - especially directed to the Class of 2015 - I'm going to divulge the way I approached language analysis this year which enabled me to consistently score highly in this section of the exam. For you mathematical people, this will be useful as its quite formulaic
![Smiley :)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
and straightforward - if you combine the methodical diligence of analysis with good prose and good vocabulary, you have a good chance of scoring highly.
This is definitely the section you can improve on in the shortest amount of time - if you can get some of these key concepts down, this part of the exam will be way easier, giving you more time to devote to the other two sections which require more intense thought and complex ideas.
This is also one of the early SACs in the year (I believe for most schools?) so get around it and get a headstart!
The three steps to good language analysis. The ABC's!If we consider the nature of the task, the point of Section C is to analyse the manner in which language is used to persuade the reader. Remember the READER/Target audience is the focal point here. You need to be analysing language in light of how it positions the audience, not simply analyse language for the sake of it. Assume every author is trying to push something - think of them as totally manipulative - every language choice has a nefarious meaning. It's your task to find what these meanings are!A) Evidence via QUOTEB) HOW the evidence works often via TechniqueC) SIE – Specific Intended effect to a Specific AudienceExample analysis with colour coding(2011 Exam *cue shudders)
In raising the history of tattoos by presenting their painful significance as markings of ownership on the “unconsenting slaves” of Greece and Rome and on the prisoners of the “concentration camps of WW2”, Day makes an emotional appeal to her audience to empathise with the horror that these tattoos would have represented to their recipients. In this way, Day positions those with or in favour for tattoos to be less likely to view tattoos as the mere fashion symbols that they are thought of in the modern age. • The most important thing to note here is the importance of C) SIE. For every point of analysis you raise (or at most 2 maybe) you need to be zooming out to explain what it does to the reader. I find that with a lot of student pieces, it's easy to do A) and B), but often C) gets left out where the specific intended effect is actually the most important requirement.
• Don't slavishly copy the example given. You can interchange A) B) and C) all the way through your essay. They must remain the core of your essay though.
• Identify a specific target audience every now and then.
How to structure the essay itselfI followed the basic Intro, 3-5 body paragraphs and rudimentary conclusion structure all the way from year 11 to 12 and it has served me well.1) Introduction:•
Contextualising the issue •
Type of text (article, opinion piece, speech etc)
•
Title of text•
Date of article (if provided)•
Author/Speaker •
Overarching contention• **VCAA are likely to continue the "comment" trend as they did this year. If a second text is provided,
put a sentence or two in the introduction referring to it - you don't need to go into as much depth.
Optional: Mention images/visuals if they are present and maybe throw in some tone words/specific audiences
Model Introduction(
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/youve-been-misled-on-boat-people-here-are-the-facts-20130718-2q5rv.html)
The asylum seeker issue is one that has provoked intense debate in the Australian community especially in the light of tragedies at sea and the recent riot at PNG’s Manus island which resulted in a person being killed. In an confident and often critical
opinion piece entitled
“You’ve been misled on boat people: here are the facts”, published in The Age on
18 June 2013,
human rights lawyer Julian Burnside appeals to the reader’s humanitarian instincts to call for the Government to adopt a more humane approach towards those who seek asylum on our shores. Burnside’s views are reinforced by Fiona Katauskas’ accompanying cartoon, which depicts Immigration Minister Scott Morrison as a comical statue in the “Great Australian Hall of Shame”.
On the same day, a reader posting under the username “Realistic” published a distainful comment in response to the article, branding Burnside a ‘bleeding heart’ and calling for tighter controls around our borders.2) Body Paragraphs (3-4 usually)• Throughout the body paragraph, follow the ABC's of analysis.
• At this point you might be asking, how do I figure out what to analyse in each body paragraph? How do you write topic sentences for language analysis?
![Smiley :)](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
Welcome to what many people call 'chunking'. When you receive your article, read through it carefully and identify areas where you feel the tone shifts, the arguments shifts, the author changes an appeal, a new audience is targeted etc
At these key shifts, mark with a biro - these will form your chunks. Aim to have around 3-4 chunks max by identifying these shifts.
• Topic sentences should identify these key shifts and what you are going to analyse generally in that chunk.
Example:
Junger continues into the main text of his article in a more even-handed and unbiased tone, engaging readers with a recognition of public sentiment over the issue. • WHAT DO I ANALYSE there's so much to analyse! -> Don't stress. You're not expected to analyse everything as you simply do not have the time. What I found is that the paragraphs in articles usually were focussed around a particular WIDER technique - for example an anecdote - and then I would flag this main technique and then zoom in closely to specific words for the B) part of analysis.
• Visuals should be analysed within the chunks in which they are found. Search the article for links to the visuals and use these words to link to the visual. Aim for 3-4 points which you can take from the visual to analyse in depth. Use the same ABC's but with visual techniques really!
3) Comment/2nd Text Analysis (if VCAA decide to do it again which is a distinct possibility
![Tongue :P](https://www.atarnotes.com/forum/Smileys/default/tongue.gif)
)
• Treat the comment as a second text on its own.
• For this course, you are NOT required to engage in complex comparative analysis. Remember it is HOW language is used to persuade the reader. Feel free to draw some points of comparison - and often the stronger pieces will - but the bulk of your analysis should be on how this second author seeks to persuade the reader to his/her point of view.
• Spend one paragraph analysing the comment. Use the same ABC's and aim to perhaps draw a couple of point of comparison
4) ConclusionMake an arbitrary conclusion. This is seriously a structural requirement more than any thing. Just try not to repeat yourself.Example ConclusionOverall, Aly’s opinion piece attempts to position the reader to grapple with the terrible situation of asylum seekers in detention centres through a raft of mostly emotional appeals, attempting to illicit a response which condemns the government’s poor handling of the situation. Similarly, the commenter “Common Sense” appeals to the reader to condemn current policy and move to a more rational stand on the issue but does so in a manner which largely appeals to our sense of logic and reason. Both pieces ultimately seek to call for a change of policy which adequately deals with the human rights of asylum seekers rather than relegate this issue to the fringes of the public consiousness.
Hope this helped people! Feel free to message me or post here with any questions. I'll post up an exam advice for LA next year closer to the date. Remember if you would like feedback on work you've written, post to the English Work Submission and Marking board and the community will try and give advice!
The best way to improve is to try and write - even single body paragraphs! Good luck Class of 2015!