VCE English Question Thread

[atar.notes.user]

what happens if i forgot  'the' or 'a' from a quote in section a and/or b? will i be penalised bc im not using the right quote

also for AA, i tend to always just write 'therefore, the readers will agree with the writer's argument'
how can i force myslef to execute specific responses from the audience?

[K888]

what happens if i forgot  'the' or 'a' from a quote in section a and/or b? will i be penalised bc im not using the right quote

also for AA, i tend to always just write 'therefore, the readers will agree with the writer's argument'
how can i force myslef to execute specific responses from the audience?

I don't think it should matter *too* much if you miss a word or two in your quote - as long as the idea of the quote is still intact, and it still makes sense to have it in your essay, you should be fine. Remember that the people marking the English exams have to be able to mark every text - so they'll have read them all, but they won't necessarily know all texts that well. My teacher told me that you can usually get away with a bit, because a) the examiner may not be super acquainted with the text, so as long as the quote fits the picture you'll be fine and b) they're not going to go look through their book to see if that quote matches perfectly - they've got tonnes of other essays to mark!

In terms of article analysis, I think a) try to expand your vocabulary in terms of the way you express the effect on the readers, and b) make sure you say why they're being influenced to agree or whatever. That second part is super important - it's not enough to just analyse a snippet of the article, and chuck on a "therefore readers will agree with the author" at the end - you need to elaborate on why they're agreeing. I think a lot of people struggle with this to some extent when they do English. Just be really conscious when you're writing that you're actually talking about how (and why) the certain part of the article you're analysing is important - what's it actually there for in the article? What purpose does it serve? It's your job to analyse that

Hope I didn't go too far off track with my answer. All the best!

[atar.notes.user]

I don't think it should matter *too* much if you miss a word or two in your quote - as long as the idea of the quote is still intact, and it still makes sense to have it in your essay, you should be fine. Remember that the people marking the English exams have to be able to mark every text - so they'll have read them all, but they won't necessarily know all texts that well. My teacher told me that you can usually get away with a bit, because a) the examiner may not be super acquainted with the text, so as long as the quote fits the picture you'll be fine and b) they're not going to go look through their book to see if that quote matches perfectly - they've got tonnes of other essays to mark!

In terms of article analysis, I think a) try to expand your vocabulary in terms of the way you express the effect on the readers, and b) make sure you say why they're being influenced to agree or whatever. That second part is super important - it's not enough to just analyse a snippet of the article, and chuck on a "therefore readers will agree with the author" at the end - you need to elaborate on why they're agreeing. I think a lot of people struggle with this to some extent when they do English. Just be really conscious when you're writing that you're actually talking about how (and why) the certain part of the article you're analysing is important - what's it actually there for in the article? What purpose does it serve? It's your job to analyse that

Hope I didn't go too far off track with my answer. All the best!

thank you!!!

[LPadlan]

Is there any comparative essays on Year of Wonders and The Crucible here? I cant find any

[hmdeadas]

Hey, can i use the word "conclusively" , to start off my conclusion? If not are there other terms?
Also what do I do if for section C one of the texts have no Author/writer? How would i refer to the text piece?
Thank You

[zxcvbnm18]

anyone got any answers for the sample aural task given in VCAA?

[LPadlan]

Would i get penalized if i misused a quote for a character? eg. It was due to Jason's "proud, impassioned soul" that...
Since i'm sure(i may be mistaken) that quote was used to describe Medea, not Jason

[clarke54321]

Hey, can i use the word "conclusively" , to start off my conclusion? If not are there other terms?
Also what do I do if for section C one of the texts have no Author/writer? How would i refer to the text piece?
Thank You

You can use "conclusively" to start conclusions. However, it does give off a kind of generic feel. Even the simple "Thus, Hence or Indeed" can solve this problem.

If there is no designated author/writer, I would quite simply use one of these terms!

Would i get penalized if i misused a quote for a character? eg. It was due to Jason's "proud, impassioned soul" that...
Since i'm sure(i may be mistaken) that quote was used to describe Medea, not Jason

I don't think it would be a huge issue. If you continually mixed up characters and evidence, then perhaps examiners would start to question your knowledge of the play. But one quote wouldn't have too great an impact 

[zxcvbnm18]

In what ways is medea a hero?

[hmdeadas]

Does anyone have any resources/tactics for identifying the text type/form of the texts we are given in section C?
Like identifying whether is an editorial / article etc?
THANK YOU!

[K888]

Does anyone have any resources/tactics for identifying the text type/form of the texts we are given in section C?
Like identifying whether is an editorial / article etc?
THANK YOU!

- The most important thing I can say is read the snippet of context/background info that you're given at the start of section C carefully! It might say it outright then and there (like it did in 2012, 2013, 2014 and other years no doubt haha), or it'll at least give hints.
- If it doesn't tell you in the background info, it might tell you in the text itself! Last year it said "the local newspaper of Lawton publishes a weekly column written by the mayor" or something like that, and then was addressed as "From the Mayor". They also gave you the form of the other texts. In 2015, it had these sort of stage direction things that complemented the format it was written in to really clue you into what it was.
- Failing that, read the title of the text and look for the author - editorials usually won't have a specific author's name, they'll probably be published under the name of the newspaper. Likewise, if there is the name of the author there - see if there's any official titles - maybe it's the Prime Minister, and the text form is an address from them?
- Check the tone - maybe it's a satirical piece? If they're using "I" or referring to themselves lots - maybe it's an opinion piece
- If its a visual - is it a cartoon? Is it a photo? Is it a drawing? Etc, etc.

I remember finding it much easier to find the type or form of text in VCAA exams than in any articles, etc. that we got given in class, so don't stress! If you get flustered, just take a step back, take a deep breath, and get back into the zone.
All the best!

[zofromuxo]

In what ways is medea a hero?

If your thinking of making Medea a "traditional" hero then I would say not to do that. As I believe Medea isn't a hero, but a Tragic Hero.
-She completes a heroic deed with Jason in obtaining the golden fleece
-She had a noble position as the Daughter of King Aeethes and the Granddaughter of the sun god Helios
-You could argue that she had free will in the decisions she made (You can argue that she was fated by the gods in her decision as well)
-She has a hamartia of hubris
-You could say she had reached some understanding of the breaking of marriage of Jason due to his greed for power and even knew this while committing sophistry against the male characters.

In a modern sense, she is characterised as an anti-hero.

[zxcvbnm18]

If your thinking of making Medea a "traditional" hero then I would say not to do that. As I believe Medea isn't a hero, but a Tragic Hero.
-She completes a heroic deed with Jason in obtaining the golden fleece
-She had a noble position as the Daughter of King Aeethes and the Granddaughter of the sun god Helios
-You could argue that she had free will in the decisions she made (You can argue that she was fated by the gods in her decision as well)
-She has a hamartia of hubris
-You could say she had reached some understanding of the breaking of marriage of Jason due to his greed for power and even knew this while committing sophistry against the male characters.

In a modern sense, she is characterised as an anti-hero.
[/quote
Thank you!

[tinagranger]

Hi, I have a comparative question for The Crucible and Year of Wonders: For my conclusion, if I want a general difference about religion in both texts, I am not sure what to write - could someone help me word something? Thank you

[rpapa]

Hi, I have a comparative question for The Crucible and Year of Wonders: For my conclusion, if I want a general difference about religion in both texts, I am not sure what to write - could someone help me word something? Thank you

Hi! So what I have been told to do by my teacher is to incorporate the purposes of each writer in your conclusion. Basically, it's the 'so what?' of your entire essay. Why have Brooks and Miller bothered to write about the plague and Salem witch trials? What do they want us to take away from this?
For religion, I would probably say something along the lines of this (depending on what I actually include in my essay ofc):
Both Brooks and Miller warn us against literal interpretations of religious texts. The theocracies founded in both Eyam and Salem are rife with binary thinking and punitive justice as a result. Miller ultimately uses religion as a didactic tool to illustrate the dire consequences of these political structures. However, Brooks is more concerned with demonstrating the impact of religion on individuals rather than political structures. The loss of faith and movement towards an age of reason is made markedly apparent in 'Year of Wonders' etc...
Hopefully this helps!
Feel free to add anything guys