ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE English & EAL => Topic started by: Surgeon on August 07, 2012, 06:40:33 pm

Title: OTW Woes
Post by: Surgeon on August 07, 2012, 06:40:33 pm
So I have my first SAC for Unit 4 tomorrow.

It's going to be a text response piece on 'On the Waterfront'.

I really haven't enjoyed OTW and as a result, I've been procrastinating by doing every other essay possible in this past week (self-sabotaging, I know...)

Going to try and just make a bunch of plans for as many essay topics as I can and try to memorise what I will do depending on what the prompt I get is.

Anyone have any tips on what the most prominent paragraph topics would be for certain prompts?

Would really appreciate any help.

The biggest downside to this situation is that this SAC is worth 50 marks (half of Unit 4) and I will have only one more SAC after this for Unit 4 (another 50 mark SAC on The Lot for Context).

Thanks in advance!
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: charmanderp on August 07, 2012, 07:39:54 pm
Just get one of those text guides for OTW and skim through it. Or adopt my personal policy and wing it (y) Write from the heart, etc.

Maybe make some one or two line notes as well and try to cover as many ideas as you can. I did that as basically my only study for our text response SAC last semester on the day of the SAC and found it really, really useful, as it got me thinking about the entire text even if I only wrote down two lines about each character, theme, plot line, etc.
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: Surgeon on August 07, 2012, 07:48:08 pm
Just get one of those text guides for OTW and skim through it. Or adopt my personal policy and wing it (y) Write from the heart, etc.

Maybe make some one or two line notes as well and try to cover as many ideas as you can. I did that as basically my only study for our text response SAC last semester on the day of the SAC and found it really, really useful, as it got me thinking about the entire text even if I only wrote down two lines about each character, theme, plot line, etc.

I'll read my Neap study guide when I find it haha. Yeah I'm just trying to expose myself to as many prompts as possible and I'm writing a line or two on what I'd write in each body paragraph.

Hopefully a certain level of natural ability ", a bit of preparation and a strong vocabulary can get me a 45+/50
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: charmanderp on August 07, 2012, 07:52:54 pm
If you do want to get a high score, I think it's important to roll the dice a little bit and try to introduce some more obscure/complex ideas. Be creative so as to still set your piece aside from the masses'.
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: Surgeon on August 07, 2012, 07:57:11 pm
If you do want to get a high score, I think it's important to roll the dice a little bit and try to introduce some more obscure/complex ideas. Be creative so as to still set your piece aside from the masses'.

I would never use an idea from a studyguide as a body paragraph :P
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: charmanderp on August 07, 2012, 08:00:59 pm
Haha well personally I'd have no aversion to that :P I don't use study guides myself but the ones published by Robert Beardwood are probably very credible. I guess you just have to take what you think works with your interpretation of the text.
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: Soul_Khan on August 07, 2012, 11:03:40 pm
With regards to the question of study guides.. why don't you try to purchase one which isn't published for VCE since 'On the Waterfront' is a pretty old film, perhaps an American study guide - this could bring in new ideas/concepts for you to explore,that might separate yours from those using study guides made specifically for VCE.

Just an idea though.. :P
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: Surgeon on August 07, 2012, 11:24:22 pm
With regards to the question of study guides.. why don't you try to purchase one which isn't published for VCE since 'On the Waterfront' is a pretty old film, perhaps an American study guide - this could bring in new ideas/concepts for you to explore,that might separate yours from those using study guides made specifically for VCE.

Just an idea though.. :P

That's actually a great idea. Thank you. Only problem is, my SAC is tomorrow from 4-5PM :P. Oh well :)

Even if I mess this SAC up, I'll just redeem myself in the last SAC and the exam :P

A friend of mine got 97/100 for Unit 3, 82/100 for Unit 4 and still got a 48.
Title: Re: OTW Woes
Post by: charmanderp on August 08, 2012, 12:21:26 am
Yeah academic writings on classical texts are amazing. Just leech a few ideas from there or try to develop a complex understanding from them and the assessor won't know what hit them!