ATAR Notes: Forum

Archived Discussion => 2009 => End-of-year exams => Exam Discussion => Victoria => English => Topic started by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 10:02:12 am

Title: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 10:02:12 am
How did it go?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Hooligan on October 30, 2009, 10:39:27 am
lol... they've got 1 hour and a half to go. :D
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Amnesiac on October 30, 2009, 11:51:27 am
Can't believe they are in there now, and i also can't believe how slow time goes on the outside. I've been studying for my International Studies exam since 10, and it is only 12 now. They've done an extra hour and i feel like death already. Haha
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ngRISING on October 30, 2009, 12:01:02 pm
too easy. way too easy =P

jk lol dnt do eng
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Hooligan on October 30, 2009, 12:41:14 pm
too easy. way too easy =P

jk lol dnt do eng

lol... if you posted that about 20 mins later, it would have been a bit more convincing. :D
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: supa-leet-killer on October 30, 2009, 12:46:53 pm
WOOOT IT'S OVERR!

nao i dunt hav 2 wury bout no engrish, man!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 12:49:04 pm
I was really happy with it, I felt like my preparation was definitely adequate.

I nearly got killed on the way home by an oncoming car but the exam definitely makes up for that.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: m-town on October 30, 2009, 12:51:33 pm
Think that went ok.

who else did AMFAS?  the prompts weren't as straight-forward as I was expecting.



btw, thanks costargh for putting up your amfas study notes. Been a real help.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Fyrefly on October 30, 2009, 12:53:39 pm

Hope everyone did well!! ^_^
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Noblesse on October 30, 2009, 12:55:59 pm
Congrats on finishing English everyone!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Saraime2003 on October 30, 2009, 12:56:28 pm
I did AMFAS... Yeah same about the topics... i was like dam. And i wasn't sure which to do. I LOVED the Whose Reality Prompt and i usually hate them. I did loads better than my stupid practice exam i think. lol
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 12:56:46 pm
Think that went ok.

who else did AMFAS?  the prompts weren't as straight-forward as I was expecting.



btw, thanks costargh for putting up your amfas study notes. Been a real help.

I did amfas too, the first question. 'More says: "I do none harm, I say non harm, I think none hard". More's decision to place his prcinciples about his family is difficult for a modern audience to understand' Do you agree?

I basically said the decision is difficult to understand in terms of the fact that
a) he could have furthered his own agenda by staying as Chancellor and doing what he could form there.
b) he could have stayed alive like the common man who is indifferent to the politics

but
c) that his decision is nonetheless admirable as he becomes a symbol for resistance against tyranny etc despite the ineffectual nature of his stance.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kurrymuncher on October 30, 2009, 12:57:45 pm
I found the context for identity and belonging the easiest
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Toothpaste on October 30, 2009, 12:58:06 pm
SOMEONE POST UP SOLUTIONS!!111

Congrats kids
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: spontaneouscombustion on October 30, 2009, 12:58:28 pm
All of this week and last week while I was studying for English (in the lake) I kept hearing a small voice in my head, 'Study Look Both Ways! Do it!' But I always thought 'NO WAY I hate that film with a passion.'

Then in the exam...the question for look both ways was one I had done before...and the questions for in the lake were ones that I had seen but never really attempted to write or plan.

*sigh...probably the most mediocre text response I have written.

Ah well, just have to listen to intuition next time. No wait, there is no next time...

Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: taylor tay bags on October 30, 2009, 12:59:09 pm
dominated all except context..
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Saraime2003 on October 30, 2009, 01:00:07 pm
Think that went ok.

who else did AMFAS?  the prompts weren't as straight-forward as I was expecting.



btw, thanks costargh for putting up your amfas study notes. Been a real help.

I did amfas too, the first question. 'More says: "I do none harm, I say non harm, I think none hard". More's decision to place his prcinciples about his family is difficult for a modern audience to understand' Do you agree?

I basically said the decision is difficult to understand in terms of the fact that
a) he could have furthered his own agenda by staying as Chancellor and doing what he could form there.
b) he could have stayed alive like the common man who is indifferent to the politics

but
c) that his decision is nonetheless admirable as he becomes a symbol for resistance against tyranny etc despite the ineffectual nature of his stance.

Wow... i did topic ii. I'm glad a didn't do that one cos i couldnt have done that good. lol
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: steph_r on October 30, 2009, 01:00:59 pm
SO GLAD ITS OVER! :)

The look both ways topics were easy, but the imaginative landscape topic WAS SO HARD!! Ahh well, its over now!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 01:04:05 pm
What were the two AMFAS questions? I'm quite interested lol

Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: GerrySly on October 30, 2009, 01:04:13 pm
Quote from: spontaneouscombustion
All of this week and last week while I was studying for English (in the lake) I kept hearing a small voice in my head, 'Study Look Both Ways! Do it!' But I always thought 'NO WAY I hate that film with a passion.'
Man you don't know how relieved I was when I read the second topic for Look Both Ways, exactly what I did for 4/5 of my practice essays lol

Overall I felt pretty good but I dunno if that's a "yes I'm finished english forever" feeling or an I actually did good feeling lol
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: m-town on October 30, 2009, 01:05:46 pm


thats a good argument whoever posted that thing.

mine was a little more expository,  for the same prompt i argued:

a)It is not only a modern audience that do not understand the ambiguties of More's stance, but also the corrupt Machiavellian society he inhabits.

b)His friends and family also do not even understand the existential nature of More's stance.

c) However, Bolt goes to great extent to illustrate the play is more about selfhood then it is about family. And while previous arguments are justified, they have missed the ball.





Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: RexPP on October 30, 2009, 01:13:14 pm
Im glad it's over. I did the second Citizen Kane prompt (At the end of his life Kane is a friendless recluse. Why?), did anyone else? I found the whose reality prompt reasonable and the language analysis was straightforward, as it usually is, although the visual could be interpreted in two ways.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: tomygun_123 on October 30, 2009, 01:14:06 pm
So im guessing we're all in agreement, that persuasive article at the end sucked nut, left right and centre, absolutely dominated part 1 and 2 but the image in the article was so poor...
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 01:15:09 pm
I found the context for identity and belonging the easiest
i thought context was hardest. Lang anal was defs unexpected but I found that most accessible. (honestly, i was expected an article on a recent issue)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 01:15:18 pm
What were the two AMFAS questions? I'm quite interested lol



Costa, they were:

i) 'More says: "I do none harm, I say non harm, I think none hard". More's decision to place his prcinciples about his family is difficult for a modern audience to understand' Do you agree?

ii)The Steward says: "The great thing's not to get out of your depth..."
To what extent are the characters in the play out of their depth?


I think I could've done ii well.. hmm maybe I should have. Oh well.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: m-town on October 30, 2009, 01:16:01 pm
What were the two AMFAS questions? I'm quite interested lol



More says: "I do none harm, I say none harm". Mores decision to place his principles above his family is difficult for a modern audience to understand. Do you agree?

or

The steward says "The great thing's not to get out of your depth..."
To what extent are the characters in the play out of their depth?

btw could someone share with me how they answered the second? I was quick to reject that prompt because i didn't really understand what it was asking.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: polky on October 30, 2009, 01:16:45 pm
What was the Whose Reality prompt?  And what was the Lang Analysis article about?

Good job to everyone! :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: RexPP on October 30, 2009, 01:17:45 pm
What was the Whose Reality prompt?  And what was the Lang Analysis article about?

Good job to everyone! :)


We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are. - Whose Reality
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: GerrySly on October 30, 2009, 01:19:53 pm
So im guessing we're all in agreement, that persuasive article at the end sucked nut, left right and centre, absolutely dominated part 1 and 2 but the image in the article was so poor...
That was why they were so easy I reckon, you just explained the ambiguity in the image and moved on.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 01:24:29 pm
So im guessing we're all in agreement, that persuasive article at the end sucked nut, left right and centre, absolutely dominated part 1 and 2 but the image in the article was so poor...
That was why they were so easy I reckon, you just explained the ambiguity in the image and moved on.


I mentioned the circuitry being shown as inside the head thus presenting the role of technology in human life as a positive, something that could enhance our potential etc.  Also the rays of light coming out of it could be said to suggest that technology is a 'ray of light' to civilisation.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 01:27:33 pm
OMG the prompt for I & B was dumb:
"To be true to urself in a world that is constantly trying to make u somthing else is the greatest achievement"
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: spontaneouscombustion on October 30, 2009, 01:28:39 pm
So im guessing we're all in agreement, that persuasive article at the end sucked nut, left right and centre, absolutely dominated part 1 and 2 but the image in the article was so poor...
That was why they were so easy I reckon, you just explained the ambiguity in the image and moved on.


I mentioned the circuitry being shown as inside the head thus presenting the role of technology in human life as a positive, something that could enhance our potential etc.  Also the rays of light coming out of it could be said to suggest that technology is a 'ray of light' to civilisation.
Same here, derivativex.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 01:30:29 pm
i related the 101010101's (from the micro chip) to the reference to the 'homo superhabilis" which indicated a more intelligent human
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 01:31:03 pm
What were the two AMFAS questions? I'm quite interested lol



More says: "I do none harm, I say none harm". Mores decision to place his principles above his family is difficult for a modern audience to understand. Do you agree?

or

The steward says "The great thing's not to get out of your depth..."
To what extent are the characters in the play out of their depth?

btw could someone share with me how they answered the second? I was quick to reject that prompt because i didn't really understand what it was asking.

Thank-you. Prompt (i) to me sounds the better choice, probably because a lot of study would have been more focused on 'principles' rather than the broad 'out of their depth'.

Best of luck to everyone.

What was the Identity and belonging prompt?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 01:32:51 pm
^^ scroll up
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 01:35:24 pm
OMG the prompt for I & B was dumb:
"To be true to urself in a world that is constantly trying to make u somthing else is the greatest achievement"

I like it a lot! Can definitely relate it to social issues!

Parallels with Witness I can think of:

- John Book did not go down the road of corruption in the police force.
- John Book doesnt get married even though his sister wants him to be.
- Amish people don't let 21st century change them.
- The mother of Eli Lapp (name?) doesn't let her infatuation with John Book change her devotion to the Amish people and way of life.

Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dekoyl on October 30, 2009, 01:38:11 pm
Twas okay. I didn't get mental block.

I think I wrote homosupersaiyen instead of homosupersomething for the language analysis though.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 01:39:06 pm
Would I lose marks for not talking about the BACKGROUND ISSUE in my language analysis....and why do we have 2 threads on the exam =S

so glad that its over, don't believe text response was similar to what I did at home YAY

Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 01:39:29 pm
Twas okay. I didn't get mental block.

I think I wrote homosupersaiyen instead of homosupersomething for the language analysis though.
LOL, I read it as super sayan as well, LMAO, too much anime night before= not good
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: faraout on October 30, 2009, 01:41:43 pm
my context was on identity and belonging,
basically the notion of 'to thine self be true' inspired by Shakespeare(omg i didnt know it was him then), where the texts my school uses are witness and sometimes gladness poems(they are so boring)
My biggest flaw is that i spent too long on context and text response, and lang ana was on the Key In? or did anyone else have that as well? I find it vague and less opinion oriented. overall i did okay, did not expect much however.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: skinny on October 30, 2009, 01:45:01 pm
i got the lang/an over with first. i thought it was a bit hard, was pushed for time so i kinda rushed it in the end :S but still, i got through it. text response was romulus, thought they were reasonable topics, thought topics for amfas were reaaally good but i didnt study that... lol. and context prompt for i and b i thought was great, so i feel i did ok with that :)
overall though, i really dont know how i went.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: faraout on October 30, 2009, 01:47:39 pm
oh by the way i did ESL, but it was still hard as, for me at least T_T
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Ilovemathsmeth on October 30, 2009, 01:53:11 pm
Thrilled! Now I can burn Hard Times! Here I come! =)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 01:53:47 pm
OMG the prompt for I & B was dumb:
"To be true to urself in a world that is constantly trying to make u somthing else is the greatest achievement"

I like it a lot! Can definitely relate it to social issues!

Parallels with Witness I can think of:

- John Book did not go down the road of corruption in the police force.
- John Book doesnt get married even though his sister wants him to be.
- Amish people don't let 21st century change them.
- The mother of Eli Lapp (name?) doesn't let her infatuation with John Book change her devotion to the Amish people and way of life.


i guess but it was just too long..i expected a much shorter and concise prompt.
i related it to witness:
- John Book successfully realized that his policeman identity suited him the most
- How Muslim women continue to wear the 'hijab' in the western world
- Rachael Lapp's knowledge of her identity prevented her from entering Book's, less familiar, world.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: IntoTheNewWorld on October 30, 2009, 01:57:01 pm
I've never written such a shit language analysis, and I think I forgot to mention the author and publication which was quite stupid.

...*plays with ENTER calc*
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Ilovemathsmeth on October 30, 2009, 01:57:07 pm
Woops that said nothing about how I found the exam.

I did Hard Times, topic (i). Spoke about education system, mill owners, Rachael, Sissy and Louisa as well as the circus.

The language analysis was long and I think I screwed up the visual. I said something like it shows the broadening of human intelligence and said that the person appeared calm, therefore it is an easy process to learn with digital technology. Missed out on the light and the microchip. GAHHH =(

Whose Reality was okay; but I don't think I did that great because I rushed my ideas. I had 45 mins for it. Oh well, it's over. And that's the exciting bit!

Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 01:59:13 pm
I've never written such a shit language analysis, and I think I forgot to mention the author and publication which was quite stupid.

...*plays with ENTER calc*
don't worry we all did I think

hey, hey , hey at least it wasn';t two thoguh right?

and and and, dont stay on enter calc too long, can make u more depressed.

NOW WE WAIT FOR OUR MARKS =(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: taylor tay bags on October 30, 2009, 02:06:40 pm
The tone for language analysis i wrote was conversational/calm and changed into forceful/persuasive towards the end, and the visual prompt i said the flow of the white was heading up, meaning heading into the future, and the matrix indicated the unknown, and that only 2 colors were used which isolated the microchip, or the future?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lynt.br on October 30, 2009, 02:07:32 pm
Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lalala on October 30, 2009, 02:08:04 pm
What was the Whose Reality prompt?  And what was the Lang Analysis article about?

Good job to everyone! :)


Whose Reality?

"We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are"
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Saraime2003 on October 30, 2009, 02:10:50 pm
Wow........ i keep running my text response essay over in my head for AMFAS... and its making me want to cry. I made stupid mistakes. i would expect an essay like i did in my exam, from maybe a year 10. ugh :(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Stroodle on October 30, 2009, 02:12:19 pm
OMG that language analysis was one big block of text, and I had to read it twice to get my head around the contention. Overall I think I did pretty well, but I only wrote about 2.5 pages on each section.
Who did the 1984 topic about the novel being engaging and also a social criticism? Was like two questions in one...
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dani on October 30, 2009, 02:17:30 pm
i'm just so glad that it's over.

i have no idea on how i went. hopefully, i did ok.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: i.am.amanda on October 30, 2009, 02:19:06 pm
I'm not really happy overall. Did Whose Reality? (drawing on Enduring Love) for context and Generals die in bed for text.

I was really happy with the context prompt, so went against what I had practiced by doing the context first. I decided the creative that I had done for my sac (that I got full marks for)- but I had hardly practiced it. Ugh. Thinking now that I should have stuck with an expository.

For Generals I did the second question, which was good. My answer was convoluted though. I kept changing ideas. Ugh!

Lang analy was crappy. Shortest answer at 4 pages (with heaps of crossing-out). I said the tone was optimistic and excited, and the discussed the images ambiguity. I think I made some things up, like "an appeal to a sense of excitement and adventure". Uggghhhh!

I'm thinking maybe low-mid A. Crappy considering I've only lost one mark all year for English.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 02:19:15 pm
The tone for language analysis i wrote was conversational/calm and changed into forceful/persuasive towards the end, and the visual prompt i said the flow of the white was heading up, meaning heading into the future, and the matrix indicated the unknown, and that only 2 colors were used which isolated the microchip, or the future?
i said that it was controlled at the start and then emphatic at the end... quote "Let's be excited - keep being excited"
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: haneybee on October 30, 2009, 02:21:45 pm

Who did the 1984 topic about the novel being engaging and also a social criticism? Was like two questions in one...

I know!! that 1984 topic was really ambiguous and my teacher said we can't speak for all readers, so I don't see how we were meant to address that topic.

The other one at least was a bit more focused =S
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Stroodle on October 30, 2009, 02:22:27 pm
I wrote that the tone was grandiose. Don't know how well that'll go down...
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Fireworks on October 30, 2009, 02:27:04 pm
I am a chronic insomniac and I got too sleep at 5:30.
Inevitably, when I opened the exam, I went blank.
Worst feeling possible right now.

Ill scrap a C+ or a B :(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Stroodle on October 30, 2009, 02:29:39 pm
I am a chronic insomniac and I got too sleep at 5:30.
Inevitably, when I opened the exam, I went blank.
Worst feeling possible right now.

Ill scrap a C+ or a B :(

You should go see a doctor and get it on paper. THat way you may be able to get special consideration, as insomnia is a disorder.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lynt.br on October 30, 2009, 02:35:16 pm
I think I said the tone was reassuring and it was written in a conversational style and in the last paragraph became quite inspirational. The target audience was obviously people who harbour some scepticism or doubt concerning the digital revolution.

For the picture I pulled something out of my ass. Talked about how the synthesis of computers and the human was supposed to reflect the evolution of the human brain. I explained it really badly though so I doubt the examiner will understand what I was trying to say.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Fireworks on October 30, 2009, 02:35:42 pm
I am a chronic insomniac and I got too sleep at 5:30.
Inevitably, when I opened the exam, I went blank.
Worst feeling possible right now.

Ill scrap a C+ or a B :(

You should go see a doctor and get it on paper. THat way you may be able to get special consideration, as insomnia is a disorder.

Booked in just now :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: i.am.amanda on October 30, 2009, 02:38:33 pm
The target audience was obviously people who harbour some scepticism or doubt concerning the digital revolution.

Wow I said something totally different lol. I said the general audience would have been internet users, given that it was published online.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 02:39:45 pm
Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
...."not happy with an A+" What the eff.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: haneybee on October 30, 2009, 02:41:02 pm
I am a chronic insomniac and I got too sleep at 5:30.
Inevitably, when I opened the exam, I went blank.
Worst feeling possible right now.

Ill scrap a C+ or a B :(

awww.. it's not your fault if you have insomnia.

I guess if we look at things in perspective, this exam won't be the most important part of our lives, it just feels like it at the moment..
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 02:45:37 pm
I am a chronic insomniac and I got too sleep at 5:30.
Inevitably, when I opened the exam, I went blank.
Worst feeling possible right now.

Ill scrap a C+ or a B :(

awww.. it's not your fault if you have insomnia.

I guess if we look at things in perspective, this exam won't be the most important part of our lives, it just feels like it at the moment..
I'm truly sorry for you =*(

Must not be easy, best of luck mate, and don't forget to apply for special consideration.

Trust me, you would be surprised how the brain cna still think/write even whilst tired.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: shinny on October 30, 2009, 02:46:13 pm
Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
...."not happy with an A+" What the eff.

I guess people have different standards. I was hoping for around 48 or so for English, and walked out of the exam annoyed last year with also having probably scraped A+'s. From what I've seen, lynt.br would have been aiming for these kinds of marks too.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lynt.br on October 30, 2009, 02:46:45 pm
The target audience was obviously people who harbour some scepticism or doubt concerning the digital revolution.

Wow I said something totally different lol. I said the general audience would have been internet users, given that it was published online.

That's a perfectly valid answer as well. I just thought that because the purpose of the piece was to quash any fears about the technological revolution then his primary audience or at least, the group that the piece would primarily be directed at, would be people left unconvinced that digital technology really is the way to go.

Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
...."not happy with an A+" What the eff.
I'm fairly sure I'm not getting an A+ on this exam. I'm mainly frustrated because I'm fully aware of all the mistakes I made. My problem is that it takes me a very long time to create something I am happy with and that satisfies all the necessary criteria. I'm not very good at getting things right the first time and instead rely on extensive editing and re-drafting. Obviously this is impossible in the exam so I just had to accept that there were things which would probably cost me marks in my essays. It is an extremely frustrating feeling walking out of an exam knowing that this is not your best work and that you are fully aware of what is wrong with it but did not have the time to fix it.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 02:47:29 pm
Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
...."not happy with an A+" What the eff.

It sounds over the top but a low A+ can spoil a year's worth of excellent sac marks.. it could be the difference between a 45 and a 40.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: themit on October 30, 2009, 02:47:43 pm
I actually thought it was quite a fair exam. I wrote on Richard III and then the Imaginative Landscape. The language analysis was a little bit harder, but it wasn't too bad.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 02:48:48 pm
Oh Okay, sorry! Didn't mean to sound all angry :P. Don't get the wrong impression

I was just saying heaps of people would be happy with that mark, but i see what you mean

Don't worry!!! Just because you think u got that doesn't mean u have!!!!!!!

Best of luck
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lynt.br on October 30, 2009, 02:50:09 pm
Not too happy with how I did. I'll probably either scrape an A+ or get a high A. Text response I ended up choosing the topic I had prepared less for. Context I broke my own rule and brought in stuff I had never used before. Language analysis went okay but my writing was utter trash. I also wrote significantly less than in all my practice essays.

Oh yeah and I forgot to bring my pencil case which was always fun.
...."not happy with an A+" What the eff.

It sounds over the top but a low A+ can spoil a year's worth of excellent sac marks.. it could be the difference between a 45 and a 40.

A low A+ can be devastating in a single exam subject. It happened to me last year in legal studies. Despite having high A+ for both SAC GAs, my low A+ on the exam gave me a SS of 39.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: studyhound on October 30, 2009, 02:50:52 pm
conflict prompt was very average
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: theop on October 30, 2009, 02:51:55 pm
he everyone wat did u guys think about section 3 long hard????
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 02:53:05 pm
he everyone wat did u guys think about section 3 long hard????

longggggggg, but thats because I think they compensated for having ONE article, and not TWO difefrent ones.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lynt.br on October 30, 2009, 02:58:32 pm
he everyone wat did u guys think about section 3 long hard????


I think a lot of people are going to find the opinion piece hard because it really wasn't as forceful as others have been in the past. Last year's piece was much easier to analyse because of how opinionated it was. His contention was clear right from the start whereas this year the authors contention wasn't really made explicitly obvious until about halfway through. The techniques used also were generally more subtle than last years. It only got easy to analyse once you reached the last paragraph or so and he started talking about how you'd be a "loser" to ignore the digital revolution.

I foresee the visual also causing a lot of grief. It really wasn't obvious what the intent of the visual was, unlike last year where it's purpose was pretty straightforward. I think another issue is that usually its easier to analyse a piece when the piece actually has an effect on you. I usually try to judge the intended effect of the piece by what it makes me feel. I really felt nothing when looking at this years visual.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dolche on October 30, 2009, 02:59:13 pm
Can someone put the paper up?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: haneybee on October 30, 2009, 03:00:47 pm
he everyone wat did u guys think about section 3 long hard????


I found the visual and the headline very ambiguous... it's all very subjective really...

 and likewise, yeah the length of the piece was really long. But at least it meant we only had to focus on one viewpoint on the issue...

did anyone find the form of the opinion piece a bit random?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: themit on October 30, 2009, 03:03:33 pm
he everyone wat did u guys think about section 3 long hard????


I found the visual and the headline very ambiguous... it's all very subjective really...

 and likewise, yeah the length of the piece was really long. But at least it meant we only had to focus on one viewpoint on the issue...

did anyone find the form of the opinion piece a bit random?
We were told that it could have been anything like a blog or something.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 03:15:23 pm
i wrote that Voxi or whatever his name is, was critical and dismissive of the conservative views towards digital technology and reassures readers that it is much more beneficial than harmful.

also i said homo supersapien or something, would i lose marks if i didn't write that right?

You shouldn't lose them for that alone.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:21:38 pm
Hey :police:<<<random

OFFICIAL 2009 EXAM
Thought this might come in handy, don't think copyright is an issue :police:, since the VCAA writes the analysis?

Sorry for the language analysis with the annotations :buck2:.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 03:22:05 pm
I think I might still scrape an A+ in English , but I feel like my Citizen Kane text response (prompt 1) was lacking in completeness as links to the prompt and between ideas were implied rather than explicit. I struggled with it and cut 10 minutes into my language analysis. It still had some good unique ideas and the writing wasn't bad so perhaps I'm being too critical.

I did context first (Encountering Conflict). I was so scared of context because the prompt could be so random, but I was really happy with what we were given (It is the victims of conflict which show us what is really important). I felt like I did really well on context piece so hopefully it will bring my marks up. A lot of people in my school (all in Encountering Conflict) all hated the prompt and thought they screwed that section up.

My language analysis was damn scary to write and I had only 50 minutes left to write it. The article didn't have any emotional effect on me and I didn't have time to do any annotations. Somehow I got well into the 4th page and it felt really easy to write. Even though the thought of having to write about the seemingly pointless image was daunting, when I started writing the paragraph about it I came up with some ideas. It's hard to remember but I think I said that it illustrated those who adopted technology as bright and intelligent, and was a visualisation for the claims that technology was the next step in human evolution because it showed an augmentation of the brain and technology, but because there was a lack of evidence to back up the claim it could be interpreted as lacking substance.

I actually agreed with the article in my head but I found it really easy to pick it to shreds and so I blammed it and concluded that it had relatively little persuasive power.

One thing confused me though, did we have to comment on the form? I didn't because it could have been anything, it was on the web. It might have been a blog, editorial, anything. Because it's on the internet it could be some sort of bizarre hybrid that we don't have a name for yet or doesn't have a form at all. I did mention in passing that it was on the internet but didn't go much further than that.

I went in the order of Context, Text Response, Language Analysis. I knew context would be easy because I would be able to write more freely and play with ideas and concepts which would break any chance of writer's block and leave me feeling in control and pumped for the next section. I did Text Response next and had a good first half of the intro but it started to spiral out of control a bit, and I cut into Language Analysis time. With my morale severely beaten and feeling slightly depressed, I don't know what enabled me to do the language analysis which was probably my strongest section and what I had studied least for and was worried most about, but hey, I'm glad for it.

So what order did you guys do it in and why? How did it affect your exam?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 03:23:35 pm
i wrote that Voxi or whatever his name is, was critical and dismissive of the conservative views towards digital technology and reassures readers that it is much more beneficial than harmful.

also i said homo supersapien or something, would i lose marks if i didn't write that right?

You shouldn't lose them for that alone.

The general consensus from VCAA is that even the most brilliant minds can slip just from speed, and as long as it isn't excessive and doesn't affect the meaning they're not going to deduct marks for it. I wouldn't worry :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:24:46 pm
all in order

NOTE: begins 2 posts above me
OFFICIAL 2009 EXAM
text resp
context
analysis
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:25:14 pm
last one/page for analysis
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: sarahss_ on October 30, 2009, 03:41:20 pm
I agree with lynt, im quite strong at section C and had to read it twice before I could fully grasp the contention. Indeed the techinques were not as obvious and there was alot of text which had no real persuasion at all...
I think i did okay, i was hoping to do alot better for section C as i was aiming for a 9 hopefully ill still get an 8 or something
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 03:47:32 pm
Yeah on my first reading of section C I started getting a worried a bit that I got nothing out of the article, but the second reading got everything clear in my head.

I thought the imaged worked well with the opinion piece, I wrote about the rays of light emerging from the CPU in an outward fashion which symbolizes the wealth of knowledge that the digital revolution holds.

I'm worried about the target audience though, I wrote that it was directed towards those not in favour of technology however does it matter that it was published online? Hence those people would not have read the piece in the first place? :/ Or is that too trivial?

I'm most happy with the text response. I got to the last page of the booklet (used double lines, don't panic haha) and I got a good amount of quotes in and I liked my arguement.

Context was a little unstructured for my liking, however I think I rescued it halfway through. Definately not the best piece I've written but I think it's worth a 7-8.

Overall, just the fact of finishing the exam is such a euphoric feeling. I'm proud of myself that all of my studying leading up to this exam has payed off. Congratulations everyone, it's all smooth sailing from here ;) Haha.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on October 30, 2009, 03:47:47 pm
please tell me voxi was the author/editor of the piece? i just presumed that was right but comments in another link suggest otherwise ???
now im very scared.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:48:16 pm
Yeah on my first reading of section C I started getting a worried a bit that I got nothing out of the article, but the second reading got everything clear in my head.

I thought the imaged worked well with the opinion piece, I wrote about the rays of light emerging from the CPU in an outward fashion which symbolizes the wealth of knowledge that the digital revolution holds.

I'm worried about the target audience though, I wrote that it was directed towards those not in favour of technology however does it matter that it was published online? Hence those people would not have read the piece in the first place? :/ Or is that too trivial?

I'm most happy with the text response. I got to the last page of the booklet (used double lines, don't panic haha) and I got a good amount of quotes in and I liked my arguement.

Context was a little unstructured for my liking, however I think I rescued it halfway through. Definately not the best piece I've written but I think it's worth a 7-8.

Overall, just the fact of finishing the exam is such a euphoric feeling. I'm proud of myself that all of my studying leading up to this exam has payed off. Congratulations everyone, it's all smooth sailing from here ;) Haha.
OH NOW WAS IT A CPU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I rote a computer chip
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:48:43 pm
please tell me voxi was the author/editor of the piece? i just presumed that was right but comments in another link suggest otherwise ???
now im very scared.
voxi was clearly the author/writer/editor/person who typed it/posted it
LOL
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 03:49:09 pm
Can someone put the paper up?
it's up, posted it b4
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 03:50:37 pm
Yeah on my first reading of section C I started getting a worried a bit that I got nothing out of the article, but the second reading got everything clear in my head.

I thought the imaged worked well with the opinion piece, I wrote about the rays of light emerging from the CPU in an outward fashion which symbolizes the wealth of knowledge that the digital revolution holds.

I'm worried about the target audience though, I wrote that it was directed towards those not in favour of technology however does it matter that it was published online? Hence those people would not have read the piece in the first place? :/ Or is that too trivial?

I'm most happy with the text response. I got to the last page of the booklet (used double lines, don't panic haha) and I got a good amount of quotes in and I liked my arguement.

Context was a little unstructured for my liking, however I think I rescued it halfway through. Definately not the best piece I've written but I think it's worth a 7-8.

Overall, just the fact of finishing the exam is such a euphoric feeling. I'm proud of myself that all of my studying leading up to this exam has payed off. Congratulations everyone, it's all smooth sailing from here ;) Haha.
OH NOW WAS IT A CPU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I rote a computer chip

Same shit Nova, don't worry haha. It's not an IT exam ;)

Hahah, like 2 times in the piece I wrote "Voxi through his/her blah blah" hahaahahahaha I wasn't going to say "its'" hahaha.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on October 30, 2009, 03:50:51 pm
please tell me voxi was the author/editor of the piece? i just presumed that was right but comments in another link suggest otherwise ???
now im very scared.
voxi was clearly the author/writer/editor/person who typed it/posted it
LOL

haha i thought so
thank fuck.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: sarahss_ on October 30, 2009, 03:55:14 pm
Overall what did everyone think? esay or hard exam? The more I think about it the more annoyed I feel... i could have done so much better for section C. It took me awhile to warm up and my intro was so ughh not up to scratch
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: sophx on October 30, 2009, 03:57:14 pm
I referred to Voxi as she, do you think that matters? haha how annoying they should just give you the gender of the writer
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on October 30, 2009, 03:57:34 pm
you should of done language analysis first.. i read over it about 3 times in reading time and knew exactly what to write.. i was onto text response by 10am
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 03:58:24 pm
you should of done language analysis first.. i read over it about 3 times in reading time and knew exactly what to write.. i was onto text response by 10am

Wow, exactly the same here! I finished my text response at 11, so had an hour and 15 minutes for context :D
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: rajah21 on October 30, 2009, 04:07:43 pm
I referred to Voxi as she, do you think that matters? haha how annoying they should just give you the gender of the writer


Yeah, I referred to Voxi as 'he' - provided that we're consistent, I don't think it matters what gender we use if the article doesn't specify.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: chuckjefster90 on October 30, 2009, 04:08:56 pm
Hey context was tricky

was wonderin if this is wud be considered sticking on the topic

i wrote 1 para on how to find true indentity we need to truely belong

then 2nd para on how difficult it is to belong because of expectation and pressures from others

and 3rd on if we dont belong we cant have true identity but in some cases isolation can further identity as well i.e into the wild

any thoughts context bit was the one i struggled with
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: i.am.amanda on October 30, 2009, 04:10:31 pm
you should of done language analysis first.. i read over it about 3 times in reading time and knew exactly what to write.. i was onto text response by 10am

That was my original plan, but when I actually got there I knew I would be distracted by the context until I wrote it. Each to their own, I guess.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on October 30, 2009, 04:15:00 pm
initally i didnt think i would do language analysis first, so i see where your coming from. i can now give karma see your getting some:) haha
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 04:16:06 pm
Hey context was tricky

was wonderin if this is wud be considered sticking on the topic

i wrote 1 para on how to find true indentity we need to truely belong

then 2nd para on how difficult it is to belong because of expectation and pressures from others

and 3rd on if we dont belong we cant have true identity but in some cases isolation can further identity as well i.e into the wild

any thoughts context bit was the one i struggled with

As a basic plan that could be excellent.  So long as you had good discussion then you're fine.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: chuckjefster90 on October 30, 2009, 04:18:01 pm
do u think that plan is relevant to prompt? identity and belonging context
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 04:29:32 pm
do u think that plan is relevant to prompt? identity and belonging context

Sure.  You have a lot of freedom to write in Section B, so as long as you tied it to the prompt somehow you'd be fine.

You've argued:
a) Identity is dependent upon belonging
b) Conflict can occur when society's expectations are incompatible with identity
c) Identity can be formed through introspection

You can definitely spin that to the prompt.
ie. "An individuals identity is dependent upon their sense of belonging, yet conflict can occur between these two.  When such conflict occurs the individual can gain a greater understanding of themselves as well as their place in society, and this understanding is far more valuable than a sense of belonging based on conformity, or a sense of identity not coupled with belonging."
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: derivativex on October 30, 2009, 04:29:59 pm
Individual's*
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dior1 on October 30, 2009, 04:38:31 pm
i didn't refer to a cpu, voxi or anything. :(
eh,
no more engaloosh!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: janie on October 30, 2009, 04:40:36 pm
Hey Guys,

I actually did better than i expected!
The language analysis I found a bit difficult!! :knuppel2:

NO MORE ENGLISH EVER EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Such a relief I relaxed all arvo!! ;D :D ;) :)

well except for literature... why did I do this !!!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: billz1508 on October 30, 2009, 04:45:47 pm
people who did look both ways which one did u find was easiest... i chose to do the second one as could relate to so many technique sarah watts had used. :) 

and yeh persuasive was bit tricky, nearly forgot about the backgorund information.. lol quickly checked for it and found a sentence or 2 :)..

Context was ok i reckon, identity and belonging. dont know how well i structured my words at times, but i did clearly point out what was needed :)

all over for english mainstream.. goodluck to everyone for their results. all the best.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dejan91 on October 30, 2009, 04:56:42 pm
The arcticle (opinion piece or whatever) was way too long and just bland. Not to mention the image! I ended up talking about how the microchip being central to the human mind/brain suggests that technology is of fundamental importance to human though. Also the expanding size of the microchip shows how technology can expand our intelligence. LOL horrible image. Also, somewhere in the middle I didn't finish a paragraph off so yeah.

I didn't like the context piece and so it was my worst one I'd say.

The first ILOW topic I found was the better of the two and allowed a deeper, more complex discussion.

Overall, pretty happy. But could have done better.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: GerrySly on October 30, 2009, 05:02:25 pm
people who did look both ways which one did u find was easiest... i chose to do the second one as could relate to so many technique sarah watts had used. :) 
I did the same, wrote about Photo Montages, Short Animations and then general filmic techniques.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: rajah21 on October 30, 2009, 05:07:42 pm
people who did look both ways which one did u find was easiest... i chose to do the second one as could relate to so many technique sarah watts had used. :) 
I did the same, wrote about Photo Montages, Short Animations and then general filmic techniques.

Same here. Luckily one of the practice exams I did had a question really similar to ii. of this exam so I just tweaked it to fit this one :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: draadkar on October 30, 2009, 05:14:26 pm
ehh i feel like a fool now. i referred to voxi as she then went back at the end and changed all he shes and hers to hes and his coz i was taught that's the appropriate thing to do in nglish if the gender isnt specified
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on October 30, 2009, 05:22:16 pm
ehh i feel like a fool now. i referred to voxi as she then went back at the end and changed all he shes and hers to hes and his coz i was taught that's the appropriate thing to do in nglish if the gender isnt specified

haha so you thought it was wrong that it was she so you changed it to he?

do you think making it gender specific would result in a penalty
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Heiby on October 30, 2009, 05:24:21 pm
Section A- i did Look Both Ways the first question
Section B- encounteing conflict
Section c- i died....stupid peice of crap article
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 05:24:49 pm
Geez, I just realised I may have royally screwed language analysis. I didn't really put background information, got the name of the magazine wrong, and didn't explicitly mention the target audience or the form. The rest of it was damn near perfect. Have I definitely lost marks?

Is it a formulaic (A language analysis must have mention of the form, background information, this, that, etc) or is it a general (must have this depth, must adequately describe persuasive technique, comprehensively describe how the language has been used to persuade the reader and how the reader is positioned etc)?

Also I don't think it was very clear if the magazine was called CTRL ALT or Voxy. It seemed like CTRL ALT was graphics VCAA added to emphasise that it was on the web.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 05:30:00 pm
Geez, I just realised I may have royally screwed language analysis. I didn't really put background information, got the name of the magazine wrong, and didn't explicitly mention the target audience or the form. The rest of it was damn near perfect. Have I definitely lost marks?
probs lost a mark if it was really noticeable but don't fret too much

Well that's the thing, it didn't detract from the calibre of the piece at all. That's why I'm asking are they looking for a certain calibre or do they fill in check boxes? Were mentioning the form etc guidelines to help people do well, or were they absolute necessities?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: phuiii on October 30, 2009, 05:39:00 pm
I found the english exam pretty decent, wasn't as hard as the CSE practice exam for english.
Section A) I did look both ways prompt 2, mentioned the construction of the film to create meaning and tied it to interpretations of the audience. (photomontages, visual animations, music)

Section B) Whose  reality - Based my writing from A streetcar named desire.
Chose to do imaginative, did a combined hybrid form of writing where Blanche enters diary entries (4) and then a final entry (the doctor) analysing blanches psychology and using the doctors entry as a more expository form to explain why blanche can only see things in her own reality(had 20 minutes left and added this part thank god).

Section C) I found the online article to be a decently persuasive article, chose to analyse the use of the word "keyed" then the visual element saying that the CPU in place of the brain leads that as a human society we will follow digital technology.
Stated that the use of the appeal to common sense challenges the readers intelligence forcing them to the writers contention and then using inclusive language to make the reader feel they are also part of the "Debate" swindling their point of view to make a stand hence moving towards the writers contention again.

Overall, the prompts were much easier than expected and I was really pleased in the end.

Hoping for an A or A+ :D
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: TrueTears on October 30, 2009, 05:39:32 pm
I liked the language analysis article, Richard III topic was great. However not too sure about context (I&B)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Helvasca on October 30, 2009, 05:53:42 pm
http://voxisblog.blogspot.com/
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 05:59:00 pm
OMG

That wasn't what VCAA used righttttt??? LMAO.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 06:03:34 pm
Geez, I just realised I may have royally screwed language analysis. I didn't really put background information, got the name of the magazine wrong, and didn't explicitly mention the target audience or the form. The rest of it was damn near perfect. Have I definitely lost marks?

Is it a formulaic (A language analysis must have mention of the form, background information, this, that, etc) or is it a general (must have this depth, must adequately describe persuasive technique, comprehensively describe how the language has been used to persuade the reader and how the reader is positioned etc)?

Also I don't think it was very clear if the magazine was called CTRL ALT or Voxy. It seemed like CTRL ALT was graphics VCAA added to emphasise that it was on the web.

On the page before the article, where it had the 'background information' it said that CTRL ALT was the name of the magazine.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kurrymuncher on October 30, 2009, 06:04:46 pm
http://voxisblog.blogspot.com/
could we have known about the blog before actually reading the article

what a shitcunt, I want to smash him.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 06:10:15 pm
LOL at the risk of sounding stupid, I think its a fake
1= its his/her/its only post on the blog
2= published one day before exam at 11pm....VCAA would have stringent rules
3=VCAA makes up the articles I think
4=grrr hope the above are right
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 06:19:03 pm
Geez, I just realised I may have royally screwed language analysis. I didn't really put background information, got the name of the magazine wrong, and didn't explicitly mention the target audience or the form. The rest of it was damn near perfect. Have I definitely lost marks?

Is it a formulaic (A language analysis must have mention of the form, background information, this, that, etc) or is it a general (must have this depth, must adequately describe persuasive technique, comprehensively describe how the language has been used to persuade the reader and how the reader is positioned etc)?

Also I don't think it was very clear if the magazine was called CTRL ALT or Voxy. It seemed like CTRL ALT was graphics VCAA added to emphasise that it was on the web.

On the page before the article, where it had the 'background information' it said that CTRL ALT was the name of the magazine.

Huh? It didn't seem to have that on my sheet. Reckon I'll lose a mark for it? I only called it Voxi magazine once, and referred to them as the author/writer/Voxi after that.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 06:19:47 pm
^^ You must have had a different sheet to the 44,000 others =.=*
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kurrymuncher on October 30, 2009, 06:22:38 pm
Geez, I just realised I may have royally screwed language analysis. I didn't really put background information, got the name of the magazine wrong, and didn't explicitly mention the target audience or the form. The rest of it was damn near perfect. Have I definitely lost marks?

Is it a formulaic (A language analysis must have mention of the form, background information, this, that, etc) or is it a general (must have this depth, must adequately describe persuasive technique, comprehensively describe how the language has been used to persuade the reader and how the reader is positioned etc)?

Also I don't think it was very clear if the magazine was called CTRL ALT or Voxy. It seemed like CTRL ALT was graphics VCAA added to emphasise that it was on the web.

On the page before the article, where it had the 'background information' it said that CTRL ALT was the name of the magazine.

Huh? It didn't seem to have that on my sheet. Reckon I'll lose a mark for it? I only called it Voxi magazine once, and referred to them as the author/writer/Voxi after that.

It was a tiny box, I wouldnt be suprised if many people missed it
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 06:22:47 pm
Lol Nova I just checked and you didn't upload the one that's in discussion =.=
Hahahah
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Trent on October 30, 2009, 06:23:57 pm
Section A- i did Look Both Ways the first question
Section B- encounteing conflict
Section c- i died....stupid peice of crap article

Exactly the same here, but I didn't find the article as bad as everyone is making it out. When I first read it, I must admit, I was concerned but then I re-read it and was fine, I think.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 06:26:02 pm
Lol Nova I just checked and you didn't upload the one that's in discussion =.=
Hahahah
the backgorund info?

LMAO, cbs scanning, it only had like 7 words? LMAOOO, do i HAVEEEE TO =(

If so later 2nite, im not home atm
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 06:28:33 pm
Lol Nova I just checked and you didn't upload the one that's in discussion =.=
Hahahah
the backgorund info?

LMAO, cbs scanning, it only had like 7 words? LMAOOO, do i HAVEEEE TO =(

If so later 2nite, im not home atm

Don't worry it's fine. Well I think the guy above would want to see it though, who was confused about the title of the magazine.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 06:30:35 pm
^^ You must have had a different sheet to the 44,000 others =.=*

Yeah because the chances of that happening are far more likely than a beleaguered tired and stressed me missing it on the way to my final section having already lost 10 minutes trying to rescue my text response :P

I know it seemed like I meant that in my previous post but I'm too tired to consistently make sense!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 06:33:12 pm
LOL, relax im kidding. I experienced the same exam man, i know the stress
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: gwood21 on October 30, 2009, 06:44:44 pm
I did imaginative landscape for my context piece, drawing primarily on fly away Peter. I think the topic wasn't too bad, as I had written a couple of similar practice pieces. In terms of the specific place, I tried to show how this remain constant- however our perception of the world around us is constantly evolving. This was then furthered by explaining how we each respond differently in a common landscape . E.g Jim ashley and Imogen in the sanctuary, and then in my last paragraph I explored how it is also possible that the time and place in which we live can cause detrimental effects, e.g whizzer green
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 06:48:31 pm
LOL, relax im kidding. I experienced the same exam man, i know the stress

Hey don't worry I was making fun of myself :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: rhjc.1991 on October 30, 2009, 07:10:22 pm
I have a feeling it's a fake
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 07:18:19 pm
We had this discussion 2 pages ago I think lol

I was thinking, the VCAA would have STRICT rules about posting it up, the dude wouldnt be allwoed to

Also, the VCAA tend to write their OWN.....sif tehres a magazine called "Alt, ctrl" LOL.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: NE2000 on October 30, 2009, 07:23:28 pm
Hey does anyone know if you are marked down for missing a few obvious and effective language devices. There was a lot in that article, and there was a lot to analyze, and I think I wrote well in general and I definitely wrote a lot. But I still missed techniques which in hindsight may have been more powerful (they're downside of course was being on second page)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: NE2000 on October 30, 2009, 07:29:02 pm
Yeah I know but I was quite thorough with the first page and second page I missed good things like the scuba-diver thing and the balloons. The last paragraph in the piece was also good but I didn't do much on it due to time running out. I just want to know whether they mark down for missing things or whether they just look for what you have got
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: NE2000 on October 30, 2009, 07:31:44 pm
Also, what exactly does "keyed in" mean lol??
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Pezza on October 30, 2009, 07:32:03 pm
I did an all nighter as I could not sleep due to nervousness haha!
Text response was citizen kane and chose 2nd prompt. I wrote a rather fluent essay, fitting in about 9 quotes comfortably. One thing im worried about though. I forgot to tick a box deciding what prompt i chose, as i didnt see it, instead i wrote my prompt at the top of the first page. Think i will be penalised?
Context was rushed as i did it in 35 mins, but it should still go ok, but not as complete as the others. I did whose reality, and wrote a newspaper article about how the childhood of a murderer ultimately made him perceive humans as hostile, causing him to react in a malicious manner.
Language analysis was fairly straight forward like usual, however the type of article was surprising. Did anyone mention how the anecdotal story and the visual had common ground?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dejan91 on October 30, 2009, 07:36:30 pm
Hmmm...Pretty sure they can't mark you down for what you haven't included as that's not a part of the marking criteria. That is, if you meet the requirements of the marking criteria, then ti doesn't matter.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 07:39:23 pm
Hey does anyone know if you are marked down for missing a few obvious and effective language devices. There was a lot in that article, and there was a lot to analyze, and I think I wrote well in general and I definitely wrote a lot. But I still missed techniques which in hindsight may have been more powerful (they're downside of course was being on second page)

You can't possibly get them all. You just have to have the right amount of length, depth etc. You choose the ones you want to talk about. There is no criteria saying that you have to get their interpretation of what the main ones were.

I did an all nighter as I could not sleep due to nervousness haha!

Wow an all nighter! How did you concentrate?

Quote
Did anyone mention how the anecdotal story and the visual had common ground?

What was the anecdotal story? I don't remember. If you meant the prediction about how the augmentation of digital technology with our brains would cause us to go down an evolutionary path to become super saiyans etc then yeah I did.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Pezza on October 30, 2009, 07:43:40 pm
Nah the anecdote was the thing in quotations, talking all this jibber jabber about relating the computer chip to a brain etc. btw best word for lang analysis tone was optimistic! Can anyone help stop me from panicking and tell me if i will get penalised for not ticking the box for prompt in text response. I did write it at the top of the first page though.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 30, 2009, 07:58:57 pm
Nah the anecdote was the thing in quotations, talking all this jibber jabber about relating the computer chip to a brain etc. btw best word for lang analysis tone was optimistic! Can anyone help stop me from panicking and tell me if i will get penalised for not ticking the box for prompt in text response. I did write it at the top of the first page though.

VCAA seems pretty reasoned in their approach to stuff like this, I'm sure they won't penalise you if they can clearly see which prompt you chose anyway.

I used optimistic tone as well. I realised in a small panic that I was halfway through my conclusion and hadn't mentioned the tone. I said that the optimistic tone offered peace of mind in return for agreement with the author's contention but it relied on the reader's susceptibility to manipulation. Something like that. I'm beginning to lose memory of those 3 hours!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: costargh on October 30, 2009, 08:26:42 pm
I don't understand why VCAA persists with having gender neutral fictional authors every year... Political correctness gone too far when it detracts from an individuals true writing ability (eg. awkwardness when trying to say he/she).
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 08:28:26 pm
In my haste I used the adjective "complacent" for the tone. Urgh how did optimistic not come to my mind.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: tullyanders on October 30, 2009, 08:47:01 pm
people who did look both ways which one did u find was easiest... i chose to do the second one as could relate to so many technique sarah watts had used. :) 
I did the same, wrote about Photo Montages, Short Animations and then general filmic techniques.

Same here. Luckily one of the practice exams I did had a question really similar to ii. of this exam so I just tweaked it to fit this one :)



the more i think of it, i wish i had done the second question for lbw, my text response had a good structure, but it lacked fluency
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dejan91 on October 30, 2009, 09:19:23 pm
he wasn't really optimistic. He was more,,, placating the fears that society percieves about digital technology. Don't know why optimism?

I said it was considered and reasoned.
Then towards the end it was enthusiastic.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: invalid on October 30, 2009, 09:26:29 pm
Having left my vocab at the door, I just said "casual"
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: xXNovaxX on October 30, 2009, 09:31:16 pm
Having left my vocab at the door, I just said "casual"
+1
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: NE2000 on October 30, 2009, 09:33:32 pm
he wasn't really optimistic. He was more,,, placating the fears that society percieves about digital technology. Don't know why optimism?

I said it was considered and reasoned.
Then towards the end it was enthusiastic.

tone shift ftw!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: kendraaaaa on October 30, 2009, 10:16:26 pm
If for section B, my introduction was a bit vague and ambiguous however I managed to get back on track by the end of the 1st page/start of 2nd and discuss in relevance to the prompt. Will that affect my mark that much?

:(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: phuiii on October 30, 2009, 10:19:20 pm
I decided that the initial tone was informal then shifted to assertive considering they purposely target the audience as a "loser" if they don't conform.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: methodsboy on October 30, 2009, 10:21:53 pm
he wasn't really optimistic. He was more,,, placating the fears that society percieves about digital technology. Don't know why optimism?

I said it was considered and reasoned.
Then towards the end it was enthusiastic.
agreed :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: simpak on October 30, 2009, 11:05:10 pm
If for section B, my introduction was a bit vague and ambiguous however I managed to get back on track by the end of the 1st page/start of 2nd and discuss in relevance to the prompt. Will that affect my mark that much?

:(

That's how my introduction always is.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: GerrySly on October 30, 2009, 11:09:33 pm
If for section B, my introduction was a bit vague and ambiguous however I managed to get back on track by the end of the 1st page/start of 2nd and discuss in relevance to the prompt. Will that affect my mark that much?

:(
I thought that's how the introduction for Section B must always be, you just discuss the prompt
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: phuiii on October 30, 2009, 11:10:29 pm
More importantly discuss the implications of the prompt and give a clear direction on what your presenting.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: simpak on October 31, 2009, 12:00:44 am
In our introductions we were always taught to explore the ideas that the prompt evokes.
Ergo, it's meant to be pretty vague and ambiguous but as you leave the introduction I feel you should have made some sort of relevant contention clear.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: m-town on October 31, 2009, 12:49:52 pm
I already feel a nostalgia about English...

As contradictory as this is for me to say, i miss English class, and doing practice essays :(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: PepsiMax on October 31, 2009, 12:56:22 pm
I already feel a nostalgia about English...

As contradictory as this is for me to say, i miss English class, and doing practice essays :(
Please leave these forums and never come back. :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: m-town on October 31, 2009, 12:58:22 pm
I already feel a nostalgia about English...

As contradictory as this is for me to say, i miss English class, and doing practice essays :(
Please leave these forums and never come back. :)

k :(
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Dark Templar on October 31, 2009, 04:31:45 pm
I feel a strange nostalgia, but I can now write things, such as this very post, and not be reminded by wondering where to place a word of correcting a spelling mistake of the upcoming English exam. After my Psychology exam I'm going to go off and read all my texts and watch Citizen Kane just to get some closure on the whole stressful ordeal.

I love English, reading and writing, but English was such a stressful subject I'm glad it's over. I think I'll be able to satisfy the nostalgia by helping my friends who are doing English next year.
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: NE2000 on October 31, 2009, 05:27:19 pm
Yeah today I was sorting through and getting rid off a ton of paper filled with my essays. Just reminded me how much effort was put in to prepare for those 3 hours. But hopefully it paid off. For everyone who put the required effort in :)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: dejan91 on October 31, 2009, 05:31:32 pm
he wasn't really optimistic. He was more,,, placating the fears that society percieves about digital technology. Don't know why optimism?

I said it was considered and reasoned.
Then towards the end it was enthusiastic.

tone shift ftw!

Haha yeahh was pretty pleased I got that one...I know examiners love it :P


And yeah I've also got that weird nostalgic feeling about English. Good thing I'm not the only one. I dunno why... I think I'll miss using complex words like 'inextricable' or 'exacerbate' lol. Also, it's kinda like we've been hearing of the elusive "English exam" since year 7 or so, and now it was our turn to do it. It was when I heard the night before on the news "year 12's getting ready to start their exams tomorrow. English first" that I kinda realised that this was it haha. Just looking back at the essays I've done I can see all the hard work I've put in...
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: chrisweinberg on October 31, 2009, 06:29:28 pm
I thought the exam was pretty fair.

The language analysis was trying but so long as you let certain points go and focussed on the key stuff then you were fine. The Whose Reality prompt was manageable and much more balanced than last year's. As for text response, I chose AMFAS question one. Discussed why More takes his stand, what leads him to put principles above family, then talked about imagery and the Common Man-More link that are used by Bolt to make More accessible to modern audiences. Maybe didn't talk enough about what a modern audience was though...
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: shonira on November 01, 2009, 09:51:13 pm
just glad there wasnt a picture prompt cos i dont know what i would have done!
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: ross huggard on November 01, 2009, 11:19:42 pm

And yeah I've also got that weird nostalgic feeling about English. Good thing I'm not the only one. I dunno why... I think I'll miss using complex words like 'inextricable' or 'exacerbate' lol. Also, it's kinda like we've been hearing of the elusive "English exam" since year 7 or so, and now it was our turn to do it. It was when I heard the night before on the news "year 12's getting ready to start their exams tomorrow. English first" that I kinda realised that this was it haha. Just looking back at the essays I've done I can see all the hard work I've put in...
[/quote]

i feel exactly the same way :-\
i was shitting myself coming up to it, but now its over im kinda sad.
i wrote upwards of 4500 essays this year so i put the hard yards in to.. just hoping i get a good mark
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: The on November 02, 2009, 01:53:46 am
Anyone got any feedback for Romulus i) 'My son means everything to me' ??
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: tripz on November 02, 2009, 02:27:04 pm
This english exam was fantastically constructed in the way it separated the good students from the bad ;)
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: Ilovemathsmeth on November 02, 2009, 11:10:46 pm
4500 essays?? That's a joke, right?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: BRIDIE09 on November 03, 2009, 12:40:55 am
I think I said the tone was reassuring and it was written in a conversational style and in the last paragraph became quite inspirational. The target audience was obviously people who harbour some scepticism or doubt concerning the digital revolution.

For the picture I pulled something out of my ass. Talked about how the synthesis of computers and the human was supposed to reflect the evolution of the human brain. I explained it really badly though so I doubt the examiner will understand what I was trying to say.

I said it was reassuring too, as it was on a blog so the people reading it were obviously technologically savvy in the first place
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: lukeperry91 on November 03, 2009, 12:49:02 am
Da ecksam wud krap
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: silva on November 03, 2009, 08:59:48 am
tone i said was initially tempered and controlled, before shifting to a rousing "we must..." tone, and then ending in an obstinate,passionate tone you know like caling the oppostion "losers" and that
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: vietsmista on November 23, 2009, 10:07:02 pm
i left the first page of one of the sections blank and started writing on the second page...i dont know how but im getting paranoid about the fact that the examiner will not mark it because they dont see it.... what are your thoughts?
Title: Re: English Exam Discussion 2009
Post by: monokekie on November 24, 2009, 01:46:18 am
i left the first page of one of the sections blank and started writing on the second page...i dont know how but im getting paranoid about the fact that the examiner will not mark it because they dont see it.... what are your thoughts?

um i think they seldom mark blank exams so an empty first page will make them curious and continualy flip pages. so just one page being blank will most likely land you on a safe ground :) just my thoughts.