From an examiner's point of view..

[brightsky]

What types of things are an examiner looking for in a 10/10 essay (for AoS 1, 2 and 3 respectively)? Also, what sets a 9/10 essay apart from a 10/10 one? Generally, is there a greater word count for those that score perfect marks?

[mystikal]

an essay is not judge by its word count, what examiners are looking for in the text and context is fresh ideas, something common students wouldnt think of but still related to the question. Ability to use sophisticated words to an extent and coherency of the essay. Answering the question nad how well you mold the evidence with it.

Language analysis they dont want to see people listing but rather explaining the impact more.

[kyzoo]

My English teacher told me that examiners will first flip through to see how long an essay is and judge from its length roughly what mark it deserves, then they will read it. So word count does matter, if it's too short then you will most likely attain a lower mark.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

I think it's more to do with the fact that a short essay can't cover enough breadth and depth to score well

[ItsSKC]

Word count will not matter as long as you meet a certain threshold (perhaps 600 words in an hour). I hardly think the examiner will prejudge your piece with a rough mark based on word count. A massive vocabulary is also unnecessary (but can be beneficial, but be wary of overcompensating poor content with complex words), i was told by a very wise teacher that what he looks for in an essay is 'simple words that are beautifully constructed with the addition of strong vocab to show flare'. Do not aim to inflate your word count, rather aim to increase the coherency of the structure and solidarity of your argument(most the time this will inadvertently lead to a greater word count)

[EvangelionZeta]

Word count will not matter as long as you meet a certain threshold (perhaps 600 words in an hour). I hardly think the examiner will prejudge your piece with a rough mark based on word count. A massive vocabulary is also unnecessary (but can be beneficial, but be wary of overcompensating poor content with complex words), i was told by a very wise teacher that what he looks for in an essay is 'simple words that are beautifully constructed with the addition of strong vocab to show flare'. Do not aim to inflate your word count, rather aim to increase the coherency of the structure and solidarity of your argument(most the time this will inadvertently lead to a greater word count)

Last part of the post applies, but all of the ex-exam markers who I've spoken to have suggested that for the content to be enough for a 10/10, you need around 1000 words.  Given that it's criteria-based marking, having an above-average vocab would also be somewhat necessary, methinks.  This is supported by the 50-scoring people whose essays I've read; whilst most of them weren't incredibly verbose or anything, there was still a noticeable level of sophistication which really set their work apart from 90% of students'.

[brightsky]

Can you PM me some of those or just post it up here if possible? I'm struggling to find some good essays to read and learn from (the only ones I've found are the ones on the VCAA site, which are not too-high scoring but high-scoring nonetheless). Thanks in advance.

[brightsky]

Also, is being "verbose" a good thing? I thought examiners were looking for simple, concise writing to interpret and explore complex ideas?

[EvangelionZeta]

Limited verbosity is good, as long as you're in control.  My rule of thumb is that if you reread the piece and you don't want to punch yourself in the face, then you're ok.

And re: high scoring essays, next year.  I've got a handful, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to distribute them publicly, so pm if anyone wants them.  =)

[NE2000]

It's good to have an expansive vocabulary, but you need to know how to use it. You can do very well in VCE English without special vocab but with clear and effective expression that uses words that accurately and concisely convey meaning.

As for word count, everyone says that you don't need to write a long piece and that 600 words of good writing is better than 1000 words of average writing. That's true. But 1000 words of good writing is better than 600 words of good writing. If you are planning to aim high, you have lots of time to increase your writing and thinking speed. Because I would think at the top end there would be plenty of people who can write reams and write well. If it's getting to the end of the year and you still write good effective but short essays, then you may be inclined to just try and do the best 700-800 words essay you can. But for now aim to get the 1000 the aim to do it well. 1000 words also gives you more space to make good points. An especially insightful point will strike out - these are the things that separate the 10s from the 9s I think - but if you have a longer essay you can make more of these strong points (if you have also planned properly) and set yourself up for a good mark.

[kyzoo]

Also, is being "verbose" a good thing? I thought examiners were looking for simple, concise writing to interpret and explore complex ideas?

I used to think that as well but after reading some other students' pieces I realized that flamboyance and fluidity make a real difference in how an essay feels. When you're too simple and concise, the writing doesn't flow, it's all chunky - and flow is important in a lengthy composition such as an essay. Furthermore sometimes the most concise method of exploring a complex idea is to use long sentences and "sophisticated" words, rather than simple everyday words in a series of terse, single-clause sentences.

[Albeno69]

I am geting an English tutor to help me through this year as my vocabulary isn't the best and I despertly need help on devoloping my thoughts on the paper is were I fall down in englsh writing.