Exam Preparation?

[vexx]

I'm the same as you king, i really need to be doing some intensive study for the days leading up to it, i can only write on a few essay topics, so if i get anything else, i'm screwd haha (have time though, so maybe not..)
Not sure how i will find so many examples, but i will spend heaps of time researching! perhaps do the same?
I'm not too worried about sec1/2 since i've been pretty good with that, just yeah as visionz said strengthen what you chose.
It's best to go with weaknesses though if it something as major as being the entire of a section (me=essay)..

COME ON ALL, WE CAN DO IT
(not that confident personally, but a little boost helps, just study hard for the right topics, and you are all able to get there with some luck! or if you know how to write on quite a few topics for the essay, there's bound to be one of the 3 you can write upon)

the possible essay themes (thanks to vate)
- australian english (ethnolects/aboriginal english included)
- language variation according to user (influences of geography/society, and social/personal varieties, involves all the stuff wrote on the study design involving 'according to user')
- language variation reflecting identity
- language variation according to 'use' (use study design - politeness, appropriateness, context, etc.)
- jargon, slang, doublespeak, taboo, euphemism
- discriminatory language and political correctness
- public language
- language change over time (subsystem changes, reflecting society through change)
- attitudes to varieties (prejudice, connotations associated with use, prescriptivism vs descriptivism)
- standardisation and codification and their role in society
annd then there is
- spoken english
- writing english
with their nature and functions, features, formality, different text types...

so yeah, know all these topics and you should be able to write at least something half-descent on one, if not something GOOD.

GOODLUCK ALL!

[cipherpol]

thanks vexx good luck to you too

[Michael0007]

Don't you guys reckon reckon it's better to go over 2001-2005 VCAA exams rather than the current commercial papers since VCAA is the real deal and the current exam style is more reflective of past papers?

[Chocolate01]

vexx i'm in the same boat as you. i onli haf a few sort of topics in mind...anything else...  ima pretend to faint in the exam. 

[nbalakers24]

Same, only good witha fw topic but most topics relate to each other anyway

[slothpomba]

Theres a pretty excellent tool for EL revision in the notes section of this site btw guys....

I still haven't done very much of anything... thank god im decent at EL without doing much

[stonecold]

I am actually of the opinion that the spoken language section is the hardest.

There is so many little things which depend on the conversation which you need to understand, whereas written language has to be clear and concise, making it a lot more formulaic and easier to rote learn answers.

I particularly hate the turntaking/topic management and explain the relationship questions.

[_avO]

Like last years relationship question, people assumed close because of the status (father and daughter if I recall) however the text suggests otherwise. Then all the factors like overlap for closeness is completely turned around

[LFTM]

I am actually of the opinion that the spoken language section is the hardest.

There is so many little things which depend on the conversation which you need to understand, whereas written language has to be clear and concise, making it a lot more formulaic and easier to rote learn answers.

I particularly hate the turntaking/topic management and explain the relationship questions.

I hate the written section, i suck at it so bad.

[slothpomba]

The essays the thing im least worried about

[Visionz]

Im worried most about the essay. But I still need to read over a lot of past exam papers to see exactly what they want on the short answers. Really want a 30 RAW. If I had have known 50/75 was a 35 raw I would have worked harder over the last month. Thought you needed like 62/75 or higher for 35. feck. If I surprise myself I still think I can get 50/75. Basically winging it though.

[_avO]

You know a lot more then you think, 35 won't be hard for you

[stonecold]

One thing I have learnt about essays, is that they give you an opportunity to show off what you know, and literature purists will disagree, but you can basically twist most examples to anything you wan't them to be, hell, even just make them up.  You can bull shit your way though it.

Plus, they are pretty generous giving you 3 topics to choose from.  Be very unlucky not to get at least one decent one.

Questions on the other hand, require really clear and concise answers.  You can't BS your way though them.  They require thorough analysis and interpretation of the text...

And yeah, I don't want to sound cocky, but I think anyone with a clue should get 35+

[_avO]

There is at least a sort of template (range of features/ideas etc.) in which you can refer your responses to, so I don't think the text responses will be as difficult as you put it out to be