How to get a 40+ raw score for literature! HELP!

[zeiinaaa]

Hey guys, im still in year 11, however im aiming for a very high score in year 12 literature, so i was just wondering on how exactly a score like that can be achievable?
what sort of practice should i do?
how many times should i read the book we're studying?
etc..

thankyou.

[achre]

Writing > reading.

I'm assuming you have at least four other subjects to study for, don't try to read every book x number of times. The highest scoring students in lit tend to be the ones who do nothing but refine their ability to write about the texts for study.

They say expression and use of language are the most important factors in literature success, but they're half-thoughts. What people mean to say is that expression (of ideas about your texts) and use of language (to discuss your texts) are the most important things. I consider myself to be an above average writer, so I figured I'd breeze a forty in lit. As it turns out, I had some trouble being specific in my expression, and I'd say that's the biggest reason I just missed out on cracking forty.

Write lots, even when you don't feel like it, even when you feel like you're more than ready for the next piece of assessment, and force your teacher to give you feedback. That's the best thing you can do throughout the year. Beats the hell out of obsessive note taking.

[ggxoxo]

Reading high-scoring passage analysis/journal articles (use google scholar/if you do UMEP/MUEP, you can use the uni's library service) and trying to emulate their writing style and vocabulary also helped me. Be critical- if you don't like a particular style of writing don't feel obliged to copy it just because it's labelled as a "high scoring response").

It doesn't have to be on your text; if you do find an analysis on your text, you can obviously copy their ideas (I know it's not encouraged but people still do it)- but I think good students actually take these ideas, contemplate on it and extend/twist/elaborate on it to add their own sense of originality.

[cute]

Slightly off-topic but since this is in the same type of domain, I thought I'd mention it here.
I was using the SS estimator on my Literature course and even if you get straight As through your SACs and exam, you are likely to only end up with a 35-37 SS, which seems a bit steep, even for Literature. Does anyone have any insight on what it takes to break 40 statistically?

[achre]

Statistically, in terms of scores, there's a wider gulf between 30 and 40 than there is between 40 and 50. (50% of the state gets over 30, only the top 8-9% gets 40+)

What this means is that there's little to seperate a 37 from, say, a 43. I'd guess that A+, A+, A+ in your 3 GAs, with maybe one of those A+s being high (or all of them being medium) will guarantee you (at the very least) a forty.

For reference, I got A+, A+, A (that second A+ being 100%) and got a 39. You'll have a lot of SACs though, and the exam by itself is worth 50% of your study score, so it's that one GA that you really, really want to do well in.

Frightening, no?

[zeiinaaa]

Wow thankyou guys so much for this, and I appreciate the suggestions on what I should do to improve.
And wow achre it must suck to be so close to a 40, but 39 is still an amazing solid score!
And yeah I agree ggxoxo, I'll make sure to stick to a writing style that I feel comfortable with
Thanks once again guys!

[socktwizzle]

Basically score predictions from sacs are rubbish. Your exam is worth the big bucks. Don't stress about the other sacs - as long as you really nail close analysis other sacs shouldn't be a problem.

I know that sounds like really dodgy advice but I was basically average to above average all year in Lit last year (31/40 average in sacs) and managed to get a 41 because of my exam score. So even if you did shit all in sacs, don't stress out too much like I did because there is always hope to redeem yourself in the exam! Don't be afraid to do poetry for your exam, I know teachers try and scare their students off it because they think examiners have high standards for poetry pieces but its honestly the same as others, only easier because if you really nail your poetic techniques you can basically justify any crazy interpretation on the day of the exam, and it helps that there are usually a list of poems and you can make sure you know them all back to front for the exam. I would advise you to obviously read your texts but again don't stress too much, I did Antony And Cleopatra last year and reading it was HELL I basically read it once and watched half the movie for the exam (I honestly wasn't expecting more than a 34 in lit) - just know your key scenes and major concerns in the texts.

Also, a massive piece of advice - don't even bother with the model essays on VCAA's website. I got a high A+ and my response wasn't even in the same league as the ones they post online, their vocabulary and complexity is just absolutely crazy. And if I could say anything about the essay structure I'd say focus on an attention grabbing introduction that clearly states what you're going to explore in your essay and link the three passages very clearly - again, I know teachers say an intro in lit doesn't really matter but I found with my practice exam which got marked by VCAA examiners I wrote crap all, in fact I didn't even finish my poetry essay and I got a 19/20.

As much as examiners will never admit it, they have to go through hundreds of essays and have three odd minutes to mark your piece - and most of them know what mark they will give you by the time they read your introduction. Don't stress about conclusions but dear god I think introductions are massive. No fluff or background information in the introductions, just clear and to the point, stating the links between the three passages and establishing a "thread" or viewpoint that should loosely run throughout your piece. but if you want to whip out fancy vocabulary that you can use without overdoing it (and make sure you are using words correctly haha) introductions would be a really good place to put them.

I should have had B, B+ for sacs but they got scaled up to A, A+, A+ and I ended up with a 41 so all this worked pretty well for me.

[zeiinaaa]

Socktwizzle, that's actually so relieving to read and wow a 41 is an amazing score, congratulations on that!
And yeah I guess the exams matter the most at the end of the day!
But thankyou heaps for giving me advice on this, it must've taken you forever to write that, so thankyou!

If I must ask, what writing structure/style did you do for your exam?

[kandinsky]

Do work.

[jeannine.taleyratne]

Statistically, in terms of scores, there's a wider gulf between 30 and 40 than there is between 40 and 50. (50% of the state gets over 30, only the top 8-9% gets 40+)

What this means is that there's little to seperate a 37 from, say, a 43. I'd guess that A+, A+, A+ in your 3 GAs, with maybe one of those A+s being high (or all of them being medium) will guarantee you (at the very least) a forty.

For reference, I got A+, A+, A (that second A+ being 100%) and got a 39. You'll have a lot of SACs though, and the exam by itself is worth 50% of your study score, so it's that one GA that you really, really want to do well in.

Frightening, no?

I have been getting high nineties on my sacs and my cohort is pretty weak. Does this effect my score?

[Sam M]

If you're rank one in your cohort, or the person/people above you are also strong, it shouldn't really matter. If you're rank one by a mile, however, this means you definitely want to do well in the exam as you don't really have anyone to fall back.
(also someone pls correct me if I'm wrong).
Hope that helps.

[lilyrosee]

Statistically, in terms of scores, there's a wider gulf between 30 and 40 than there is between 40 and 50. (50% of the state gets over 30, only the top 8-9% gets 40+)

What this means is that there's little to seperate a 37 from, say, a 43. I'd guess that A+, A+, A+ in your 3 GAs, with maybe one of those A+s being high (or all of them being medium) will guarantee you (at the very least) a forty.

For reference, I got A+, A+, A (that second A+ being 100%) and got a 39. You'll have a lot of SACs though, and the exam by itself is worth 50% of your study score, so it's that one GA that you really, really want to do well in.

Frightening, no?

What sort of score do I need to get to receive a 40+, I have received low A+'s for Units 3 & 4. I am ranked one is a moderate cohort of 9 people (SACs have been marked harshly - our teacher is an assessor)