What do examiners look for in a text response?

[soccerboi]

What separates the students who get lik 50's from those who get say a 40? Do high scoring responses explore hidden aspects of the text or setting, context in which novel is based upon, inner themes and symbols etc?
Any suggestions on what i should include in a high scoring text response? Thanks

[totaled]

It took me a long, long, long time to figure this out. These are the main things:

1. Strong understanding of the book (this can be best shown through say minor themes, minor characters etc., showing a point through two bits of evidence from different parts of the book and many other ways)
2. Close refernece to prompt (i cannot emphasise how much people try to force an essay topic into something they prepared. you will not do well.)
3. strong points/argument that makes the examiner think. Examiners read so many essays, you don't want to be ordinary, and get an ordinary mark. In saying that, you don't want to come up with points that are so out there that they are virtually impossible to back with evidence. Find the right balance.

[BlueSky_3]

So to sum up you're saying "know your texts inside out such that you could back up any argument and this in turn works to endow one's piece a high level of sophistication "?

[Jdog]

i was a person who sometimes got carried away with sophistication of language rather than sophistication of idea. I very much agree with whats been posted about closely addressing the prompt. Even with the most eloquent writing the most you will get is a 6-7 without addressing the prompt fully.

[totaled]

not necessarily, you don't need to know hte book inside out, i didn't know many of the really really minor characters haha
but i did know the stuff i was planning to use in my essays, really really well if that makes any sense at all

you can prepare heaps for text response, even if you know the book inside out, at the end of the day, its how well you know the stuff you do put in your essay, that will reflect in your mark.

[EvangelionZeta]

It took me a long, long, long time to figure this out. These are the main things:

1. Strong understanding of the book (this can be best shown through say minor themes, minor characters etc., showing a point through two bits of evidence from different parts of the book and many other ways)
2. Close refernece to prompt (i cannot emphasise how much people try to force an essay topic into something they prepared. you will not do well.)
3. strong points/argument that makes the examiner think. Examiners read so many essays, you don't want to be ordinary, and get an ordinary mark. In saying that, you don't want to come up with points that are so out there that they are virtually impossible to back with evidence. Find the right balance.

This exactly.  That, and write really well.  Good writing gets you so many subconscious marks that it's not funny.