Persuasive vs Expository vs Imaginative

[monkeywantsabanana]

Which one of the forms do you guys use ? Which is the best? Which one gets you more marks?

I'm told that for contexts such as Whose Reality?, it's better to write expository as there are many arguments for different sides.

I also understand that there are hybrids but... there's usually one of those forms dominating the piece

[Reckoner]

We don't really have a choice. At my school the teachers are telling us to do(and will pretty well only teach) expository which suits me fine 

[totaled]

i did a hybrid, it was more so expository, but had a creative side to it which made it much more interesting than a plain, expository essay. In saying that, I personally believe many english teachers, and possibly examiners dislike reading plain expository essays, and thus it is very hard to get a 10 in it (it might hold well and consistently get in the highend, but it's difficult to impress and "blow" your examiners away)

[VivaTequila]

You're missing the point.

The examiners don't care what kind of essay you write.

All that you are expected to do in C&P is demonstrate that you understand the context and it's relevance to the studied text.

As long as you respond to the prompt/stimulus material in an individual and developed way, with some insightful comments and ideas, and you express it clearly, you will score highly regardless.

I wrote freestyle on the exam, but I guess you could class it as an incredibly creative expository essay, but honestly just write however the heck you feel like. Don't conform to a set mould; English comes from the heart.

[pi]

I've always used a creative+expository hybrid interview form

[HERculina]

I like expository cause i can't persuade and I have no imagination but i think i might try a hybrid during the year - sounds interesting =O

[Water]

Creative + Expository, imo

[vea]

It depends what you're aiming for with your English. I decided to play it safe and write the "boring" expository essays. These essays were usually almost exact in structure and I was able to re-use many of my old paragraphs to safely get 9/10 most of the time. If you think you are a more capable student and want that elusive 10/10 you should do some sort of creative/expository hybrid though. Having said that, I think it is still possible to get 10/10 for an expository essay!

[werdna]

I've always done the plain expository essay for Identity and Belonging - I got a 10/10 for it in the exam. This form of writing is pretty easy to get your head around as long as you know how to make your essay flow, how to really discuss arguments and how to make it all work in cohesion together. But, a LOT of people in the state do expository essays so you have to make yours stand out. What I did with every expository essay was for every body paragraph, I would use the text as an example and then link this to a real-life example or anything from other sources like other films/texts, lyrics, people's stories etc. And then throughout the essay, I would always try to connect these examples together by providing a dichotomy of arguments and sources - as an example:

Through the exploration into his background as a human being divided between two vastly different cultures, Ricky is able to channel the positivity of Carlina White’s odyssey of interpersonal development and is thus able to attain a stronger, more wholesome semblance of his identity and reaffirm his integration into Australian society. (Ricky is a character from the context text, Carlina White is from a real-life personal story)

[nisha]

I dont know what the hell hybrid is (to be honest i though you were talking about a car when you guys said that) but I generally go for persuasive, since I didnt do 1/2 English (I did Lit) and I am not famailiar with Expository essays and how to write them. I am a debater, so I can argue pretty well.

Just some insider knowledge, my english tutor was a VCAA assesor for 15 years, and when I asked her, she said most people gained more marks, in the persuasive section.

[monkeywantsabanana]

Just some insider knowledge, my english tutor was a VCAA assesor for 15 years, and when I asked her, she said most people gained more marks, in the persuasive section.

This is what I'm talking about

a LOT of people in the state do expository essays

And this is what scares me. I don't know if I'm able to outshine the other kids who do THE SAME THING. That's why I was wondering if persuasive would be a better way to go because not all are the same.

I understand that writing your best in a particular form is essential to gain marks but I'd like to know which ones examiners favour. If I were an examiner, I wouldn't want to be reading expository after expository after expository after expository. I thought that persuasive would give you the 'edge'

I guess I'll just have to find out my strengths/weaknesses during the year.

[nisha]

Go for Persuasive or Imaginative. They are both pretty good:)

[kiraxxx]

Imaginative can be risky, because it can either get your a super high mark or drown your marks very low - nothing in between. Your creative piece would have to be PERFECT in order to get those high marks.

But if you want to be on the safe side, then go for expository or persuasive. Expository tends to be the most commonly done and is considered the easiest because it is basically looking at the topic from various angles whereas persuasive is more biased to one side

[totaled]

Just some insider knowledge, my english tutor was a VCAA assesor for 15 years, and when I asked her, she said most people gained more marks, in the persuasive section.

This is what I'm talking about

a LOT of people in the state do expository essays

And this is what scares me. I don't know if I'm able to outshine the other kids who do THE SAME THING. That's why I was wondering if persuasive would be a better way to go because not all are the same.

I understand that writing your best in a particular form is essential to gain marks but I'd like to know which ones examiners favour. If I were an examiner, I wouldn't want to be reading expository after expository after expository after expository. I thought that persuasive would give you the 'edge'

I guess I'll just have to find out my strengths/weaknesses during the year.

i had this same fear, which is why i chose a hybrid format, i essentially was writing it as an expository essay, but unlike a plain expository essay, i had it in the context of a creative piece, such as say a scientific journal, or say as a newspaper article, or as a speech, and including "props" that were often present in say journals, or transcripts of speeches, to impress, and distance myself from the people doing straight expos. essays.

however, the content of my writing was basically expository styled.

[Chris_Hancock]

For my context (I&B), I found that using an expository/creative approach was best. I went to a NEAP lecture for English about a month before the exam, and he reinforced that the expository form is in some ways better so you could introduce the universal, conceptual ideas you want to as a topic sentence, and then go into the text you studied. However, by adding the creative part, I found it made my writing more interesting, and that spin on your piece may give you an advantage.