Thoughts on TEEL?

[TheFedExpress]

Hey all,

I have read a few posts which have started me thinking that using TEEL in the exam
is a sure way to get no higher than 8/10. 

I understand that a lot of the marks come from ones understanding of the complexities of the novel, ideas, themes etc.
but what do you guys think is the best structure?

I have used TEEL since Year 7 and find it best for getting my point across, but if it is seen as elementary to examiners, I might as well  start learning the best structure that could possibly get me a higher mark.

What do you guys think?

[soccerboi]

I think TEEL is good when you first begin to write essays, but as you develop as a writer it begins to come naturally and you'll just write without thinking about applying TEEL. I still use it for my Text Response (highly recommend TEEL for this) and Context Expository pieces and i'm getting in the 8-9 range, but i don't stop and go now i need a topic sentence, then i need to add evidence then explain it etc. It just flows for me now. With language analysis i tend to just write whatever pops to mind, so my language analyses usually don't follow TEEL and my body paragraphs rarely have a linking sentence.

I disagree with your point about not getting higher then 8/10. It is still possible with TEEL! The difference between mid range and upper range pieces lies within the complexities of your ideas (as you mentioned), the depth to which you explore the topic and the relevance of your ideas.

If you feel TEEL is a bit basic for you, then by all means try experimenting with your style of writing, but i would recommend using TEEL as a structure (especially for Text Response) and just tweek it with a bit of your own style, just to make it unique/stand out from others across the state. But in the end, English is subjective and comes down to impressing the examiners and standing out from 50 000 odd students.

Hope that helps

What other structures are you thinking of? I only know of TEEL...

[Eriny]

The truth is you need all of the elements of TEEL in your paragraphs for flow and in order to back-up what you're saying. You might not need to go over each element in your head though, good writing will come naturally to you if you keep at it. I still have to make sure my topic sentences are good.

[charmanderp]

It's a matter of personal preference and practicing and developing your own style. I've excelled in English despite never using TEEL and I've met high achievers who swear by it. It also depends on the subject; the Politics chief examiner says that she adores TEEL and absolutely eats up every essay which implements it. It's definitely a good method to assemble some kind of coherence for writers who are confused but that's not to say that it can't be used by people who have a strong grip on the content to supply a framework for a top-level response.

Any response, TEELified or not, is going to appear elementary to examiners if the thought process behind it isn't inventive.

[TheFedExpress]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I think TEEL has become second nature to me now so I will keep using it, but just make sure that my ideas are different (but relevant) from the 40 000 other students!

Like many of you said, I don't over think about it, it just comes.

Good luck to you all!