is lit for me/what do you need to do well in lit

[spectroscopy]

ok so in the past years in english i havent done as well as i would have liked because i dont follow the set essay structures and that sort of thing, id rather write eloquently and make it sound nice and get my point across rather than just say "another theme is x, x is shown when y and z do this " etc.
and i also used to lose marks because when talking about themes in a book or movie i wouldnt mention the themes the rest of the class would and the teacher would say that i should stick to the more popular ones etc. and my different interpretations of films and movies has also led me to lose marks, hence why i chose english language (without even thinking of lit), because there arnt the subjective essays in EL
apparently lit lets you have more freedom in your writing? IS THIS TRUE? can someone tell me a bit about how the exams and sacs are marked? the criteria and such? also is it a fun subject or boring (i know this is subjective but any anecdotes or your history would be much appreciated)
thanks so much in advance ! im in a subject crisis atm and idk what to do HAHA




edit: more info

[walkec]

Okay so I'm only doing lit 1/2 at the moment, but I'll try and answer your question.
Yes, with literature you do have more freedom in your writing. Both classes at my school were told to forget TEEL pretty much all together, because there's not really a set structure for responses, it's jut communicating ideas/arguments and backing them up with grouped evidence from ten text, meaning that you draw upon different areas of the text relating to your argument instead of just one passage. This is what I love about lit 

As a lit student, I think lit is really good if you're the type of student who is strong in English but likes to be able to write freely instead of having set structures to responses.

[Glishe]

Hello,
I am doing lit 3/4 currently and it is AMAZING! English pales in comparison to the amazingness that is literature, but that is mainly due to the fact that literature explores a text in greater depth than covered in an English class.

There is no set structure - but then again English technically doesn't have a set structure, though there is a recommended one (intro, 3 bp, conclusion). I have read essays in English that deviated from this standard and they were apparently very good. The key to most good essays would be addressing the obvious and not-so-obvious - so you really can't ignore the elephant in the room. Same for lit as well.

There are only two essays for the final exam, but both are close passage analysis (given three passages from a text and use one or more as a basis of an analysis). The exam will be hell and lit mostly will be difficult, but it is nevertheless well worth doing. That is, if you haven't enough time and dedication. I consider it a 'high maintenance' subject because you must struggle for marks and nothing comes easily... some of the texts we study are bizarre (Peter Carey's short stories are an example).

Classes tend to be smaller though so there is more attention for each student and it isn't as tiresome and monotonous as an english class. Consider this as an alternative.

[zerbe6]

As I am currently completing 3/4 english, english language and lit, I feel well placed to comment that Lit.offers the most freedom while English Language allows the least. People seem to view English Language as being less content or text heavy. I have more.to read for English Language than either of the others. While structure is freeform the format of your analysis is painstakingly devoid of life. If you are a 'writer' rather than a science kid I would suggest that the other two englishes are way more fun. Language in year 12 is more like a.science than an English. Lit on the otherhand is the beesknees. But all Englishes require one
thing. The ability to convey a cogent and well evidenced point. I apologise.for the poor grammar and spelling in this reply; I am on my smartphone minus autocorrect

[achre]

You should read the stickied topic "EZ's Guide to Succeeding in VCE Literature", it's a pretty comprehensive overview of the skills required to do well in the subject, and the ways those skills are assessed. It's what made me choose to do Lit, and you and I sound very similar.

ok so in the past years in english i havent done as well as i would have liked because i dont follow the set essay structures and that sort of thing, id rather write eloquently and make it sound nice and get my point across rather than just say "another theme is x, x is shown when y and z do this " etc.

You're perfect. In years 7 & 8 I had an A/+ streak in English, which went down to Cs and the occasional D in years 9 & 10. The majority of students in your year level are going to go on to do VCE english, so they're prepping you for that. If you think you're better at presenting original ideas efficiently than you are at rephrasing the ideas you heard your teacher provide the class with, then I think you'll go far in Lit.
Also there's no oral presentation or language analysis in lit.
And your cohort will typically be on the smaller side, which is conducive to a conversational environment, so it's basically the class with no assigned homework + free exchange of ideas between a group.
And it scales up. Kinda.
It's pretty much the best subject in VCE.