50 in English - Feel free to ask questions.

[lala1911]

How likely is it to be caught out using fake sources for evidence in an expository essay in the examination?

[Yang Li]

Hi Lala1911,

I doubt you'd get caught for the odd made up one, but it doesn't take much effort to just do some research. It's not worth the risk.

All the best,

Yang

[akeergar]

Hey Yang,

I missed the live context seminar but i watched it on YouTube and it was very helpful. I was wonder though, what is your view on a hybrid variation between a creative and an expository essay.

Oh and would you be able to show us just one of your expository essays. I'm yet to see a really brilliant one so I just want to see what a high range expository essay looks likes.

Cheers!

[Yang Li]

Hey akeergar,

I've included examples in my slides in the seminar. Other than that, I provide examples in the notes that we provide to our students. I think the example paragraph/essay is most useful when analysed by somebody, so I do not provide my essays outside my classes.

All the best,

Yang

[A+study]

Hi Yang,

How many full exams would you recommend doing if looking for a very high score? How many essays on each area? Thanks!

[Yang Li]

Hey A+,

There is no easy answer to that question. It really depends on the student. For some context, I did not write any full essays a month before my exam and was lucky enough to score 50. A good friend of mine wrote about 25 essays in the last month and scored 45; also a fantastic result.

I think in the end, it comes down to how confident you are with writing your essays. If you know for a fact that you can pump out a solid essay consistently within the hour, you may get away with minimal revision.

For students who are not as confident, I suggest you practise at least four essays for both your text response and your context essay; and aim to keep them under 50 mins. Your language analysis will most likely take slightly longer than the hour.

All the best,

Yang

[EternalSpirit]

For Identity and Belonging, I always get stuck on what to do when I look at a prompt. For example, 'If there is no community, then there is no me', I argue that we need to belong to a group in order to form our identity. After this point, I don't know where to move from, what I should be discussing, and even how to start my essay. No ideas are coming into my mind.

What can I do to fix these issues?

P.S I'm currently studying the film 'Skin' and I'm unsuccessful in writing a plan (because I don't know where to go on and how to properly plan an essay)

Thanks

[Yang Li]

Hi EternalSpirit,

Firstly, if you haven't done so already, go through http://youtu.be/gsGJToY7j3k to make sure you're tackling the essay the right way. It also covers I&B quickly.

I&B is actually a relatively simple context. A lot of students however, tend to run out of ideas. Remember that context essays do not LIMIT what you can write on; it expects you to discuss the context FULLY. Therefore, if you are good at pointing to the logical relationship between ideas, you can explore ideas that are even tenuously linked to the prompt. For example, consider these questions:

1) How does an individual reconcile their personal the social identity?
2) What causes identity crisis?
3) How does the group influence the individual? Is this a forceful influence, or a voluntary one?
4) Can the individual choose their groups? If so, are their choices dependant on their beliefs and values?

There are many more points on our guide given to our students. However, going through the process of coming across these ideas yourself as you plan/write is the best way to prepare for the exam.

All the best,

Yang

[Alwin]

Hey Yang Li

Thanks for all the advice so far, your thread has been really useful! I just had a couple quick questions:

How much effort did you put in to get three 10's? I noticed you did lit which I assumed helped, but is it a lot of effort to achieve very high scores?

We had a mock English Exam in June (and another one next week during the holidays) in which I got 8-9-8. So, contemplating if I should keep my standard in English and concentrate in other subjects more, or if it's worth it to put in a bit more effort and get higher in English?

As always, thanks!
Alwin

[charmanderp]

Stickied this, at least until the exam - some really valuable stuff. Keep it up.

[Yang Li]

Hi Alwin,

If you scored 8s and 9s, I would say you're in a pretty good position. However, the last push before the exam period can take you into the 9s and 10s and will thus be invaluable to taking your score comfortably above 40 (or even above 45, depending on other factors). I definitely think it is worth putting some more effort into English, by getting as much feedback as possible for your writing and really polishing it to give it the panache it needs to stand out.

However, it all comes down to the context of your personal goals. Do you really want to score above 45? Is it something that will help you get into the course you want?

We will be running a practice exam for our students at the start of next term, and other students are welcome to join in. Feedback is almost immediate. However, I will most likely only accept a very limited number of outside students. Let me know if you're interested.

Whatever the case, all the best for your VCE studies.

Yang



Hi charmanderp,

Cheers mate.

How's Arts treating you? I wished I was in Arts/Law instead of Commerce/Law haha

[Bad Student]

Hi Yang,

How should I write a conclusion for a language analysis? I've had teachers tell me to summarise the main strategies used in the piece or just give a general overview of the issue. One teacher even said a conclusion wasn't necessary.

Thanks

[lala1911]

What's a good ratio for explanation/evidence in a context piece? I heard 70/30 but normally I tend to to 40/60 or 50/50...

Can I be penalised for this ?

[Yang Li]

Hi Bad Student (I'm sure you're not so bad),

Conclusions are often ignored by many students and teachers, but that also makes it a great place to stand out in the exam. The main point of the conclusion is to summarise the writer's main contention (in half a sentence) and main techniques. That, to me, is very boring. You may consider also:
1) Assessing how effective the writer is towards different readers
2) Consider the writer's approach and commenting on whether they are generally rational or emotive
3) Comment on how 2 relates to 1
Remember that a conclusion doesn't have to be long to be effective; and never to slam the writer for being a "bad writer".

Hi Lala1911,

I also like the 70/30 ratio for discussion/evidence. I also intertwine discussion of the context into my presentation of the evidence.

However, examiners do seem to be getting more lenient in this respect. Students who write 50/50 have also been getting high marks. Of course, they have also excelled in other areas of their writing and most likely have presented ideas relating to the context quite aptly within their presentation of the evidence.

It's hard for me to say whether the 50/50 ratio works for you unless I see your writing.

All the best to you both,

Yang


P.S. I will be running a practice exam with immediate feedback on the 11th of October at Hawthorn Secondary College from 5pm to 8pm. The first 5 applicants will receive a free copy of our writing guide. Our context essay guide will also be available for purchase for $15 each. The exam and feedback itself will cost $45. Feedback is emailed to you over the weekend and essays can be collected the Friday after. You can email me [email protected]

[scandin9]

Hi Yang,
In text response is it wise to include an essay that is 5 paragraphs long?My essays usually cover numerous examples and ideas in one paragraph.Is it wise to deviate from the standard three paragraph rule?What is your opinion on verbosity in essays.My teacher says that my essays are often verbose and that my verbosity may be detrementel. Is verbosity something to avoid?