English Advanced Question Thread

[prickles]

Hi can someone please help me, i was just wondering what the term "need to sustain your thesis" means in terms of feedback on essays. I was also wondering how i could improve this sustainment throughout the essay to achieve higher marks.
Thanks in advance!

Sustaining a thesis is really important, and shows the marker that you have planned your response and are constantly relating back to your question. I like to think about it like this: Your thesis is a big red knot at the top of a piece of red string. That red string needs to continue throughout our entire essay. Quotes, context, analysis, topic sentences, explanation are all different coloured strings, woven carefully and tightly around the big red one. But if the big red string doesn't show enough, or the other colours get too knotted around the red one, the marker can't see the red string. And that means the thesis isn't sustained enough.
To improve this, make sure your thesis actually answers the question, so it makes it easier to relate back to. You thesis shouldn't be too vague (so don't use words like 'emotional' or 'positive' in a general sense), so it provides clear direction. Practice writing thesis statements to random questions, because I believe that if a thesis is succinct, specific and answers the question, it is far easier to sustain than a rambling or vague one.
Hope this helps a bit 

[KT Nyunt]

Hi can someone please help me, i was just wondering what the term "need to sustain your thesis" means in terms of feedback on essays. I was also wondering how i could improve this sustainment throughout the essay to achieve higher marks.
Thanks in advance!

I definitely agree with prickles. Another thing I would add in improving is simply just linking back to your thesis and to the question in a linking statement at the end of body paragraphs (and of course your topic sentences and conclusions would be elaborating on your thesis/answering the question but often at the end of body paragraphs, after all your textual evidence and techniques, is where linking back to your thesis is often neglected).
Rephrasing your thesis using direct words at the end of every paragraph is a very explicit way to show you're sustaining your thesis - making it very clear for your marker. And I say 'direct' because I often try to use a lot of synonyms in my linking statements so my essay doesn't get too repetitive, then my marker would provide feedback saying "where's the linking statement?""link back to thesis!" because I ended up using words that didn't mean the same thing as the words I used in my thesis! Maybe I just need a thesaurus but from my experience, it's safer to be very explicit in these linking statements to blatantly show that you're sustaining your thesis throughout your essay.

Hope this helps

[elysepopplewell]

Hi can someone please help me, i was just wondering what the term "need to sustain your thesis" means in terms of feedback on essays. I was also wondering how i could improve this sustainment throughout the essay to achieve higher marks.
Thanks in advance!

You've already been given TWO FANTASTIC responses above., but I just want to add something really simple. My English teachers warned me, and now I warn the students I tutor, about "topping and tailing" paragraphs. This goes across a bunch of subjects, but basically don't conveniently talk about your thesis at the beginning and end of a paragraph - make sure that sauce trickles through the entire burger, not just the bun! When you "top and tail" it gives the impression that you thought about the thesis, got side tracked in the crucial analysis, and then it became an after thought so you tacked it on the end. So maybe consider it like that, that it can't be a periphery thought, it needs to be constantly attended to

[Mate2425]

Thanks everyone for your help in regard to my question!! 

[Mate2425]

Hi everyone i am looking at an A range marking criteria for my School's Module A response.
•   Composes a well developed response showing a perceptive understanding of the ways meaning is shaped through language, forms and features.
•   Demonstrates a detailed understanding of how visual texts represent relevant concepts
•   Demonstrates well developed language skills using appropriate forms, features and structures for the task and audience.
I was wondering if someone would be able to help me with what exactly i should pinpoint in the marking criteria in order to get full marks. As well as any possible steps to ensure i am prepared and ready to answer an essay in regard to the marking criteria.
Thanks, for your help,
Much appreciated.

[Lilabear123]

Hello! So for mod b i'm doing Yeats' poetry, and i have a speaking assessment task coming up in the next week. It's in the form of a viva voce (interview) where a teacher will ask us questions relating to context, themes + ideas, textual integrity etc. i'm struggling to decide which two to choose, since they aren't specifying.

Should i choose two poems with similar ideas or ones that explore different themes? A few of the questions will ask us to refer to both poems, while for others you only need to refer to one. I'm debating between Easter 1916, Leda and the swan and The Second Coming, however i'm open to doing the others too

Thanks

[kgamboa]

Hi, I have an essay to write for Hamlet with the quote:
"When faced with the burden of revenge for his father's death, Hamlet, unlike some other characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet, cannot act; he can only "act". Therein lies his tragic fate."
I don't know what themes are best to use to write a good essay based on this quote could someone help me and give some suggestions?

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi everyone i am looking at an A range marking criteria for my School's Module A response.
•   Composes a well developed response showing a perceptive understanding of the ways meaning is shaped through language, forms and features.
•   Demonstrates a detailed understanding of how visual texts represent relevant concepts
•   Demonstrates well developed language skills using appropriate forms, features and structures for the task and audience.
I was wondering if someone would be able to help me with what exactly i should pinpoint in the marking criteria in order to get full marks. As well as any possible steps to ensure i am prepared and ready to answer an essay in regard to the marking criteria.
Thanks, for your help,
Much appreciated.

Hi there! Let me try and reexplain what they are after from my perspective:

- The first point is essentially on technique and effect. They want to see you understand how certain techniques can help present an idea or manipulate the audiences view. Well developed just means you do this in an effective way.
- The second point is similar to the first, but specific to visual texts. Brush up on your visual techniques, make sure you can analyse a visual text quickly and effectively (practice!)
- Language skills is self explanatory - Proper sentences, correct spelling and grammar, etc. Again, practice makes perfect here!

For all these points, just writing lots is going to be your best way to prepare

Hello! So for mod b i'm doing Yeats' poetry, and i have a speaking assessment task coming up in the next week. It's in the form of a viva voce (interview) where a teacher will ask us questions relating to context, themes + ideas, textual integrity etc. i'm struggling to decide which two to choose, since they aren't specifying.

Should i choose two poems with similar ideas or ones that explore different themes? A few of the questions will ask us to refer to both poems, while for others you only need to refer to one. I'm debating between Easter 1916, Leda and the swan and The Second Coming, however i'm open to doing the others too

Thanks

Hey! I didn't study Yeats, but in general I would say to give yourself lots to talk about. If you pick two texts with similar themes and very similar techniques, it might make that difficult. However, if they present the same themes in very different ways, that could work really well!

Make sure you have enough to talk about in your Viva. Different themes can make it easier to have more to talk about - But you'll need at least something in common to be able to link them together!

[zanibalh]

Can I use 1984 as a related text for Brave New World? If not, what are some recommended texts?

[Opengangs]

Can I use 1984 as a related text for Brave New World? If not, what are some recommended texts?

Hey,
Yep, you won't be marked down for choosing 1984 as a related. I actually used it as my Mod C related to supplement King Henry!

[owidjaja]

Hey guys,
Just a question on Mod A 1984/Metropolis, when talking about social groups like the workers, industrialists or proles, are they capitalised or just normal lower case?

[KT Nyunt]

Hey guys,
Just a question on Mod A 1984/Metropolis, when talking about social groups like the workers, industrialists or proles, are they capitalised or just normal lower case?

Do mean capitalised as in: Proletariat?
No, I say keep it lower case

Also, in 1984, Winston says 'the proles' not 'the Proles' so I think that would be a good indicator to use 'the proles' 

[aadharmg]

Hii guys. Bit of a tricky situation here. So we got our half yearly results for English, and well, it's safe to say that my weakest point in English did wonders yet again. A horrible 8/15 in creative writing completely destroyed my total marks. My teacher has advised me to write a new story as she said that my original piece, whilst she saw what I was trying to do and say, is just not broad enough for adapting to a given stimuli and she can't see in what ways it can be altered to make it better suited to an exam. In all honesty, I was also neither impressed nor happy with my story. So I sit here, with 7 weeks till trials, completely out of inspiration for a story. Does anyone have any tips on possibly getting started and building a stronger story? Maybe something that requires much more attention in a creative writing piece, in order to make overall a 13/15ish story?

[kauac]

Hii guys. Bit of a tricky situation here. So we got our half yearly results for English, and well, it's safe to say that my weakest point in English did wonders yet again. A horrible 8/15 in creative writing completely destroyed my total marks. My teacher has advised me to write a new story as she said that my original piece, whilst she saw what I was trying to do and say, is just not broad enough for adapting to a given stimuli and she can't see in what ways it can be altered to make it better suited to an exam. In all honesty, I was also neither impressed nor happy with my story. So I sit here, with 7 weeks till trials, completely out of inspiration for a story. Does anyone have any tips on possibly getting started and building a stronger story? Maybe something that requires much more attention in a creative writing piece, in order to make overall a 13/15ish story?

Hi...

I am in a bit of a similar situation at the moment, with a well-need renovation for my creative. My main issue was with an over complicated plot, so I tried to start from scratch with a new plot, and then insert some sentences from my old creative where relevant.

But if your downfall is adaptability, I would think that you don't necessarily have to come up with a new story altogether, or even a new plot.
Here are some general ideas for how you could make your current story more malleable to stimuli (without having read it, myself):

1. Add objects, pieces of imagery, or a motif into your writing, that can easily be changed to allow for different types of stimuli.
2. Think about ways in which you could use the stimulus metaphorically or symbolically - so that you don't have to force random ideas into the piece.
3. If your story has more than one scene, try rearranging the order and manipulate the structure a bit. This is particularly helpful for adapting the parts of the rubric in focus.
4. Depending on your preparation style, sometimes just having a loose plot structure, rather than knowing everything 'word-for-word' for the piece can help it be better suited to what the question is asking. Sometimes the pressure of a time-limit can help to pull the loose strings together in forming a well-rounded piece.
5. Practice, practice, practice! If you keep looking at way to adapt your piece, it will only make it easier to adapt in the exams. And remember to critique your own work, as well as getting other peoples' opinions, e.g. teachers, peers,  to get a gauge of how well you are able to adapt.

So, before deciding to scrap your current creative piece, I would encourage you to give it a hard-core evaluation. Work out whether you can still 'salvage' it, and then go from there. If you do end up writing a whole new piece, to fast-track the process, its probably better to stick to something simple and straightforward, and then once you have nailed making it adaptable, then add some personal flair to your hearts content!

Hope this helps. 

[Mada438]

Hii guys. Bit of a tricky situation here. So we got our half yearly results for English, and well, it's safe to say that my weakest point in English did wonders yet again. A horrible 8/15 in creative writing completely destroyed my total marks. My teacher has advised me to write a new story as she said that my original piece, whilst she saw what I was trying to do and say, is just not broad enough for adapting to a given stimuli and she can't see in what ways it can be altered to make it better suited to an exam. In all honesty, I was also neither impressed nor happy with my story. So I sit here, with 7 weeks till trials, completely out of inspiration for a story. Does anyone have any tips on possibly getting started and building a stronger story? Maybe something that requires much more attention in a creative writing piece, in order to make overall a 13/15ish story?

Hey!
While everything kauac says is true, and i encourage yo to follow his advice
I'm gonna present a different idea.
And that is of designing a character. So this pretty much means you design a character and get to know them in depth. Literally every detail about them. Get to know this character you've created inside and out. When you truly know this character, start finding stimulus from past papers and throwing your character into different situations. This way your character seems more fleshed out and it makes it easy to adapt. I've found this works for me.

Just a suggestiion, you don't have to follow it.
Whatever you do, good luck!