English Advanced Question Thread

[raghav_singh]

Hi so my related text that I have chosen for human experiences is Life of Pi. Does it really matter if I do the film or the novel. I was leaning towards doing the film, because my prescribed is 1984 and I felt that it would be more time efficient to do the film

[dancing phalanges]

Hi so my related text that I have chosen for human experiences is Life of Pi. Does it really matter if I do the film or the novel. I was leaning towards doing the film, because my prescribed is 1984 and I felt that it would be more time efficient to do the film

Hey! So I've been told that doing different mediums (film and text for e.g.) is better than both the PT and ORT being the same so that should work fine! Plus - Life of Pi (the film) is full of rich imagery and the filmmaking is very strong. Regardless, you can still use quotes from it as it is a film! So don't worry too much I'm sure that'll work fine

[emilyyyyyyy]

Hi!

Do we need to know a related text for the HSC exam (human experiences)? If we do, would we be writing a comparative essay or something else?

[darcyynic]

Hi!

Do we need to know a related text for the HSC exam (human experiences)? If we do, would we be writing a comparative essay or something else?

Hi there!

From what I have read – no. You won't need a related text for the Common Module exam, only for internal assessments. In the example paper NESA posted, they never asked for a related text in the essay questions.

Hope this helps!
Darcy

[emilyyyyyyy]

hi!

i'm horrible at creative writing and i'm dreading doing it for the hsc... the whole making it up on the spot in 40 mins and everything. does anyone have any tips for becoming better at creative writing, or how to write a good story on the spot?

[dancing phalanges]

hi!

i'm horrible at creative writing and i'm dreading doing it for the hsc... the whole making it up on the spot in 40 mins and everything. does anyone have any tips for becoming better at creative writing, or how to write a good story on the spot?

Hey Emily!

What I would say to you first is do not worry! Pretty much everyone is in the same boat! No one can write a perfect, descriptive masterpiece in 40 minutes. What is most important is that you nail the rubric dot points or what is being asked in the question. So having a central idea is key and don't overthink it too much as you only want to be writing what is comfortable for you!

As to what I did - what I would say is look at past papers or even just random images online and see what you can write off that! It doesn't have to be coherent sentences per say - just see if you can come up with an idea for a story, perhaps with an overarching theme or concept relating to a question relevant to what you are studying.

For example, if the prompt is an image of a boy staring into a telescope - your idea could be wonder or the story could be about finding something that is lost.

I would also say - write about something that interests you or you are familiar with! It will come WAY more naturally then if you force yourself to write something you aren't comfortable with (trust me I can tell you that having studied Romanticism with all their fancy words and old-time language).

Finally - don't stress! You have all year to get better! No one is perfect at the start of the year, just start off by giving yourself prompts - be it quotes, images, paintings and challenge yourself to think creatively. From there, when you have the idea/concept of your story, think about what use your characters have... are they just there for the point of it or will you use their story to tell the idea/concept you have. Then map out complications - ones which may help to show how your character grows or overcomes issues. Just some ideas!

A bit of rambling but hope that helps you

[elewisdando]

Hey!
How long should our notes for the common module be? I've never done quote tables before and I usually just did practice essays so I don't really know how they're meant to be structured.
Thanks so much

[dancing phalanges]

Hey!
How long should our notes for the common module be? I've never done quote tables before and I usually just did practice essays so I don't really know how they're meant to be structured.
Thanks so much

Hi!

I've attached two ways I structured my quote tables during the HSC. It is completely up to personal preference and depends how confident you are with the material!

At the start of the year though, when you are still learning, I would say pick out key themes in your text or module. Then under each theme, have one column for the quote, one for who said it (in case you need it - quite an easy column to remember at least) and then a short one sentence explanation of the link you are making between the quote and theme since you may still be unsure about the content.

I found this really helpful in my HSC as it made linking ideas to quotes much simpler to understand!

Hopefully that helps

[owidjaja]

Hey!
How long should our notes for the common module be? I've never done quote tables before and I usually just did practice essays so I don't really know how they're meant to be structured.
Thanks so much

Hey there,

Like dancing phalanges said, it's completely up to you on how you set up a quotes table!

When I made mine, I divided my notes by chapter or act and set up three columns for my table: technique, quote, analysis. This was a simple set up but enough for me to find the quotes I needed. Whenever I was writing a practice essay, I would always refer to it. Once I became comfortable with the text, I found myself using the same quotes over and over again. That's when I made a quotes sheet, which is a summarised version of my quotes table. It was a quick and easy way for me to do last minute cramming since it was just a sheet of quotes, along with some key words in relation to my thesis/topic sentences.

I've attached my quotes table and a quotes sheet to give you an idea on how I set up my notes.

Hope this helps!

[nishta]

Hey all,

For Paper 2 Mod C, can we write a creative based on the common module? It doesn't look that way from what I've gleaned from the sample paper and syllabus, but I heard somewhere that we could.

Thanks!

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey all,

For Paper 2 Mod C, can we write a creative based on the common module? It doesn't look that way from what I've gleaned from the sample paper and syllabus, but I heard somewhere that we could.

Thanks!

Hello! So in the sample exam provided by NESA, no, you couldn't - Because they require one from Modules A-C. However, I can't find anything to suggest they couldn't allow it in the actual exam this year. The module is designed to teach you about the craft of creative writing in the context of the rest of your English study - That would logically include the common module! But I'm not totally sure, if I'm being honest - I can't find anything that says no

[raghav_singh]

Hi guys so I have just finished reading my prescribed text 1984, for my internal assessment. So far I have got a table with quotes, themes/ideas, analysis and techniques. Now I was wanting to do drafts, but before the drafts process I felt it was necessary to do an essay plan that can get molded into any question. Can someone give me any advice, as to how do I do this plan. What is the process?

[darcyynic]

Hi guys so I have just finished reading my prescribed text 1984, for my internal assessment. So far I have got a table with quotes, themes/ideas, analysis and techniques. Now I was wanting to do drafts, but before the drafts process I felt it was necessary to do an essay plan that can get molded into any question. Can someone give me any advice, as to how do I do this plan. What is the process?

Hey there,

So first things first congratulations on making your quote tables up! They will be an excellent resource in the year to come and it's great that you've made them already.

I don't really believe you have to make an essay plan before drafting an essay, but if you do want to, here's a basic guide to how I did mine:

My essay plans were all really brief. I began with my thesis statement at the top and then wrote out three-four topic statements (depending on how many ideas/themes I wanted to include). Under each of those topic statements I would outline the quotes/detail/ideas/analysis/techniques I wanted to include. I didn't write much in this outline because I wanted to make sure that my writing was as spontaneous and natural as it could be (because that's what it'll have to be in the exam!)

So here's an example of a body paragraph outline from one of my discovery essay plans.

Topic Statement: A discovery is never solely interpreted as emotional, intellectual, or physical, but rather it is often a synthesis of all three.

- Discovery of Tom’s mortality by Gwen is both emotional and intellectual.
- The emotional discovery of losing a son is realised through stage directions “the women are supporting each other and have been crying.
- However, Gwen also reacts intellectually to it. She comes to understand her position and lets go of any prejudices regarding materialism. She understands the impact of her actions as seen in her high modality statement, “you must hate me.”
- The realisation of Cal’s identity is similarly an emotional, physical and intellectual discovery.
- Cal chooses to physically change genders seen in his defiant negation “I am not a girl. I’m a boy.”
- Tessie reacts with emotion, as seen in the cliché, “Tessie’s eyes filled with tears.”
- Dr Luce, however, has made an intellectual discovery of a rare genetic condition.
- This is proven through the use of a adverbial conjunction to express the intellectual significance to the realisation of Cal’s gender: “He examined me with great curiosity, almost connoisseurship.”

I hope this helps

[nishta]

Hello! So in the sample exam provided by NESA, no, you couldn't - Because they require one from Modules A-C. However, I can't find anything to suggest they couldn't allow it in the actual exam this year. The module is designed to teach you about the craft of creative writing in the context of the rest of your English study - That would logically include the common module! But I'm not totally sure, if I'm being honest - I can't find anything that says no

yeah it's not really clear! thanks anyway 

[raghav_singh]

Hey there,

So first things first congratulations on making your quote tables up! They will be an excellent resource in the year to come and it's great that you've made them already.

I don't really believe you have to make an essay plan before drafting an essay, but if you do want to, here's a basic guide to how I did mine:

My essay plans were all really brief. I began with my thesis statement at the top and then wrote out three-four topic statements (depending on how many ideas/themes I wanted to include). Under each of those topic statements I would outline the quotes/detail/ideas/analysis/techniques I wanted to include. I didn't write much in this outline because I wanted to make sure that my writing was as spontaneous and natural as it could be (because that's what it'll have to be in the exam!)

So here's an example of a body paragraph outline from one of my discovery essay plans.

Topic Statement: A discovery is never solely interpreted as emotional, intellectual, or physical, but rather it is often a synthesis of all three.

- Discovery of Tom’s mortality by Gwen is both emotional and intellectual.
- The emotional discovery of losing a son is realised through stage directions “the women are supporting each other and have been crying.
- However, Gwen also reacts intellectually to it. She comes to understand her position and lets go of any prejudices regarding materialism. She understands the impact of her actions as seen in her high modality statement, “you must hate me.”
- The realisation of Cal’s identity is similarly an emotional, physical and intellectual discovery.
- Cal chooses to physically change genders seen in his defiant negation “I am not a girl. I’m a boy.”
- Tessie reacts with emotion, as seen in the cliché, “Tessie’s eyes filled with tears.”
- Dr Luce, however, has made an intellectual discovery of a rare genetic condition.
- This is proven through the use of a adverbial conjunction to express the intellectual significance to the realisation of Cal’s gender: “He examined me with great curiosity, almost connoisseurship.”

I hope this helps

So would you do a essay or two, then make a plan that can get molded into any question?