English Advanced Question Thread

[elysepopplewell]

Heeeey guys has anyone got notes on the poems of Judith Wright for Module C- People and Landscapes? Or any mad topic sentences/position statements? Thanks!

Hey, I've had a look and we don't have any uploaded notes on Judith Wright. But if you scroll through (a bit tedious, I know) here there are definitely some Judith Wright responses in there somewhere. Otherwise, here are two essays on People and Landscapes that might give you some ideas about how to approach the module, even though they aren't your texts!

[Kirri Rule]

Hey Kirri! The best advice I can offer for preparing for an English Exam is to write - Practice essays, creatives, sample exams, whatever you can get your hands on and as many as you can do in whatever time you assign to studying for English. That extends generally too - Practice makes perfect and practice is the best way to prepare for an exam block such as half yearlies. There is no better way to consolidate and refresh your knowledge than actually using it in a simulated exam environment and seeing how you go. Then, you can devote time to doing extra work on problem areas and not wasting time with stuff you find a little easier

I recommend you start setting aside time to do one practice paper every week, every few days, every day - Whatever works. Do the paper, then mark it and see how you went (for English it is a little tougher to actually mark, but still helps to read over your own work)! If you struggled a lot in say, creative writing, then do extra work there however you feel works best. The key is to invest time in the areas that give you trouble

You should check out some of the resources in this list to help you prepare for your half yearlies too! best of luck!

Hi thank you that really helps! Would you recommend any specific past papers or will any HSC or trial paper do?

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi thank you that really helps! Would you recommend any specific past papers or will any HSC or trial paper do?

Pretty much anything will do! Half yearly exams would be best, but they are difficult to come across. So, just pulling from Trial Papers will probably be the best way for you (better to save the HSC Exams, for the HSC, I reckon)

Try this list of past papers, there are a few half yearlies in there!

[strawberriesarekewl]

To anyone here that did yeats:

a) what was the hardest to easiest poem (in your opinion)
b) How do you write essays for yeats when you want to talk about all the themes in one essay
c) What are some general tips for yeats?

[bowiemily]

To anyone here that did yeats:

a) what was the hardest to easiest poem (in your opinion)
b) How do you write essays for yeats when you want to talk about all the themes in one essay
c) What are some general tips for yeats?

a) Easiest (and most boring): When You Are Old  --> Hardest: Among School Children
b) I would suggest having your paragraphs based on the themes. Remember, it is impossible to cover everything in one essay, so always skew what you have prepared according to the question you are provided. The more important things to cover are the criteria for textual integrity, being content, form, language and reception (in their own and a contemporary contexts)
c) Persist! And find as many extra readings as you can, whether they be documentaries, papers or podcasts

[strawberriesarekewl]

a) Easiest (and most boring): When You Are Old  --> Hardest: Among School Children
b) I would suggest having your paragraphs based on the themes. Remember, it is impossible to cover everything in one essay, so always skew what you have prepared according to the question you are provided. The more important things to cover are the criteria for textual integrity, being content, form, language and reception (in their own and a contemporary contexts)
c) Persist! And find as many extra readings as you can, whether they be documentaries, papers or podcasts

Ah...thank you Emily

For Module B do you ever use first person "I" since it's about your own interpretation of the text

Also how many essays should I write for Module B since it's a very Broad module (broader than Module A, C and discovery in my opinion)

[jamonwindeyer]

Ah...thank you Emily

For Module B do you ever use first person "I" since it's about your own interpretation of the text

Also how many essays should I write for Module B since it's a very Broad module (broader than Module A, C and discovery in my opinion)

Never use I in an academic piece of writing - I know it's tempting, but you get your interpretation across just by writing. Keep things academic

I'm not a fan of memorisation, but if you are preparing, it is better to just prepare one, maybe two, very broad essays/templates that can be adapted to suit the questions. Memorising 5 or 6 different essays is not going to be efficient use of time, imo

[devol]

Hey! I'm currently writing a creative for discovery. How do you "emphasise" or "show" your discovery without literally stating it ?

[biancajuru]

Hey! I'm currently writing a creative for discovery. How do you "emphasise" or "show" your discovery without literally stating it ?

A great way is by really developing a solid character through a strong voice, eg. has a particular psyche/attitude or actions. In doing so, this character’s discovery can be shown, for example, by changes in their outlook in life, the way they speak or train of thought. It emphasises the notion that a byproduct of discovery is a change/transformation in the protagonist.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! I'm currently writing a creative for discovery. How do you "emphasise" or "show" your discovery without literally stating it ?

Welcome to the forums devol! I agree with Bianca - A character focused narrative will make it much easier to show the Discovery by showing changes in the actions/emotions of your protagonist it can also help (sometimes) to write in 1st person - It comes across a little more naturally

[bananna]

Hi !

If I would like to have my creative checked/marked by your team, where do I submit it?

thank you!!

[ssarahj]

Hi !

If I would like to have my creative checked/marked by your team, where do I submit it?

thank you!!

Right here! And we can't wait to take a look 

[bananna]

Right here! And we can't wait to take a look 

Sent!

by the way, has anyone had any issues concerning plagiarism through submitting their work via the forum? e.g. someone taking their idea/whole story/whole essay?
I'm a little concerned about this and don't want to get into this situation.

thanks

[rodero]

Hi I was wondering about other people's opinions on having multiple diary entries in their creative piece. The basis of my story is a protagonist that reflects on his experiences through diary entries. Over time, the audience notices changes in his character after discovering new things. I ask this because I've been recommended by teachers to keep the piece within a day or a couple hours. What are your thoughts on:
1. A piece that spans over a variety of days
2. A piece that is presented through diary entries only

I haven't made a full on start to my piece as I am so conflicted on what I should be doing. Any opinions would give another dimension to my piece and it would be much appreciated!

Thank you 

EDIT: I've also thought about having a second character (such as a psychiatrist, councellor, teacher etc.) that notices the changes to the protagonist and writes their own entries. I feel this would help move my story forward but at the cost of making my story become too literal

[bowiemily]

Hi I was wondering about other people's opinions on having multiple diary entries in their creative piece. The basis of my story is a protagonist that reflects on his experiences through diary entries. Over time, the audience notices changes in his character after discovering new things. I ask this because I've been recommended by teachers to keep the piece within a day or a couple hours. What are your thoughts on:
1. A piece that spans over a variety of days
2. A piece that is presented through diary entries only

I haven't made a full on start to my piece as I am so conflicted on what I should be doing. Any opinions would give another dimension to my piece and it would be much appreciated!

Thank you 

EDIT: I've also thought about having a second character (such as a psychiatrist, councellor, teacher etc.) that notices the changes to the protagonist and writes their own entries. I feel this would help move my story forward but at the cost of making my story become too literal

Hey there!

I used multiple diary entries for my own creative and they worked fantastically! The only thing to be wary of, however, is rambling in your entries, and implying too much of the plot. You don't want to lose your reader in the characters train of thought. I also introduced another character, but did this through the form of a letter. As you said, this adds another dimension to the piece and clarify some questions within the plot, otherwise overlooked/negated by the perspective of your protagonist