1st in Advanced English 2016 - Ask Me Anything!

[bowiemily]

Do you have any tips on how to balance narrative and action when writing a creative?
What did you find were the best studying/revision techniques for you?

Maybe switch to first person. As you're writing if you're in someones head, its much easier to delve into character in this style. If you're having the opposite problem, switch to third person 

As for studying, I wrote lots and lots of practice essays under the 40 min time constraint. I also recorded myself reading the ones that received high marks, read lots of academic papers on my texts and listened to heaps of podcasts. BBC's 'In Our Time' tends to do a really good job of discussing literature. My notes were on palm cards, lists, venn diagrams, flow charts and tables. They included the quote, technique, a short analysis and a link to the syllabus.

[bowiemily]

thanks so much! will definitely into Heaney, I remember you raving about him at the lecture haha!

this is a really awesome resource; I've heard State Library was good, but didn't know they were this good! what do you think is the most effective way to make the most of the State Library's space and resources?

First: Get yourself a library card. This way you can access most of the database online! For in-print, you'll have to head into the city. However, I found this to be a really fantastic study environment! So quiet and scholarly, you can't help but do your work 

[mishfillet]

Hi Emily! Congratulations on your marks!
Just wondering if you have any tips on how to study for modern history essays and how did you set out your study notes?

[Luke799]

Hi Emily,
1. How would I integrate context with themes and techniques in a Module A essay? Especially contexts such as modernism or expressionism
2. How many techniques, examples or quotes would you suggest to add to your essays?
3. Top 3 favourite authors?

Thanks Heaps

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily! Hope you're well. 
 
1 - Do you have any tips for when you find yourself stuck on how to expand on an idea? (basically when you have no freaking clue where you're going with it  )
2 - How did you feel after the HSC? Was it all the hype it is made out to be?
3 - How was Modern History? Did you find it challenging compared to English/other subjects?

Thank you so much for taking the time for our questions and congratulations on your hard earned, exceptional results!! Good luck with Art/Law, hopefully you'll smash it, too.

Yellow!!!! You're the best.

1. Best advice: scrap the idea. It may be because you don't have your head around it entirely yet. Sometimes, leaving it for a few days can work as well. You may cover extra content in class that will help you better understand it, or you may simply find a better way of articulating it. Read what other people have written about the idea as well, perhaps you can gain some inspiration from them too!

2. After the HSC, I had a really nice cup of tea. I then proceeded to watch all of Death Note and FMA, followed by a two week beach vacation with the wonderful Aidan. I also read (and am still reading!) lots of books and catching up on Veep. Even before I found out my results, it was such a relief to leave schedule for a little bit. In saying that, I'm looking forward to Uni! I'm ready to use my brain again! In summary, the HSC is very important, and you'll kick yourself when you can't remember that quote you swear you studied yesterday. So study whilst you can to avoid regret when its all over. As I said, even before I knew my results I didn't regret a thing about my HSC year

3. Modern was an absolute SLOG. I loved it, but I also spent a majority on my time on it. Fight me everyone else (except Chemistry, that stuff is ridiculous), but I found it to be the most content heavy subject in the HSC. But it also was the most informative. Much of how I see and understand the world now was influenced by my Modern study. I have continued to look into the topics even after my HSC!

[Raquelmartin990]

Hi, I've got an Advance English assesment essay coming up, Yeats poetry. And wanted to know which poem you think would go well with "Leda and the Swan". The Wilde Swans at Coole or The Second Coming? Thanks heaps.

[bowiemily]

Hey, throughout my Advanced prelim I was getting low-medium A's for my assessments. How can I push into that higher mark range? In the exam room my arguments tend to unravel and my sophistication of language starts to erode. Your previously noted "personal voice" is intriguing. What is this exactly? and how did you integrate this into your response?
Thank you

Personal voice is showing your own understanding of the text through your voice. When you read it, it feels like you (yes you!) are actually speaking to the Marker. They eat this up. The best way to develop this, and boost your English marks, is to practice, practice, practice! This could range from writing diary entries about what you think of your texts, to practice essays, to debates with your class mates. Figure out a way to best explain and argue your opinion on your prescribed texts.

[angelapg]

Hi Emily! 

Congratulations on your extraordinary mark for not only english but hsc overall! I read over some of your replies to other people and I'm kind of struggling with Romanticism for extension now. I've read through quite a few essays from the bostes published books and it always says something about not letting your related text limit your analysis and I'm finding it really hard to find a solid related text that could satisfy that point and that also differs in regards to medium to the prescribed text (shelley's novel, coleridge's poems and campion's film). Most of the related texts that i find are usually more focused on one type of issue - or theme. E.g. Rousseau focuses on childhood, etc and I find that it really limits my ability to analyse it to the depth that I believe is sufficient enough. Do you have any recommendations?

I feel like I'm hitting a bit of a bottom right now with english because I'm getting pretty disappointed with my marks that have dropped pretty dramatically. I always write up draft essays to receive feedback on from the teacher and my tutor and I get back the results with comments like "first class response", with about 14 ticks in the A range and one tick in B range that drops my essay from 100% to a 70%. I understand there's always some exams that people screw up on but it's been a constant streak of low's and my motivation level has really dropped. i'd really appreciate the advice, thank you! 

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily I chose Earth and Environmental Science as well, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. I'm really struggling with the subject and I don't absorb the study notes I've been making for the unit Tectonic Impacts because I can't force myself to like what I'm learning. Do you have any advice?

Hey there,

Oh, I'm so sorry that you're not enjoying Earth! If its any consolation, tectonic impacts really is the driest part of the syllabus. The way I made it interesting for myself was by finding relevant, contemporary examples of all the different plates/natural disasters. I also drew a lot of diagrams (Thanks Mr Lans!), which made it much easier for me to remember the ins and outs of Tectonic Impacts.

[bowiemily]

Hi!

For the discovery module, what kinds of themes/issues/ideas did you base your argument around? I'm studying Life of Pi and I'm considering using The Catcher in the Rye as a related text. And how would you structure a response if the statement to respond to was something like, "discoveries can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others"?

Thanks

Hi! I liked to order my discovery essays as a 'process', which follows the experience of discovery from start to finish. The details of such can be found here http://atarnotes.com/note/atar-notes-english-advanced-head-start-lecture-january-2017/

No matter what the question, I found that I was able to use this structure in my discovery essays.

[elysepopplewell]

4. How did you find contemporary examples for SOR?

Hey Audrey, for which section of the syllabus are you looking for these contemporary examples? Is it about contemporary examples of ethical application?

[bowiemily]

Hi bowie!
I've heard some people say that it is better to write your creatives in third person than in first person. Do you think that is true? What voice did you write most of your creatives in? And also what are some specific things that you should include and avoid in your creative if you want maximum marks? I know about the obvious, such as avoiding endings like 'then I woke up and it was all a dream', but I have also heard other people say to avoid anything to do with teenagers as it can make stories sound cliche, and to tell it from the perspective of a child or adult. Is there anything else?
Thank you and congratulations on the awesome result!

Hey there!

I wrote my creatives in the first person, because I naturally write in a stream of conscience. So, in saying this, write in a style that's best for you. I don't think either of these have an advantage over the other - it's all about what writing style best conveys ideas on discovery for you

I would avoid anything that's overly plot driven. I would also avoid the fantasy genre. This is as you generally don't have enough time to write in these styles in the HSC - there's no room for epics, and your creative doesn't get a sequel. Instead, I would write something based on character. This also applies to more of the syllabus dot points regarding discovery, and thus, is more likely to appeal to a broader array of questions.

[kneehaha]

Hey!
I struggle with creative writing as everything i hand in turns out to be either cliché or involves concepts which the markers do not recommend which results me to lose a few marks. I had handed in a creative last term and lost 7 marks because the ending of the creative had the concept of 'suicide' so, I was wondering if you have any advice as to how i can improve this without having to change the whole creative.

Thank you! Xx

[ca052267]

Hi,
I am completing my HSC this year, and I would like some help with Advanced English.
My results in my english assessments so far are as follows:
Task 1 - 10.5 / 15
Task 2 - 19/20

Last year I was achieving fluctuations in my results, varying between 10 and 12.5 out of 15. I really want to improve, but am struggling to maintain consistently great marks.

What can I do?

I would also like to know what texts you studied for your AOS, as well as each module, and your tips for successful text analysis and essay writing.


Thank you soo much, and congratulations on your results.

[d3athpwn96]

Hey Emily, hope you are well.

1. What made your AOS paper stand out from the crowd? Was it your writing style or interpretation of the text? I know my content for my AOS however I feel that something is missing from my paper that is going to wow the markers.

2.  Would you be able to do online tutoring or essay marking via email? I would be really interested as my school has a one policy rule where I can't submit an essay more than once for feedback

Thank you very much for doing this!