Emily - Ask a State Ranker! (Q+A Closed)

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily,
Just wondering with the modules in particular,
With module A, how do you effectively compare the 2? Is there a specific structure to use when doing this?
Module B how would I structure this one, as I am doing poetry and am not sure how to?
And lastly with module c, what are good related texts to use with a political film like 'Wag the dog' in an essay?
Thanks heaps

Mod A: I always used an integrated essay structure. That is, a singular paragraph would be based on a theme. I would then explore how both texts represent such a theme, because of their respective contexts.
Mod B: I would structure it very similarly to mod A. One theme per paragraph, and how respective poems explore this theme
Mod C: I would recommend any of George Orwell's essays, particularly the Politics of the English Language

[ca052267]

Hey Emily,

Just another question.

Did you study any of the following texts?
AOS: The Motorcycle Diaries
Mod A: Metropolis / 1984
Mod B: Hamlet
Mod C: Poetry of Judith Wright

If so, do you have any tips or key themes or ideas I should focus on?

And also, could you give me some advice on how to make sure I'm addressing the rubric requirements in my essays for each module?

Thanks, again.

Charbella

[bowiemily]

Hey Em!

My teacher tells us that every year students don't do well with 'form' in their essays. For AOS and the modules, I find it so hard to write a whole paragraph on form, so like why did the composer choose poems, drama scripts, film, painting? etc.

How did do structure 'form' in your essay?
Thank you in advance!

Hey there Joshana!

Rather than having a whole paragraph on form, I would have a quote per paragraph on it. This way, you can use the same technique, yet explain how it represents a different idea. For example, I used to talk about how the form of Wrack (being a novel) allowed it to have a non-linear plot line. In the second paragraph, I said how this shows that how emotion can effect the experience of discovery, whilst in the third paragraph,  I talked about how this  demonstrated how many different audiences, across different times and places, can access the morals and values we learn from the discovery experience

[lucyjayne]

Hey Emily,

My paper 2 is on tuesday and I've hardly got a related text for mod C, I was doing the book thief then I was going to do Juno and now I'm just confused. What can I do, I'm so screwed?

[bowiemily]

1. I am having trouble with discovery 'reading', how do you fully understand the concepts behind discovery so then you can fully understand this section!

2. For the creative, how do you mould it into any stimulus?

3. For Legal, I know you did Workplace and Family {coincidentally i am doing the same one!} what is the best way to study for these options? {specifically workplace because i just dont understand it that well!}

1. Think about where they are in your prescribed text, and how you've discussed them in class. Because you've spent so much time on your prescribed text, this should make the concepts much easier to understand.
2. Going into the room, I had specific parts of my creative that I knew I could change if necessary. This could be certain phrases of dialogue that could be changed to mimic a stimulus, different settings I could work in if necessary, and how I could change the description of characters without effecting the overall plot progression
3. Workplace is great because its so contemporary! The latest penalty rate cuts slide right into the renumeration dot point, whilst domestic violence leave fits into the discrimination part of the syllabus. I would keep an eye on SMH in order to understand workplace, and integrate contemporary examples into your essays

[bowiemily]

Hey guys, this Q and A is now locked! I'm going to have dinner now, and I'll be back on later tonight to answer the remaining questions

[bowiemily]

Hey,

For short answers, I'm either really great with finding techniques or just really horrible! If I get really desperate, are there any kind of ways to quickly find techniques that could be used for most texts?

Thanks!!

Tone, symbolism, imagery and first or third person seem to always be my go tos. Their effect is simply to help you understand the concept of discovery the question is asking about

[bowiemily]

What's your favourite word, and why is it 'quiche'?

Because you can adapt to any stimulus

[bowiemily]

Hey!

How did you study for your English trials? They happen to be tomorrow, and apart from learning quotes, im unsure on what to do for it.

Any tips?

Bronte

Hey Bronte. For tomorrow, you need to know your quotes. Other than that, get a good nights sleep. Staying up late will only increase the stress tomorrow morning. Post exam, make sure you take at least 2 hours break. Then I would make sure you know your quotes for paper two, and potential themes you can base your paragraphs around. Essay plans are your best friend right about now, as you can answer multiple questions in a very short period of time

[bowiemily]

Hey Emily,
Sorry I thought of another question and this one is more important. For Module B I am doing Citizen Kane, but the teachers have not prepared us at all for the trials. Off your experience, in the intro, what sort of comments should I be making in order to fulfill the rubric of Mod B (for example stuff like enduring value etc?)
thanks

You should make the basis of your thesis for module b about why the text is important to both the period it was written in and an audience for today. Using my own prescribed as an example, last years HSC q asked us to explore 'contrast and how it portrays the political in Yeats texts'. Therefore, I said that because Yeats explores the contrast between the self and the political, his text is one that can relate to audiences of any time. So, take the focus of the question and use it to explain why your text has textual integrity

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily

I was wondering, what time did you sleep before you exams?
Did you memorise essays or nah?
What did you do on the morning of your exams and the night before?
Any advice to come back from low rankings/results?

Thank you, in advance

Usually I worked out the day before my exam to make sure I got to sleep okay. I was usually in bed by 10 the night before an exam.
Nah, didn't memorise
The morning of, I had a masive breakfast, and then walked to school with my headphones in. I would then sit in front of the hall, eyes closed, not talking to anyone, for around 45 mins before most exams. Then I'd walk in, psyched and ready to go, and sit the paper. I'd usually walk straight to my part time job after an exam, to help get my mind off things.
Advice - keep at it!! Miracles do happen (ie. St George winning the premiership in 2010). All jokes aside though, you can dramatically improve your mark if you smash your HSC exam. So there's still room to get into a study routine and ace those final exams

[bowiemily]

hey emily...
thanks so much for doing this
i am really struggling at the moment with my mod c....we are doing representing people and politics, why weren't we told
i feel like we rushed this topic a bit and i srsly don't understand how to interpret the questions and my trial is on tuesday 
what exactly does it mean by 'representing'.... what are the main things to focus on in the mod c essay!?!?
thanks again.
~BK~

Hey there BK!
So for Module C, you're look at how the author represents the relationship between people and politics. In other words, where is this relationship within your text? What techniques does your author use to create an idea about this relationship? What does this idea help us to understand? Why is this idea important?
So, focus on:
- Where is politics in your text. What is its relationship to people?
- What are the main ideas that come out of the text about people and politics? Base your paragraphs around these things.

To clarify even further, think about politics as something human made. Why is it made in a particular way? What does it tell us about the desires and ambitions of certain people? How does it effect the people that don't get a say in how politics is constructed?

[bowiemily]

Hi there!!

Did you complete four units of English?? If so...

For extension 1, what was the most effective way you structured your response, and in particular coming up with a thesis statement (I'm doing after the bomb) also, did you go into the exam having focused on two texts moreso than the third or did you study all three equally?

And for extension 2, did you structure your reflection statement paragraphs around the areas that have to be included listed on the NESA website, or another way?

Thank you!

Hey there,

I definitely went into the exam knowing two texts inside and out. I had practiced with the third, but no where near as much as the two favourites. Thesis statements in extension are really tricky, because they really are looking for essays that are written on the spot, even more so than advanced. A good thing to do for extension is to write practice introductions rather than practice essays. You can get away with a page and a half, even two page thesis for extension. So its especially important that you practice and learn to articulate your essays concisely.

I didn't do extension two, but Elyse on the forums did! Head over there and she would be more than happy to help

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily,
With Studies Of Religion, did you have pre-memorised essays for your depth study, and did you go into the exam KNOWING which tradition you'd be writing about?

Also, regarding Module B (not sure what elective you chose), did you have a set amount of key quotes for each 'text' (I did Speeches), or did you just know your entire text back to front?
Thanks!

I knew that I was always going to right my essay about Christianity, however, I once again did not have a memorised essay. However, if you're going to memorise for any subject SOR would probably be the one to wrote learn, as their are only four questions you could possibly be asked (on either; Person, practice, ethic or dynamic living religion).

For Mod B, it was pretty easy to know my text back to front, as I did Yeats' poetry. For speeches, I would probably have 5/6 quotes per speech. So, enough to use in an essay if you were going to chose that speech to write about

[bowiemily]

Hi Emily,

I'm about to sit my trials in a couple of weeks and just have a few questions regarding AOS and the Modules:

1. How did you prepare/layout your quotes and themes for each essay (eg. a table, palm cards etc.), prior to the exams?
2. I was thinking of remembering about four quotes for each of my texts (including ORTs) and the insights they match up with, is this enough? Or should I prepare more quotes?
3. How much time would you give yourself for the essays in the Module paper?
4. For my AOS creative, my teacher has told me I have used to much descriptive detail for the simplicity of the narrative, how should I go about rectifying this? I always thought it was better to be descriptive, to 'show' rather than 'tell'.

Also, in extension english (I am doing Romanticism) do you have any tips for the essay? At the moment my paragraphs are structured around each composer, however, I am unsure of how to incorporate the ways of thinking with the question throughout the essay.

Finally, I went to your english lecture in the Christmas holidays (it was awesome btw!) and you were talking about maintaining some physical activity throughout exam periods and the HSC. I live about an hour away from school and am starting to struggle with my workout routine due to the increased work load leading into exams and the HSC. How did you battle this? Did you get up earlier in the mornings before school?

Thank you for your help!

Gabby

1. Prior to exams, I had at least one, neat set of notes. The form of such would depend on the Module. For A and B I used tables, for C and Discovery I sued palm cards.
2. I would probably suggest a little more than 4. Maybe around 10 for each text? That way you can chose which ones best suit the question in the exam room.
3. 40 mins for each essay
4. Its true that you should always try and show, not tell your narrative. But, it sounds like here your teacher is criticising your idea. If there is only one layer of discovery, it may be a bit too simplistic. Try and have multiple meanings that the audience could gauge from reading your piece. This will add to the overall sophistication of what you have written
5. You absolutely must include the ways of thinking. Instead of having your paragraphs based upon the texts themselves, have them based upon the ways of thinking that your texts share. These can be found in the rubric, and consist of things like 'thinking about the human mind, the continuity of the human and natural world' etc.
6. That's a very long way to travel. I was so lucky to be able to walk to school. If you want to keep up physical activity, perhaps set and hour or two aside on the weekend where you do have more time, and are less inclined to want to do schoolwork. Otherwise, there are heaps of online fitness guides (Kayla's Bikini Body workout, for example) that you can do at home, which will still keep you fit