VCE English Exam Discussion and Questions 2017

[carol1234567890]

Absolutely gutted after the comparative question for Year of Wonders and The Crucible. Chose the first topic and did two solid body paras that took up 3 pages, then started my third with five mins left to go. I got through describing YOW and only got one sentence into TC, any thoughts as to marks? Hoping for an 8!!

Can defs get an 8 - my trial exam was marked by vcaa examiners and EXACT same scenario but i got an 8

[accoleg]

Can defs get an 8 - my trial exam was marked by vcaa examiners and EXACT same scenario but i got an 8

Thank you!! I spoke to my teacher after and was told that by that stage the assessor would have a pretty certain idea of what the mark would be based on the evidence presented, just hope everything pans out

[MG226]

Honestly, went better than I thought it woul, language analysis was good although I think there were certain parts I could have written better. Text response I did measure for measure and was so prepared for a Duke question and actually smiled when I saw that one (who the hell smiles in an english exam wtf 😂), competitive I did 1984 and Stasiland, wasn’t too happy with the topics but was able to make the one on rewriting history work. Not overly sure mark wise but hopefully I’ll be happy with it in December.

Just out of curiosity - did anyone choose the topic on women for measure for measure? I personally thought it’d be quite difficult to write on and everyone I’ve spoken with so far has agreed and wrong on the Duke too

So relieved that English is over now though

[HubHub]

Hi guys,
Is it a total catastrophe if my text response essay was incomplete? I devoted so much time to the comparative that when I finally approached the text response, I was freaking out and thats when things went...erh.. downhill. I wrote on 'All About Eve' (1st prompt) and wrote a solid intro, my first body was orientated around describing the Theatre as being a complex and convoluted place, one in which can be sinister in nature due to the prevalence and ambit of treachery and the second was very haphazard. I intended to do 3 paragraphs but, because of time, I merged the two together and these were the paragraphs that were going to directly address the prompt. The paragraph was a bit all over the place, I had seven minutes to go and I just word vomited out everything, trying to force as many of my primary ideas concerning relationships and rivalries within the timeframe, some of which were insightful, though worded in a rushed manner. With these alone, I nearly finished the provided space. Is there any hope?   

[uhoh]

How many marks are lost for NOT writing an intro and conc AT ALL for comparative and text response?

Be brutally honest please

[K888]

Hi guys,
Is it a total catastrophe if my text response essay was incomplete? I devoted so much time to the comparative that when I finally approached the text response, I was freaking out and thats when things went...erh.. downhill. I wrote on 'All About Eve' (1st prompt) and wrote a solid intro, my first body was orientated around describing the Theatre as being a complex and convoluted place, one in which can be sinister in nature due to the prevalence and ambit of treachery and the second was very haphazard. I intended to do 3 paragraphs but, because of time, I merged the two together and these were the paragraphs that were going to directly address the prompt. The paragraph was a bit all over the place, I had seven minutes to go and I just word vomited out everything, trying to force as many of my primary ideas concerning relationships and rivalries within the timeframe, some of which were insightful, though worded in a rushed manner. With these alone, I nearly finished the provided space. Is there any hope?   

Definitely not a total catastrophe
You might lose some marks for a less coherent response to the topic, but like, if the assessors can see where you're going, and if you've displayed a) knowledge of the text and b) an ability to develop ideas and all that, that's where you'll get marks. Remember - they know your essay was written in a time pressured exam, they're not expecting the same quality that you'd expect if someone had a week to prepare a response to the same topic.
I said it earlier - there's plenty of people around who haven't finished their essays in the exam and got study scores in the 40s - so it's definitely not a disaster.

Best thing to do is put it behind you and not worry about it (easier said than done, I know). It's out of your hands now, and worrying about the what ifs and nitpicking your performance is only going to psych yourself out for your other exams. Plus, we all have a tendency to remember our work being worse than it actually was!
All the best for your other exams

How many marks are lost for NOT writing an intro and conc AT ALL for comparative and text response?

Be brutally honest please

There's not a set number - maybe your teacher could give a better insight if you had a chat with them.
I'd say not having an intro is going to potentially impact your marks, because an intro is where you're setting up and showing the direction of your essay. The assessor will still know what you're talking about, but it's not going to be as coherent as a piece with an introduction might be.
Having a conclusion is of less importance, I feel - so not having one won't really impact your results. There's no requirement for it in the criteria, we just use them because they round out an essay nicely and let you reiterate the author's message(s), etc.

Again - if you've shown good knowledge of the text and its ideas and messages, and you've been able to develop your own ideas in response to the prompt and use the text to support your ideas - that's what's key. Probably not the answer you're looking for, but I hope this has helped a bit.

Like I said above, there's no point in stressing now - put English in the past (which I'm sure most people will be happy to do haha), and prepare yourself for your other exams.

[uhoh]

Thanks K888! I asked and she said 2-5 marks lost w/o intro and conc for comparative and text response.

When you mentioned those who didn't finish their exams and still got above 40, what do you mean by not finish? Like miss out on conc, a whole paragraph, etc?

[lilyrosee]

I said that the image depicts a planet in which it is robbed of its natural phenomena, such as the horizon [which was covered with piles of bags] and the radiant sun [which was obscured by the dark, gloomy clouds]

I guess that's how I interpret things. it's no the best though.

Nice one! I mentioned the gloomy clouds too and how it was a dark vision of the future if change was not created now.

[chantelle.salisbury]

No because that what it said in the background information!! Just as long as you stated what it was, which you did, you will be fine!!!

phew.. cos i did exactly the same thing! tho did it in confidence becuase teacher always said look and read the background info..
i also put in later in the analysis 'the newsletter .... blah blah' so hopefully

[exopotato]

i like full blanked it and did the rigid structure of excessive passion, reason and hence moderation for the second prompt for Medea.... idek I tried to fit how she was desperate for revenge bc of her passion omg I'm so dumb ahhhahhaha and jason treating her badly due to his excessive logic

[Sam M]

i like full blanked it and did the rigid structure of excessive passion, reason and hence moderation for the second prompt for Medea.... idek I tried to fit how she was desperate for revenge bc of her passion omg I'm so dumb ahhhahhaha and jason treating her badly due to his excessive logic

I wouldn't worry. If you used lots of good evidence with insightful analysis, it shouldn't matter. Especially if you provided a good knowledge analysis in the last paragraph to separate you from other similar responses. As in, perfectly argued, a response with your structure could still get a 10

[K888]

Thanks K888! I asked and she said 2-5 marks lost w/o intro and conc for comparative and text response.

When you mentioned those who didn't finish their exams and still got above 40, what do you mean by not finish? Like miss out on conc, a whole paragraph, etc?

No problem I think the message is - it's a really variable amount, and it may not end up affecting your marks *too* much.

By not finishing the exam - I mean unfinished essays, like having an unfinished paragraph, etc. If you've got baller arguments and display an awesome knowledge of the text(s) - the assessors like that, and the key thing is that they can see where you're going with your writing.

Like I've said, people have definitely not written conclusions and still received 40+, because conclusions are pretty irrelevant for article analysis and not *super* important for the others  

[heids]

Re. not finishing your essays

I don't believe I completely finished any of my essays in my exam, and I still got a 43, so it can't be ~too~ important haha.  From memory, I nearly finished both my LA and text response, but for my other essay, I managed about 2.8 paragraphs, i.e. intro + two body paragraphs, and I didn't finish that second body para. 😂 

Maybe for full marks essays need to be completed, but if what you've started with is solid and shows you can meet criteria, the examiners won't mark you down hugely because you didn't finish.

semantic satiationnnn is essay even a word

[uhoh]

Thanks heids and K888 

I think my main concern is not finishing the intros for text + comparative, not even worried about not finishing the conc for text + comparative anymore

[K888]

Thanks heids and K888 

I think my main concern is not finishing the intros for text + comparative, not even worried about not finishing the conc for text + comparative anymore

But you at least wrote something for the intros, yeah?