Approaching Body Paragraphs

[ziaxadon]

Hey Guys,
My English teacher taught me an amazing hack in approaching body paragraphs in relation to the topic. 1st Body: Explain how the topic is correct, 2nd Body: Explain how the topic is flawed, 3rd Body: weigh up which of the two is more prominent. I was just wondering if there are other hacks like these to approach body paragraph writing and whether or not these techniques would be beneficial or detrimental to scoring decently. Thanks in advance!!!

[sdfg]

Tbh, I wouldn't go into English with 'hacks' in mind and think that they'll be applicable to every essay question (because they won't). For example, you won't be able to use your teacher's suggested "hack" if the essay question's really vague (e.g "X text is all about Y theme." Discuss.), or if it asserts something impartial or the only logical stance there is to take.

Anything in English that asks you to 'fill in the blank' or think in a methodical way is inherently flawed.

[TheLlama]

The danger in using hacks like this goes largely to what sdfg was getting at: you end up embracing a cookie-cutter mentality and ignoring the reason you're being asked a particular question.

If you're looking to make your life easier, remember that there are only so many questions that you can be asked about a particular text. Given the focus tends to be on prominent themes and often on key characters, topics are usually set in ways that are accessible and that give you a chance to reveal what you get about the text. You're far better off spending time pondering what you may be asked and why.

Simply dealing with "here's why I agree" and "here's why this topic is flawed" can lead to a mechanical response and one that shouts 'this is a pre-written essay'. There's also the risk that if you're seeking to disagree with a topic for its own sake, you'll end up veering away into unrelated territory. Better to work on developing your own ideas

[Sine]

It's good to have a structure but it isn't great going into an exam/SAC already knowing what types of paragarphs you are going to write. You are better off understanding all the types of paragraphs you may need to write. Rather than knowing what the paragarphs are about you'd be better off knowing roughly how you will structure your paragraphs especially if you like a more formulaic approach. E.g. Topic sentence, link's evidence/examples, explanations etc Although I definitely see the appeal of having a methodical approach to essay writing.