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June 25, 2025, 02:56:11 pm

Author Topic: Is it still possible to get a 50 in a subject if you lose 5 marks or more SACs?  (Read 31368 times)  Share 

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ZachCharge

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Well, when you are worried that you are doing better at Lit than English............FEAR TAKES OVER ARGH!
Hmm...next year already. Well better set my goals and all...(raw)
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iffets12345

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Hey I'm in that situation, I think I MIGHT score better for Literature than English.
For languages, I always find it so unpredictable. Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams, but for languages, one bad passage, one brain block, ten minutes of thinking, and you're gone.
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ZachCharge

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Hey I'm in that situation, I think I MIGHT score better for Literature than English.
For languages, I always find it so unpredictable. Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams, but for languages, one bad passage, one brain block, ten minutes of thinking, and you're gone.
Last year, I always believed myself to be a humanities student. Now that I realise how easy it is to stuff up compared to math, I am not so sure what to call myself. With English, my greatest fear is on the exam, the essay topics given would be completely irrelevant to what I studied for/remembered. Oh well, got so many months to practice.
Hmm...next year already. Well better set my goals and all...(raw)
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kyzoo

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Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams.

I don't agree =/ you can have brain-blocks and make the most idiotic errors in Maths exams
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m@tty

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Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams.

I don't agree =/ you can have brain-blocks and make the most idiotic errors in Maths exams


Indeed.  It is possible to make many stupid careless idiotic errors... :(
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the.watchman

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Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams.

I don't agree =/ you can have brain-blocks and make the most idiotic errors in Maths exams


Indeed.  It is possible to make many stupid careless idiotic errors... :(

Yes, very true, it's extremely easy to be careless, particularly when the paper is relatively easy
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superflya

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Like at maths, you can be sure you will be smooth in the exams.

I don't agree =/ you can have brain-blocks and make the most idiotic errors in Maths exams


Indeed.  It is possible to make many stupid careless idiotic errors... :(

Yes, very true, it's extremely easy to be careless, particularly when the paper is relatively easy

so damn true :'(
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iffets12345

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yea, I agree about the carelessness, but....you have more guarantee you'll see something you know in the exam. Where as in English, you could see some question that is totally irrelevant like ZachCharge said. I mean, if you study complex numbers, you KNOW you are going to get complex numbers, and if the examiners say no questions that have z higher than the power of 6, then you KNOW.
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TrueTears

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english
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luken93

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english
god i hate that.
if there was an english where it was purely based on choosing punctucation, grammar, spelling etc i think it would be very popular haha
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shinny

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english

This is one thing that many say but I actually disagree with. Apparently the subjectivity in English makes it so there are no actual right or wrongs; similar to how many uphold the "it's my opinion, so it can't be wrong, it's just an opinion" belief. Sure, by definition, an opinion might not be wrong itself, but the views it presents may be contrary to or lack evidence, and in that case, it will be wrong or unproven. English depends largely on having an idea, and then backing it up with evidence. There is a great deal of right or wrong about this. If your logic is flawed, you will lose marks. If your evidence doesn't prove your point, you will lose marks. If your idea doesn't even relate to the topic at hand, you will lose a lot of marks.

In terms of writing a text response or language analysis, I reckon its actually more of a case of there's many rights, but a much greater number of wrongs. Thinking of it in terms of 'allowable' and 'unallowable' may be easier. You could liken English to Maths in many ways actually. Back to the topic of ideas, you could end up with the same ideas but through different arguments or evidence, equivalent to achieving the same answer in Maths using a different method of proof. Expression and structure is equivalent to how people set out their working out, because while I'm sure most people here know the conventions, I've read plenty of my friends' work who clearly don't, and it becomes almost like reading an essay with no idea where the argument is going because I don't understand how each line relates to the next. The same's with English; expression and structure are mostly just vehicles to allow the examiner to understand the argument you're trying to produce in the first place. It's not about being excessively verbose, but rather, just making sure that people can understand what you're trying to say. If the examiner understands how you got to your answer, then you are unlikely to be faulted for expression or structure. It's just how I see things, but adopting this view helped me in preparing for English since I began to realise an ideal method of writing. Simply, find one of these 'allowable' methods, and stick to it. The problem that most people face is that teachers are too didactic in forcing students to do things their way, and will say any other way is unallowed. I had situations where one teacher would say to do something, then another would say to do something totally different. Reason? Both are correct. Either way is acceptable, so just pick one and stick with it. However, for SACs, you will often need to tailor your work to suit your teacher or marker. On the other hand, VCAA examiners are generally far more lenient, and anything which serves its purpose will not be marked down. I think looking at things from this perspective makes the whole idea of VCE English less daunting, and its something I've explained to most of my students as a warning before I teach them my own methods.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2010, 11:08:27 pm by shinny »
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luken93

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english

This is one thing that many say but I actually disagree with. Apparently the subjectivity in English makes it so there are no actual right or wrongs; similar to how many uphold the "it's my opinion, so it can't be wrong, it's just an opinion" belief. Sure, by definition, an opinion might not be wrong itself, but the views it presents may be contrary to or lack evidence, and in that case, it will be wrong or unproven. English depends largely on having an idea, and then backing it up with evidence. There is a great deal of right or wrong about this. If your logic is flawed, you will lose marks. If your evidence doesn't prove your point, you will lose marks. If your idea doesn't even relate to the topic at hand, you will lose a lot of marks.

In terms of writing a text response or language analysis, I reckon its actually more of a case of there's many rights, but a much greater number of wrongs. Thinking of it in terms of 'allowable' and 'unallowable' may be easier. You could liken English to Maths in many ways actually. Back to the topic of ideas, you could end up with the same ideas but through different arguments or evidence, equivalent to achieving the same answer in Maths using a different method of proof. Expression and structure is equivalent to how people set out their working out, because while I'm sure most people here know the conventions, I've read plenty of my friends' work who clearly don't, and it becomes almost like reading an essay with no idea where the argument is going because I don't understand how each line relates to the next. The same's with English; expression and structure are mostly just vehicles to allow the examiner to understand the argument you're trying to produce in the first place. It's not about being excessively verbose, but rather, just making sure that people can understand what you're trying to say. If the examiner understands how you got to your answer, then you are unlikely to be faulted for expression or structure. It's just how I see things, but adopting this view helped me in preparing for English since I began to realise an ideal method of writing. Simply, find one of these 'allowable' methods, and stick to it. The problem that most people face is that teachers are too didactic in forcing students to do things their way, and will say any other way is unallowed. I had situations where one teacher would say to do something, then another would say to do something totally different. Reason? Both are correct. Either way is acceptable, so just pick one and stick with it. However, for SACs, you will often need to tailor your work to suit your teacher or marker. On the other hand, VCAA examiners are generally far more lenient, and anything which serves its purpose will not be marked down. I think looking at things from this perspective makes the whole idea of VCE English less daunting, and its something I've explained to most of my students as a warning before I teach them my own methods.
wow
are you doing your English summer prep again this year.
i think i need to go haha
2010: Business Management [47]
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shinny

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english

This is one thing that many say but I actually disagree with. Apparently the subjectivity in English makes it so there are no actual right or wrongs; similar to how many uphold the "it's my opinion, so it can't be wrong, it's just an opinion" belief. Sure, by definition, an opinion might not be wrong itself, but the views it presents may be contrary to or lack evidence, and in that case, it will be wrong or unproven. English depends largely on having an idea, and then backing it up with evidence. There is a great deal of right or wrong about this. If your logic is flawed, you will lose marks. If your evidence doesn't prove your point, you will lose marks. If your idea doesn't even relate to the topic at hand, you will lose a lot of marks.

In terms of writing a text response or language analysis, I reckon its actually more of a case of there's many rights, but a much greater number of wrongs. Thinking of it in terms of 'allowable' and 'unallowable' may be easier. You could liken English to Maths in many ways actually. Back to the topic of ideas, you could end up with the same ideas but through different arguments or evidence, equivalent to achieving the same answer in Maths using a different method of proof. Expression and structure is equivalent to how people set out their working out, because while I'm sure most people here know the conventions, I've read plenty of my friends' work who clearly don't, and it becomes almost like reading an essay with no idea where the argument is going because I don't understand how each line relates to the next. The same's with English; expression and structure are mostly just vehicles to allow the examiner to understand the argument you're trying to produce in the first place. It's not about being excessively verbose, but rather, just making sure that people can understand what you're trying to say. If the examiner understands how you got to your answer, then you are unlikely to be faulted for expression or structure. It's just how I see things, but adopting this view helped me in preparing for English since I began to realise an ideal method of writing. Simply, find one of these 'allowable' methods, and stick to it. The problem that most people face is that teachers are too didactic in forcing students to do things their way, and will say any other way is unallowed. I had situations where one teacher would say to do something, then another would say to do something totally different. Reason? Both are correct. Either way is acceptable, so just pick one and stick with it. However, for SACs, you will often need to tailor your work to suit your teacher or marker. On the other hand, VCAA examiners are generally far more lenient, and anything which serves its purpose will not be marked down. I think looking at things from this perspective makes the whole idea of VCE English less daunting, and its something I've explained to most of my students as a warning before I teach them my own methods.
wow
are you doing your English summer prep again this year.
i think i need to go haha

Yeh, most likely.
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YR11 '07: Biology 49
YR12 '08: Chemistry 47; Spesh 41; Methods 49; Business Management 50; English 43

ENTER: 99.70


luken93

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english

This is one thing that many say but I actually disagree with. Apparently the subjectivity in English makes it so there are no actual right or wrongs; similar to how many uphold the "it's my opinion, so it can't be wrong, it's just an opinion" belief. Sure, by definition, an opinion might not be wrong itself, but the views it presents may be contrary to or lack evidence, and in that case, it will be wrong or unproven. English depends largely on having an idea, and then backing it up with evidence. There is a great deal of right or wrong about this. If your logic is flawed, you will lose marks. If your evidence doesn't prove your point, you will lose marks. If your idea doesn't even relate to the topic at hand, you will lose a lot of marks.

In terms of writing a text response or language analysis, I reckon its actually more of a case of there's many rights, but a much greater number of wrongs. Thinking of it in terms of 'allowable' and 'unallowable' may be easier. You could liken English to Maths in many ways actually. Back to the topic of ideas, you could end up with the same ideas but through different arguments or evidence, equivalent to achieving the same answer in Maths using a different method of proof. Expression and structure is equivalent to how people set out their working out, because while I'm sure most people here know the conventions, I've read plenty of my friends' work who clearly don't, and it becomes almost like reading an essay with no idea where the argument is going because I don't understand how each line relates to the next. The same's with English; expression and structure are mostly just vehicles to allow the examiner to understand the argument you're trying to produce in the first place. It's not about being excessively verbose, but rather, just making sure that people can understand what you're trying to say. If the examiner understands how you got to your answer, then you are unlikely to be faulted for expression or structure. It's just how I see things, but adopting this view helped me in preparing for English since I began to realise an ideal method of writing. Simply, find one of these 'allowable' methods, and stick to it. The problem that most people face is that teachers are too didactic in forcing students to do things their way, and will say any other way is unallowed. I had situations where one teacher would say to do something, then another would say to do something totally different. Reason? Both are correct. Either way is acceptable, so just pick one and stick with it. However, for SACs, you will often need to tailor your work to suit your teacher or marker. On the other hand, VCAA examiners are generally far more lenient, and anything which serves its purpose will not be marked down. I think looking at things from this perspective makes the whole idea of VCE English less daunting, and its something I've explained to most of my students as a warning before I teach them my own methods.
wow
are you doing your English summer prep again this year.
i think i need to go haha

Yeh, most likely.
ok ill buy a preseason ticket thanks haha
2010: Business Management [47]
2011: English [44]   |   Chemistry [45]  |   Methods [44]   |   Specialist [42]   |   MUEP Chemistry [5.0]   |   ATAR: 99.60
UMAT: 69 | 56 | 82 | = [69 / 98th Percentile]
2012: MBBS I @ Monash

EvangelionZeta

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also in maths, it's either right or wrong, there are no right and wrong in english

This is one thing that many say but I actually disagree with. Apparently the subjectivity in English makes it so there are no actual right or wrongs; similar to how many uphold the "it's my opinion, so it can't be wrong, it's just an opinion" belief. Sure, by definition, an opinion might not be wrong itself, but the views it presents may be contrary to or lack evidence, and in that case, it will be wrong or unproven. English depends largely on having an idea, and then backing it up with evidence. There is a great deal of right or wrong about this. If your logic is flawed, you will lose marks. If your evidence doesn't prove your point, you will lose marks. If your idea doesn't even relate to the topic at hand, you will lose a lot of marks.

In terms of writing a text response or language analysis, I reckon its actually more of a case of there's many rights, but a much greater number of wrongs. Thinking of it in terms of 'allowable' and 'unallowable' may be easier. You could liken English to Maths in many ways actually. Back to the topic of ideas, you could end up with the same ideas but through different arguments or evidence, equivalent to achieving the same answer in Maths using a different method of proof. Expression and structure is equivalent to how people set out their working out, because while I'm sure most people here know the conventions, I've read plenty of my friends' work who clearly don't, and it becomes almost like reading an essay with no idea where the argument is going because I don't understand how each line relates to the next. The same's with English; expression and structure are mostly just vehicles to allow the examiner to understand the argument you're trying to produce in the first place. It's not about being excessively verbose, but rather, just making sure that people can understand what you're trying to say. If the examiner understands how you got to your answer, then you are unlikely to be faulted for expression or structure. It's just how I see things, but adopting this view helped me in preparing for English since I began to realise an ideal method of writing. Simply, find one of these 'allowable' methods, and stick to it. The problem that most people face is that teachers are too didactic in forcing students to do things their way, and will say any other way is unallowed. I had situations where one teacher would say to do something, then another would say to do something totally different. Reason? Both are correct. Either way is acceptable, so just pick one and stick with it. However, for SACs, you will often need to tailor your work to suit your teacher or marker. On the other hand, VCAA examiners are generally far more lenient, and anything which serves its purpose will not be marked down. I think looking at things from this perspective makes the whole idea of VCE English less daunting, and its something I've explained to most of my students as a warning before I teach them my own methods.

This is 100% correct.  There's a reason why schools can "teach" kids into becoming good at English - really, it's nowhere near as subjective as everyone claims.
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