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Using these language and structural features too limited? (1 Viewer)

zandapanda2010

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In my mid course exam I used 2 ORT's for my Belonging essay.

I used symbolism, metaphor, similie, 1st person and imagery as my techinques. The essay was 3 pages long. I quoted in each paragraph from a Peter Skryzwatty (however you spell) poems and my ORT's.

My result was only 8/20 and it said potential but not enough depth. Was this one teacher just being hard on me or does it sound like these features wouldn't provide enough depth?
 
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5 techniques for a 3 page essay isn't good. hence the 'not enough depth'. you want to get atleast 4 techniques per paragraph. consisting of like 3-4 paragraphs just for the related. The teacher wasn't being hard. Skrzynecki. YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO SPELL HIS NAME.
 

Absolutezero

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Your techniques are alright. There's probably better ones you could find, but they will suffice. I would guess that your main problem is formulating a strong argument, based on proving a statement through in depth textual analysis. It's easy to get caught up in finding the techniques, but you need to make sure that they provide a strong backbone for argument as well.

It also could be a structure problem. If you're addressing a poem and two ORT's in each paragraph, then there's a good chance that you aren't going in depth enough into each text. As an exercise, trying breaking it down, so each paragraph addresses a different text. That should make it easier to go deeper into the exploration of the text.
 

sunshinegirl

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You cannot simply go into an exam with such a limited and basic range of literary techniques, it just won't be a stong evaluative/critical response. You need to analyse each of your texts in depth, picking up on a wide range of literary/poetic/filmic devices which shape meaning, then go on to explain why the composer used these techniques and how they position us as an audience.

Look on the internet for literary/poetic/filmic techniques, go through your texts again and ANALYSE like you mean it. Ask yourself:

1. What techniques are used here? (if you look hard enough, there will be at least one per sentence/line of poetry/scene of film)
2. Why is the composer using these techniques?
3. How do these techniques shape meaning? What effect do they have? How do they affect our response to the text?
4. LINK THIS BACK TO THE QUESTION.

For a belonging essay, your response should be driven by ideas and concepts rather than just chunks of textual analysis. So look at the question, develop some ideas and thesis statements which you can argue, and work out which bits of your prescribed and related texts will best fit the views and argument you are presenting. Open with a perceptive, concise and interesting overview of your ideas in regards to the question, then go from there, remembering to continue arguing the same point the whole way through your essay. This means you will have a structured, logical and coherent response, which is necessary for a Band 5 or 6.

3 pages is definitely NOT ENOUGH. With medium sized handwriting, you should be aiming for somewhere between 5-8 pages of a standard writing booklet in a 40 minute timeframe. However, remember it is quality, not always quantity which will get you marks - don't faff on about nothing just to fill up pages. But if you analyse your texts thoroughly and properly, draw out some insights about belonging and it is clear that you know your texts well and have clear and supported ideas, you should be fine.

No your teacher was probably not being hard on you, you just need to spend some more time on your response and work on making it better (including more depth). Try and find some Band 6 sample responses and compare these to yours. Look at what other kids are doing right and adopt (BUT NOT PLAGIARISE) some of their strategies.

Hope this helps :)
 

jessxxr

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also i don't know if you do advanced or standard, im just gonna have a guess and say you do advanced by the marking of your essay, and yeahhh, 3 pages for advanced is really not enough, also considering page lines are larger than normal, so just work on lengthening it up as well as the advice others have supplied :]
 

LonelyWolf

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does anyone know what the english standard CSSA question was for 'Into the world' ?
 

RealiseNothing

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My school's teachers expect 10 or 11 pages. I remember she was going through examples of past year 12 papers with the class and some one had only written 8 or 9 pages. She started telling us how it was not long enough.
 
K

khorne

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Pages aren't a good representation, writing length is different etc. Realistically, between 950 and 1000 words in 40 min is sufficient. I would take a guess that your thesis/argument was the problem, and not the techniques.
 

krnofdrg

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I write about 14 pages in 45 mins for my essays. (HSC exam booklets) and yes my writing is pretty large.
 

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