Do HSC answers seem like they are just way too abstract/complicated? (1 Viewer)

[Suz D]

In class/study I go through past HSC sample questions and the way Band 6 students write and annotate things so quickly is just beyond me. Every time I look at them I just think that there is no way I can write such a detailed, well-thought response when I am in a time limit and with no research. For example, I do English Advanced and some of the Band 6 sample answers are so complicated and abstract in section 1, where they have never even seen the texts. My teacher will explain it but I just think that there is no way I would be able to do any of that with a question or text I have never seen before.

Is it just me that feels this way? Or is the system/my teachers just expecting way too much? It makes me feel severely unprepared and somewhat stupid, especially with trials in just a few days. Is there any ways I can try to learn how to properly annotate a text/question in a short time?

PLEASE HELP

Thanks.

 

[Suz D]

In class/study I go through past HSC sample questions and the way Band 6 students write and annotate things so quickly is just beyond me. Every time I look at them I just think that there is no way I can write such a detailed, well-thought response when I am in a time limit and with no research. For example, I do English Advanced and some of the Band 6 sample answers are so complicated and abstract in section 1, where they have never even seen the texts. My teacher will explain it but I just think that there is no way I would be able to do any of that with a question or text I have never seen before.

Is it just me that feels this way? Or is the system/my teachers just expecting way too much? It makes me feel severely unprepared and somewhat stupid, especially with trials in just a few days. Is there any ways I can try to learn how to properly annotate a text/question in a short time?

PLEASE HELP

Thanks.

 

[jimmysmith560]

As you might already know, subjects like English Advanced require a thorough knowledge and familiarity with rubrics, themes as well as literary and visual techniques. I believe it's not necessarily about the unseen text itself, but more about how prepared you are to analyse and respond to questions about those texts. This process involves gaining a thorough understanding of what each relevant technique is, how it can be used within different texts as well as the effect(s) it generally displays when used. Those aspects are important because you'll be identifying techniques within unseen texts that allow you to directly respond to the question and establish links relevant to any themes/issues/ideas raised within each question.

Once you feel you are confident with your knowledge of techniques, you need to ensure you can identify those techniques within different stimuli. For this, you will need to read multiple and different types of texts (e.g. poems). Once you feel you are comfortable with identifying techniques, you should start completing short answer questions from past exam papers, which will allow you to improve your analytical skills by identifying and applying your knowledge of the techniques to various types of questions.

I hope this helps!

 

[xilbur]

In class/study I go through past HSC sample questions and the way Band 6 students write and annotate things so quickly is just beyond me. Every time I look at them I just think that there is no way I can write such a detailed, well-thought response when I am in a time limit and with no research. For example, I do English Advanced and some of the Band 6 sample answers are so complicated and abstract in section 1, where they have never even seen the texts. My teacher will explain it but I just think that there is no way I would be able to do any of that with a question or text I have never seen before.

Is it just me that feels this way? Or is the system/my teachers just expecting way too much? It makes me feel severely unprepared and somewhat stupid, especially with trials in just a few days. Is there any ways I can try to learn how to properly annotate a text/question in a short time?

PLEASE HELP

Thanks.

Also, don't be disheartened by these band 6 responses. The whole point of section I is to comprehend texts and write about them with relation to the question. These answers don't have to be as abstract as the sample answers! As long as whatever you've written is backed up by evidence from the text in a way that makes sense, you should be smooth sailing