Free Advice and Q&A with a state-ranking tutor and English teacher with HSC-level marking experience! (2 Viewers)

[QuiteLiterate]

Hi BoSers,

My name is Bec! Lovely to meet you all.

Many years ago, I was an anxious and burnt out student lurking on these forums at two in the morning, hoping that someone could give me advice or encouragement. I've been receiving quite a few questions via PM, so I thought it'd be really good to give back to the community more openly, especially with the HSC exams approaching.

If you have any questions or need advice in relation to English, please post your questions below or PM me. I'll reply via the medium that you message me, but would also love to share answers here in case they're helpful for anyone else.

I can assist with any and all levels of English. Standard, EAL/D, Advanced, Extension I, and Extension II. Have taught and marked for all English subjects and most prescribed texts! I didn't memorise essays for my English exams, but I did memorise my creative. However, 95% of the students I teach/tutor memorise their essays, so I'm still happy to answer questions relating to this.

Please keep the thread friendly, respectful, and clean! Share this thread with your friends, too. I'll try to reply as quickly as my schedule allows.

About me: 99.5 ATAR / I'm a USYD prize-winning, state-ranking (English Adv) English Literature graduate, English tutor, and accredited English teacher with HSC-level marking experience and over ten years of experience working in schools and the tutoring industry.

Update: there's a bit of a backlog with questions but working through them one by one! I'm trying to give detailed responses to each question.

 

[QuiteLiterate]

PM'd queries:

Q: "is there anything bad that could happen by sharing my eng essays & creatives with my friends? i've just been handing out my essays like candy hope nothing bad happens but i have copy paste turned off on the documents..."

A: I'd say the only potential risk is that people copy/plagiarise your work, which is something you probably want to avoid as your mark will be impacted too if this is the case. I'd definitely only share my work as an exchange, so with people who are willing to share their equivalent work for that section. However, one thing you're doing right is sharing, collaborating with peers, and teaching. The most powerful, efficient way to learn is to teach. Find trusted friends/peers and develop marking circles where you give each other feedback, have healthy competition where you all complete introductions to essay questions with 7 minute timers and compare, share notes and teach others / be taught by others to fill in gaps etc. I did this with my best friend leading up to the HSC and it probably improved my exam performance, if not purely because of the momentum/accountability/motivation it afforded, by at least 15%.

Q: "is it better to do trials or past hsc papers at this point?"

A: I'd say work through all the HSC exams first because they're a realistic indication of the style/scope of questions you'll come across in the exam. Complete those trial questions secondarily, as they're more useful for potential curveball questions! You don't have to write out full essays for everything, just make sure that, at a minimum, you're writing out your intros and topic sentences + dot point plans for how you'd sustain the thesis throughout your points of analysis.

Q: "i heard that last year, some ppl just ripped/copied state rank exemplars for their externals and got 97 "

A: Yeah, it's a real gamble but there are definitely the few 'lucky' students who get away with having zero integrity and just copying student work. I say 'lucky' very generously because it's a real shame to pursue short term results at the expense of genuine learning, skills, and longterm gain. The problem with this approach is that they've essentially squandered away the forced opportunity to develop critical literacy, serious work ethic, and skills in rhetoric and complex problem solvings in exchange for for temporarily elevated HSC results. After the HSC, the results and ATAR don't matter and no one cares. What you ideally end up with is strong work ethic and healthily motivated discipline, a clear voice and awareness of written expression, and an ability to think deeply about problems and experiences. More importantly, if you had to cheat your way to academic success, that lack of integrity and gap in your learning is going to come back to bite you sooner or later. This is also why not all state ranks are equal. I've had the very bizarre experience of learning that quite a few people state rank not because of talent, skill or knowledge, but because they managed to plagiarise the right essays and get away with it. It's a sad and contentious thing.

Don't plagiarise. It's lazy and sad, and it'll come back to bite you sooner or later. In the case where you get caught, say goodbye to your results.

Q: "is it true that analysis doesn't need to be changed up/adapted to questions that much – that it was moreso you change which points of analysis you use for your changing arguments (and maybe adding keywords in)?

A: Analysis definitely has to change. The key terms of the question and the propositions in your thesis need to be sustained throughout every single sentence that you write in your essay. This is no exaggeration. Just as an example, my Module A question in the HSC specified the exploration of 'passion' and your 'appreciation of the texts'. I used the word passion, or a derivative or synonym of passion, or referred to my appreciation or the 'value' and 'power' of the texts in every. single. sentence. The first battle with a HSC marker is to convince them that you've written that essay with that particular essay question in mind, and that you can sustain a really strong position that focuses on a particular point (relevant to the question) with sophistication. clarity, and consistency.

Q: also, if i'm not writing out full essays though, how much time should i allocate?"

A: With adapting and practice essays, I had different approaches. Some essays, the ones that I thought were far more likely to come up in the exam (i.e. the 'broader' module-based essay questions from past HSC papers), I dedicated the full 40 minutes to and handwrote responses. Then, I typed them up and edited them line-by-line, improving them as I went and mentally noting the more 'automatic' issues and bad habits in my writing, and formulating clear strategies that I could recall in the exam to self-edit my work as I wrote in the exam. With the more difficult 'curveball' type questions, I gave myself 5-10 minutes to first draw out a brainstorm of how I could interpret the question more creatively, and draft practice thesis statements. Once I had that 'aha' lightbulb moment and found the exact thesis statement that I thought worked best, I then gave myself the 40 minutes to write out the response. After this, and when I felt much more confident, whenever I found questions that I thought would be much 'easier' in the exam, I just set 15 minute timers and wrote out my full introduction, topic sentences, and dotpoint plans on how I'd adapt different points of analysis to support the thesis.

The point is that simply repeating the same thing over and over again won't lead to any concerted improvement. It's all about having awareness of your learning, strengths, and mistakes, and adapting and evolving. So, you need to develop a greater consciousness and awareness of your writing habits and 'voice' as an essayist, and refine this so that come the exam, you can be your own editor/HSC marker in real time.

 

[QuiteLiterate]

Q: How to prepare for Module C? I have a base discursive and creative but the Module C prompts are so unpredictable.

This is a great question. It doesn't matter what the stimulus/question is in the exam, or how it's worded -- you'll be able to approach it powerfully if you go in with a solid understanding of the Module C purpose, rationale, and skills assessed.

First, go back to the rubric. Don't just gloss over it. Break down every single sentence in it, and make sure that you understand the purpose of Module C. It is there as a separate module for a reason, and a demonstrable understanding of the intention of this module will have you very well prepared for any potential Module C prompt/question.

In your Module C response, the following is being assessed:

1. Your knowledge as an accomplished writer
2. Your skill as an accomplished writer
3. Your confidence as an accomplished writer
4. Your appreciation for the versatility, power and aesthetics of language
5. Your ability to compose a sustained and cohesive piece of writing
6. Your ability to consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape meaning
7. Your ability to use correct syntax, spelling, punctuation and grammar appropriately and effectively for a publication level piece
8. Your ability to effectively experiment with various figurative, rhetorical and linguistic devices,

With the stimulus:

• How effectively can you use the stimulus for the development of your own complex ideas and written expression?
• How effectively can you use language creatively and imaginatively for a specific PURPOSE:
  • to express insights
  • to evoke emotion
  • to describe the wonder of the natural world
  • to shape a perspective
  • to share an aesthetic vision.

2. Finalise your 'prepared' imaginative and discursive/persuasive response. Be ready for contingency plans based on the mark values of a two-part question.

1. Easy initial step is to proofread and edit it.
2. Make sure that you have a clear plan and separate version of each piece of writing that can be much shorter at only 400-600 words in case the question is split into two parts and a reflection is required.
3. Make sure that the topics for your base pieces are flexible and open to adaptation. It's great to explore a niche topic in great depth, but you can't go in with only niche topic. This is why it's always advisable to compose a piece that relates, in some way, to language, thought, reading, or writing. This is because the four aforementioned things are 'vehicles' that can easily 'carry' you to a much more specific topic/focus that may be specified in the exam. For example, quite a few of my students have composed pieces that explore the process of overcoming writer's block, or the limitations of particular narratives in literature or the English canon, or the way in which reading/writing powerfully impacted their identity at a particular moment in time. These are good 'scaffolds' or 'vehicles' for you to then tailor in the exam.

3. Read through every single past HSC question for Module C, and dedicate proper time to breaking the question down and mapping out/brainstorming how you'd approach it.

2019
Twice before, a book had turned him inside out and altered who he was, had blasted apart his assumptions about the world and thrust him onto a new ground where everything in the world suddenly looked different — and would remain different for the rest of time, for as long as he himself went on living in time and occupied space in the world.
PAUL AUSTER, 4 3 2 1 © 4, 3, 2, 1 Paul Auster, 2017
(a) Continue this extract as a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing that evokes a particular emotional response in the reader.

2020
Compose a piece of imaginative writing that begins with the words:
Some things are unknowable. A person’s secrets may be revealed by the things they leave behind; but what are they, those supposedly uncovered secrets? They are words, ideas . . . Dry and dead as dust.
© JENNY SINCLAIR, Tamby East https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/tamby-east/

2021
[Image of a hand holding a pencil, reaching through a gap in a barbed wire fence, drawing out footsteps that lead beyond the fence]
Use the image provided to craft a central metaphor in a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing.

2022
Her mind wandered. Last night had been something. Alive. Yes. She had felt alive. Kindled. Lit. Blazing. She had forgotten the way being around other people could feel . . . The sharing of food. The sharing of stories. The gathering around a fire. Elemental. And no one had required anything of her. She had been allowed to just listen. To absorb. She’d forgotten how much she was capable of absorbing.
Extract from The Beautiful Words VANESSA MCCAUSLAND

(a) Explore how personal fulfilment is expressed by the writer. In your response, make reference to at least ONE language device or stylistic feature in the extra
(b) Craft an imaginative or discursive piece of writing that explores a shared experience which brings about a sense of fulfilment.

2023
In the middle of the night, around four am, sometimes/often/but not always, a bird sings a four-note song at intervals. It doesn’t wake me up but when I lie there I hear it and imagine it is letting all the other birds and the rest of us know that all is well. Morning is coming.
STEPHANIE RADOK Under the Bed
(a) Use this extract as the stimulus for an imaginative or discursive piece of writing that explores the hope that comes with anticipation.

 

[QuiteLiterate]

CONT...

What do all the questions have in common?

1. Each extract-based question draws on a stimulus that has a very distinctive voice, style, mood, and tone.
2. Each extract-based question draws on a stimulus where there is clear imagery to situate the reader in the scene/setting.
3. Each extract-based question is composed in a register of 'unfurling' or 'unveiling'. The stimulus is an 'initiation' or 'catalyst' for some form of change, development, or anticipation.

All of the above goes right back to what is outlined clearly in the rubric:

"How effectively can you use language creatively and imaginatively for a specific PURPOSE:

• to express insights
• to evoke emotion
• to describe the wonder of the natural world
• to shape a perspective
• to share an aesthetic vision."

This means that the stimulus in the exam is going to ask you to do one of the above things. They may specify an insight, an emotion, a particular perspective, or a particular aesthetic vision (think of aesthetics in terms of style, beauty, and a distinctive philosophy or view of the world and of language).

What does this mean for your prepared pieces of writing? They should be written as vehicles: they must serve you in the exam and allow you to funnel into a particular insight, emotion, perspective, or aesthetic vision. Your initial paragraph or two must emulate the stimulus' 'very distinctive voice, style, mood, and tone', extend the stimulus' 'clear imagery to situate the reader in the scene/setting', and respond to the stimulus' 'register of 'unfurling' or 'unveiling'. The stimulus is an 'initiation' or 'catalyst' for some form of change, development, or anticipation'. Continue this initiation in your piece and fulfill the change that has been anticipated by the stimulus.

4. Practise writing. Don't just write blindly. Be intentional, structured, and smart about it. Set time limits. Have a clear process. Read it out loud and be real with yourself: does this stand out? It is sophisticated? Is it engaging? Remember that you're just one script amongst thousands, so you need to be honest with yourself.

- You should write out a full response to every single past HSC question. When it comes to Maths or Science, students would consider it absolutely ridiculous to walk into the HSC exam without having done full past papers and tricky questions. The same goes with English. You can't expect to be confident in the exam if you haven't even done any practice papers or questions.

- When you are practising, you must focus on the following:

BRAINSTORMING/QUESTION INTERPRETATION STAGE:
- ANALYSE the techniques, style, voice, persective and form of the prompts/extracts/stimulus.
- EMULATE and APPLY the above things from the extract.

DRAFTING STAGE:
- The marker is tired. They're teaching their own classes all day and then marking another hundred Module C scipts that evening. You have one sentence, maybe two or three to immediately stand out and make an impression.
- The first battle in the HSC is always to win the marker over: you have to convince them that you're answering this particular question, and that you are a confident and accomplished writer who is passionate about language. This doesn't have to be true of you, but it's far easier to pull this off if you commit to this.
- Your opening lines need to be spectacular, engaging, and clear. You must immediately situate the marker in the visual world of your story so that they can 'imagine' and 'experience' the piece as they read it. You must achieve supreme clarity in these initial lines, but you also need to showcase some experimention/sophistication in word choice, syntax, or structure to indicate that you're a high level writer with an appreciation for the aesthetics of language.
- Always have an extended metaphor/motif that recurs MEANINGFULLY and develops throughout your work and thereby anchors the conceptual focus of the piece and demonstrates the complexity of your evolving ideas. The extended metaphor/motif is an easy way to imbue your work with the presence of the stimulus.

In summary:
1. Know the damn rubric. Inside and out. Understand Module C.
2. Know those past HSC questions. Substance, style, intention, and scope.
3. Devise clear, actionable strategies and a plan of attack for how you will break down the stimulus and apply it to you work / have it serve as a central source of inspiration.
4. Practise writing with intention. Set timers, emulate exam conditions, and get very used to flexibly manipulating your prepared material to suit the demands of a particular prompt/question.
5. Finalise your prepared material so that it is fit for purpose, especially for being shortened, radically altered in focus etc.