Odd question from a Yr 11 student. (1 Viewer)

[commizar]

Hi!

I am planning to do Extension 2 next year (well, more like next term ) and I have a question about my Major Work.

Recently this year, I have written a short story for my English class...as part of an assessment task. Apparently it received REALLY good feedback from everyone who's read it and going thru it with my tutor, he says that the only improvement would be to write even more of it.

Assuming I get the same English teacher for Ex2, do you think it's a good idea to use my old story from Year 11 and pretty much develop/rework it into a 8000 word piece? Cause that would save me ALOT of time brainstorming and all, and the story itself wasn't just cooked up from thin air, I actually bothered to read some great literature (research!) before I wrote it. (hence why it was good, I suppose)

So yeah, would that be suss? Or acceptable?

Thanks!

 

[Pain]

Hi!

I am planning to do Extension 2 next year (well, more like next term ) and I have a question about my Major Work.

Recently this year, I have written a short story for my English class...as part of an assessment task (It's for the 'Short Story Cycle', if anyone is familiar with that). Apparently it received REALLY good feedback from everyone who's read it and going thru it with my tutor, he says that the only improvement would be to write even more of it.

Assuming I get the same English teacher for Ex2, do you think it's a good idea to use my old story from Year 11 and pretty much develop/rework it into a 8000 word piece? Cause that would save me ALOT of time brainstorming and all, and the story itself wasn't just cooked up from thin air, I actually bothered to read some great literature (research!) before I wrote it. (hence why it was good, I suppose)

So yeah, would that be suss? Or acceptable?

Thanks!

Acceptable as long as you can provide clear links with either your extension or advanced course - preferably, the major focus should be on something derived and expanded upon from your studies in English Extension (HSC not preliminary). That being said, sole links to your preliminary or HSC advanced course alone are not penalized or excluded .

An extra note is that the markers, especially for short story, will be expecting a piece of work that has developed and formed in the space of eight or so months. It is expected to carry a certain degree of sophistication, originality and PROGRESS. I capitalize the word to stress it's importance. What you'll find with your major work is that it evolves from your initial proposal or intention into something far better - and this is due to TIME and CHANGE. So keep that in mind as you regurgitate a short story you surmised for a year 11 assessment task.

 

[alex.leon]

An extra note is that the markers, especially for short story, will be expecting a piece of work that has developed and formed in the space of eight or so months. It is expected to carry a certain degree of sophistication, originality and PROGRESS. I capitalize the word to stress it's importance. What you'll find with your major work is that it evolves from your initial proposal or intention into something far better - and this is due to TIME and CHANGE. So keep that in mind as you regurgitate a short story you surmised for a year 11 assessment task.

Agreed.

I would say use the short story as a basis. You're going to want to have a concept, which requires research (and alot of it!), and you'll probably see your short story in a different light when you've actually started the course.

I don't see any harm in using it as a starting point. If you can develop the characters/setting and tie in a believable concept backed by sufficient research, there shouldn't be any problem. I just think you'll want to change. Most people do. I was hellbent on my original concept, but as time passes you see things differently, and I completely changed my major work.

 

[eilys close]

I wouldn't. On a personal note, I feel like it's cheating - yourself and others.

Other than that, there are some things to consider:

(Short) short stories, like yours, may not transpose into a greater length well. It may have worked so well because it was perfect. And once something's perfect, adding and stretching will just ruin it. You'll end up trying to force new concepts and scenes in that don't work.

You can be better. Why stop at this? Look at this as your practise run. Now you have the skills, maybe some of the texts (researched) and a clear idea of your own writing style and preferences of concepts and themes. Utilise them and your next work will be even better.

Relevancy. Without reading the story, I can't tell what the cultral/social/ect issues are, but they could be less relevant next year. Also, it may not be relevant to you. Your outlook will change over the next year or so. You want your MW to be representative of who you are - not that (slightly less wise and uglier) year 11 you were in 2009!

P.S. no matter how reputable your tutor is, I would take everything they say with a grain of salt. Remember, as long as he makes you and your parents happy, he gets money.

 

[LordPc]

i agree with what has been said. you can use it if you really think it is good, but you will have to work on it.

just remember that EE2 is a whole 1 unit. think about how much work you do for english advanced and half that. that would probably be about the minimum amount of work you should be expecting to do. dont just think some creative writing task will get you great marks. especially since the course has a large focus on continual, methodical and systematic research (or something like that).

 

[Jeee]

Similar thing happened with me. My teacher told me my story was so good, and she made all the teachers in the English faculty read it and they 'apparently' loved it. I also did background research for the piece.
I'll be extracting similar themes and ideas from it for the basis of my major work. I've had the idea in my mind for quite a while. Anyway, to answer your question, I think it's completely fine. It is your work, after all.

 

[LordPc]

Similar thing happened with me. My teacher told me my story was so good, and she made all the teachers in the English faculty read it and they 'apparently' loved it. I also did background research for the piece.
I'll be extracting similar themes and ideas from it for the basis of my major work. I've had the idea in my mind for quite a while. Anyway, to answer your question, I think it's completely fine. It is your work, after all.

may i just remind you that 50% of your mark is for your major work, 50% for the reflection statement.

the RS is where the continual, methodical and systematic research thingy comes in

so its great if you have a good basis for your story, but thats only half the work

 

[naisAtoN]

may i just remind you that 50% of your mark is for your major work, 50% for the reflection statement.

the RS is where the continual, methodical and systematic research thingy comes in

so its great if you have a good basis for your story, but thats only half the work

Not sure if this is true. The ammendments made for English Extension 2 suggest that 40 marks of your external come from the major work, and 10 from the reflection statement.

From the Board of Studies Website:

The Major Work and the Reflection Statement will be awarded separate marks, out of 40 and 10 respectively.

These changes are set to begin next term, for the 2010 HSC. The updated marking guidelines and syllabus are also scheduled to be published on the site next term.

 

[LordPc]

Not sure if this is true. The ammendments made for English Extension 2 suggest that 40 marks of your external come from the major work, and 10 from the reflection statement.

From the Board of Studies Website:

These changes are set to begin next term, for the 2010 HSC. The updated marking guidelines and syllabus are also scheduled to be published on the site next term.

oh, didnt know about the changes, lol. well that makes things considerably easier for you all then.