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helloxdxd

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The thing is I do well for hand in English tasks, but somehow manage to do poorly for in class essays and I honestly don't know why. I write practice essays and afterwards ask the teacher for feedback but somehow manage to still do bad.

How would you guys write a good essay or analysis? Does anyone have tips on how to improve or study?
 

B1andB2

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The thing is I do well for hand in English tasks, but somehow manage to do poorly for in class essays and I honestly don't know why. I write practice essays and afterwards ask the teacher for feedback but somehow manage to still do bad.

How would you guys write a good essay or analysis? Does anyone have tips on how to improve or study?
wide readings: reading other essays on the topic to get ideas and then on the spot your hand will be running faster than ever ( remember to not plagiarise!)
 

RossoneriAU

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This might seem like a dumb tip but always READ THE QUESTION. I find that highlighting the directive term (i.e. Evaluate, Assess etc.) and other key bits of information in the question allows me to hone in on those ideas and always refer back to them. For my study, my note-taking technique was pretty much to create three broad themes corresponding to the text I was reading, and then put 3-5 quotes underneath each relevant theme. Under each individual theme, I'd have a small line stating what techniques are used, a line following the techniques to explore the effect of the technique on the quote, and the quote itself in reference to context [if relevant] (i.e. the way a quote challenges/accepts contextual values in creating meaning). All I did in regards to studying was put these notes together, and then memorise my quotes and a bit of analysis. (Techniques often spring to memory naturally, but you can memorise them if need be)

In the exam, I would spend a minute or two forming my thesis and connecting all my ideas to the question. From this, I'd then go into my essay, and apply 2-4 quotes (normally 3) from each theme which were most relevant to the question.

The key for succeeding in English is practise. The more practise you do, the more comfortable you'll feel with unseen questions. If you don't feel that your English teacher is helping you, see if you can speak to the head of English or another English teacher who can help you. I have a couple of friends who would memorise their essay, but I wouldn't recommend it considering how easy it is to forget a part of the essay and then completely mess up the rest of it.

These tips helped me get through HSC English relatively smoothly, so I hope that they are helpful for you too! :)
 

SplashJuice

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Memorizing and adapting works, you can try studying a text extensively, pick out quotes and themes then make a really broad essay.

Then go online and search up a list of essay questions for the text you chose and adapt your model essay to the questions given; do this under timed conditions, sometimes even give yourself less time than you actually get in the real exam. This allows the time aspect in exam performance to be strengthened. Finally get your work to be peer marked and actively receive feedback from others, make sure to correctly fix up your mistakes along the way, analyse where you go bad in a strained time condition, keep doing this until you see a change in performance, could take some time but it's worth it.

If the essay question can't be adapted to the question; then make sure you know the book inside out so you can answer any question they throw to you. I would still say to do the technique mentioned above as it improves exam performance under strained timed conditions and makes your brain think straighter in an exam. It's better than being frightened and then staring at the ceiling for 20 minutes not knowing what to write.

Good luck!
 

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