juventino
Juventus For Life
40 Minutes is enough time to get the stuff down. If you know it well, then there shouldn't be any problems.
-
Looking for HSC notes and resources? Check out our Notes & Resources page
The 40 minute essay conspiracy theory (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter boycalledfox
- Start date
R
randhi
Guest
i get about 9 pages in 40 minutes, but my handwriting is just awful. does that ten minute prac everday under exam conditions do anything or is it just another conspiracy
barbie_doll
Member
quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Arch-man
My English teacher reckons you should be able to do 5 pages minimum in 40 mins.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
try two and a half, I have to learn how to write quicker
hahahaha! You are in the same boat as me! all i've been told by my english teacher is that i have to learn to write faster!
it's not fair!
there's got to be another way of doing this thing called hsc......
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Arch-man
My English teacher reckons you should be able to do 5 pages minimum in 40 mins.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
try two and a half, I have to learn how to write quicker
hahahaha! You are in the same boat as me! all i've been told by my english teacher is that i have to learn to write faster!
it's not fair!
there's got to be another way of doing this thing called hsc......
barbie_doll
Member
quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by randhi
hi, i have a bit of a problem i have recently been told that i have really shocking handwriting and well my teacher told me i had to do something about it, and well i'm kinda scared because firstly those specialist that fixing handwriting don't work and secondly its only been recently that i have started to have this writing issue which is kinding of worring because if its a habit its going to be hard to fix. i need some advice
i agree... write in print and write HUGE! it doesn't matter in the end how many booklets you go through! and it'll benefit you in the lone run...
think about all those hsc markers sitting in those huge halls at for eg homebush, under flourescent lights at like 11.30pm.......
they'd thank you for writing HUGE so they don't have to struggle through your essay and then end up just giving you a band 2 cause they can't read it and can't be bothered to try to read it...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by randhi
hi, i have a bit of a problem i have recently been told that i have really shocking handwriting and well my teacher told me i had to do something about it, and well i'm kinda scared because firstly those specialist that fixing handwriting don't work and secondly its only been recently that i have started to have this writing issue which is kinding of worring because if its a habit its going to be hard to fix. i need some advice
i agree... write in print and write HUGE! it doesn't matter in the end how many booklets you go through! and it'll benefit you in the lone run...
think about all those hsc markers sitting in those huge halls at for eg homebush, under flourescent lights at like 11.30pm.......
they'd thank you for writing HUGE so they don't have to struggle through your essay and then end up just giving you a band 2 cause they can't read it and can't be bothered to try to read it...
Josie
Everything's perfect!
you just answered your own question.... no exam, and freedom of creativity!
I agree totally with the topic here, but the only way I can personally possibly improve it is more indepth knowledge, ie for some modules I write 5/6 pages in 40 mins, but in others I write 3.
ally15
Beep.
i had my half yearly eng exam last week and it was a 45 min one. As usual i ran out of time and culdnt get a conclusion in. Im tryin to train myself to be succint and just get the main points down but sumtimes there r too many good points to rite!!
im a fast writer but i still find that i run outta time...maybe we should form a protest to the Board of studies and demand for longer times on our eng exam
Evryones sayin that eng is THE most important subject to pass in yet they dun give us a chance to trully answer to the best of our abilities. (they gave us 2 and half hours for PDH when we really only needed 2)
*sigh lets hope a miracle happens and the BOS allows us to bring our laptops into the HSC
im a fast writer but i still find that i run outta time...maybe we should form a protest to the Board of studies and demand for longer times on our eng exam
Evryones sayin that eng is THE most important subject to pass in yet they dun give us a chance to trully answer to the best of our abilities. (they gave us 2 and half hours for PDH when we really only needed 2)
*sigh lets hope a miracle happens and the BOS allows us to bring our laptops into the HSC
Trigger189
XYLENE-FREE ZONE
shut the hell up
smegger_em
Clever Cookie
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2002
- Messages
- 404
- Gender
- Female
- HSC
- 2002
one good thing about writing in the exam is the paper. i know it sounds wierd to rave about paper, but i found it sooooo good to write on, really smooth, and i think that it made me feel like i could write faster and therefore i did write faster. Also, it always made me feel so much better when i was handing in multiple booklets for the one section, regardless of quality i felt i muct have regurgitated something slightly intelligent.
But i do know the feeling of wanting a different forum to show my understanding, i felt like writing a bloody thesis on John Donne, just to prove how much i had read becuase i felt my essay hadn't show it enough. But i guess you just have to accept that the HSC is a game, and they get to make the rules, its best just to work within those rules cause they arent going to change
But i do know the feeling of wanting a different forum to show my understanding, i felt like writing a bloody thesis on John Donne, just to prove how much i had read becuase i felt my essay hadn't show it enough. But i guess you just have to accept that the HSC is a game, and they get to make the rules, its best just to work within those rules cause they arent going to change
ameh
dirty trick
Practice writing faster in constrained time limits
ms.cinderella
Member
it's impossible for me to write beyond 5 pages in the 40 mins given to us.. and my teacher says that we should be reaching at least 8 pages? and even if one day, i might miraculously write 8 pages, who says it'll be legible?
Gosh my teacher expected us to write 8 pages in 40 minutes... and my handwriting is much smaller compared to everyone else's and she still wanted 8 pages... i am lucky to get 2 and a half... maybe 3.... but i get WAY too intididated by the time and end up rushing and i get poor marks for it... it should be at least an hour or so for each.... it would help alot....
quick tips
everyone is right, the exam booklets are much easier to write on. unfortunatley i'm one of those really fast writers (i do about 12 in 40 minutes)
a big part of the secret is in the pen. the smoother the pen, the faster you write. it sounds stupid, but i guarantee it makes a big difference. personally i'd recommend Pilot BPS-GP in medium, but the annoying thing about them is that they are a) expensive and they can't be refilled. if you want the refill option, the Pilot Supergrip is good, but buy fresh refills so that you don't get lumpy ink.
the dux of year 12 from 2003 at our school swears by the Pilot G1 pen, but i wouldn't recommend that if you are a person that smudges ink as it is gel ink and doesn't dry particularly quickly. by the way, that girl used to write 15 pages in 40.
what else did i want to say? oh yeah, PLAN your essay. practice under controlled conditions. everyone else is right, you just need to know your stuff so well that you are simply bursting to write.
oh and in the Area of Study, an essay and creative task under 4 pages CANNOT be considered for an A range. so thats something to think about. however, that is obviously not the only thing that puts you in an A range. there was a 20 page essay in last years HSC which only got a B.
also, keep in mind that as you study harder and harder towards the HSC, you'll find that you just gradually become faster. often, some people come out of the HSC saying that was the most they've ever written, which makes sense. its important to peak at the right time.
good luck
everyone is right, the exam booklets are much easier to write on. unfortunatley i'm one of those really fast writers (i do about 12 in 40 minutes)
a big part of the secret is in the pen. the smoother the pen, the faster you write. it sounds stupid, but i guarantee it makes a big difference. personally i'd recommend Pilot BPS-GP in medium, but the annoying thing about them is that they are a) expensive and they can't be refilled. if you want the refill option, the Pilot Supergrip is good, but buy fresh refills so that you don't get lumpy ink.
the dux of year 12 from 2003 at our school swears by the Pilot G1 pen, but i wouldn't recommend that if you are a person that smudges ink as it is gel ink and doesn't dry particularly quickly. by the way, that girl used to write 15 pages in 40.
what else did i want to say? oh yeah, PLAN your essay. practice under controlled conditions. everyone else is right, you just need to know your stuff so well that you are simply bursting to write.
oh and in the Area of Study, an essay and creative task under 4 pages CANNOT be considered for an A range. so thats something to think about. however, that is obviously not the only thing that puts you in an A range. there was a 20 page essay in last years HSC which only got a B.
also, keep in mind that as you study harder and harder towards the HSC, you'll find that you just gradually become faster. often, some people come out of the HSC saying that was the most they've ever written, which makes sense. its important to peak at the right time.
good luck
I'd consider myself a fairly fast writer, and I don't use one of those wanky gel pens. I use a cheap pen, that Bic one that you can buy in packs of 10 for about $2.40. Yeah that crappy pen, you don't need to spend a couple of dollars just for a pen, just get these el cheapo pens and just practice writing quickly. I can do about 14 pages in 40 minutes (I did this for an economics in class essay assessment)
http://www.mutr.co.uk/images/products/main/DSCN0756.jpg <= thats what I'm talkin about
http://www.mutr.co.uk/images/products/main/DSCN0756.jpg <= thats what I'm talkin about
P
pLuvia
Guest
anret ball roller pens better??ujuphleg said:everyone is right, the exam booklets are much easier to write on. unfortunatley i'm one of those really fast writers (i do about 12 in 40 minutes)
a big part of the secret is in the pen. the smoother the pen, the faster you write. it sounds stupid, but i guarantee it makes a big difference. personally i'd recommend Pilot BPS-GP in medium, but the annoying thing about them is that they are a) expensive and they can't be refilled. if you want the refill option, the Pilot Supergrip is good, but buy fresh refills so that you don't get lumpy ink.
the dux of year 12 from 2003 at our school swears by the Pilot G1 pen, but i wouldn't recommend that if you are a person that smudges ink as it is gel ink and doesn't dry particularly quickly. by the way, that girl used to write 15 pages in 40.
what else did i want to say? oh yeah, PLAN your essay. practice under controlled conditions. everyone else is right, you just need to know your stuff so well that you are simply bursting to write.
oh and in the Area of Study, an essay and creative task under 4 pages CANNOT be considered for an A range. so thats something to think about. however, that is obviously not the only thing that puts you in an A range. there was a 20 page essay in last years HSC which only got a B.
also, keep in mind that as you study harder and harder towards the HSC, you'll find that you just gradually become faster. often, some people come out of the HSC saying that was the most they've ever written, which makes sense. its important to peak at the right time.
good luck
P
pLuvia
Guest
or are they the same ones
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 7,986
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- HSC
- N/A
I'm also a huge fan of the pilot pens. I use the nice ballpoint (medium tip) one It's the one with the nice squidgy (textured) rubber bit - I think that's the BPS-GP one.
Above all, make sure your content is good. A long essay that takes forever to get to the point (but still says all the important stuff) might get you a low band 6, however a shorter one that gets to the point and still says all the important stuff might get you a high band 6.
A lot of the writing technique you practice now for the HSC is how you're write in Uni. And believe me, they HATE waffle at Uni - and taking the long way to get to the point is considered waffle.
It's the one with the nice squidgy (textured) rubber bit - I think that's the BPS-GP one.Above all, make sure your content is good. A long essay that takes forever to get to the point (but still says all the important stuff) might get you a low band 6, however a shorter one that gets to the point and still says all the important stuff might get you a high band 6.
A lot of the writing technique you practice now for the HSC is how you're write in Uni. And believe me, they HATE waffle at Uni - and taking the long way to get to the point is considered waffle.
I'm one of those relatively slow writers. I can only manage 3 pages at most in 40 minutes. The most that anyone can truly manage is FIVE or SIX PROPER A4 8mm ruled/lined pages in 40 minutes and this includes having enough energy/stamina to write similar compositions 2 more times which is the case of the HSC. My school expects 4 pages in 40 minutes from us. However, I tend to have higher marks than most other people who write 4 or more pages since my writing is very much quality based and others write anything that pops into their head and double the size of their letters.
However I've heard and noticed that the Board of Studies writing booklets have much larger spaces between lines and the words written on one normal A4 8mm lined/ruled page can equate to nearly 2 pages of those writing booklets. If that is the case, then that probably explains why people have written up to 12 pages in 40 minutes, because they are using Board of Studies type writing booklets.
Also, in some of the sample answers I've seen, the writing is pretty much magnified and large to the point where the response averages about 5 words per line. So if you are writing X number of pages in 40 minutes on normal A4 8mm ruled/lined paper, double that number and that's how many pages you would probably write in the HSC exam in 40 minutes.
Although I have not completed my HSC yet here's my advice:
- Use a smooth pen that won't smudge and has a good grip
- Use your reading time wisely to plan your compositions. Five minutes is not a lot of time for planning.
- PLAN your compositions before you write them, don't waste time thinking about your ideas while writing
- Have daily or weekly practice by writing as much as you can in 40 minutes and try to beat your previous records every time
- If you like, you can write larger than you normally would to make the words clearer to the marker and to take up space
- I recommend that you should only write for about 30-35 minutes out of the suggested 40 minutes. The remaining 5-10 minutes should be used to RE-READ AND EDIT your composition. The time can also be used to give your hand a bit of a rest before the next grueling writing task, while yiou are reading your response. Remember, if your language is not properly communicated then the quality of your writing would diminish. Nearly everyone I know, would use up the whole suggested 40 minutes and they would lose marks because of the many language errors which ruin the quality of the writing and some do not have enough time to spend on other compositions. The 5-10 minutes can also make room for any other responses which may take take longer than the next suggested 40 mintues to write up.
And Most Importantly:
- REMEMBER THAT QUALITY MATTERS, NOT QUANTITY. There is nothing in the marking criteria directed at the length of a composition, it is all about the quality of the writing. Even if you don't have time to write as much as you want, as long as you finish and conclude your essay in a logical manner, this won't matter too much. I've even seen responses that are only 2 pages (from Section II of Area of Study Paper) or only 3-4 pages (from Section III Modules Papers) long, that have scored full marks in the HSC exam.
However I've heard and noticed that the Board of Studies writing booklets have much larger spaces between lines and the words written on one normal A4 8mm lined/ruled page can equate to nearly 2 pages of those writing booklets. If that is the case, then that probably explains why people have written up to 12 pages in 40 minutes, because they are using Board of Studies type writing booklets.
Also, in some of the sample answers I've seen, the writing is pretty much magnified and large to the point where the response averages about 5 words per line. So if you are writing X number of pages in 40 minutes on normal A4 8mm ruled/lined paper, double that number and that's how many pages you would probably write in the HSC exam in 40 minutes.
Although I have not completed my HSC yet here's my advice:
- Use a smooth pen that won't smudge and has a good grip
- Use your reading time wisely to plan your compositions. Five minutes is not a lot of time for planning.
- PLAN your compositions before you write them, don't waste time thinking about your ideas while writing
- Have daily or weekly practice by writing as much as you can in 40 minutes and try to beat your previous records every time
- If you like, you can write larger than you normally would to make the words clearer to the marker and to take up space
- I recommend that you should only write for about 30-35 minutes out of the suggested 40 minutes. The remaining 5-10 minutes should be used to RE-READ AND EDIT your composition. The time can also be used to give your hand a bit of a rest before the next grueling writing task, while yiou are reading your response. Remember, if your language is not properly communicated then the quality of your writing would diminish. Nearly everyone I know, would use up the whole suggested 40 minutes and they would lose marks because of the many language errors which ruin the quality of the writing and some do not have enough time to spend on other compositions. The 5-10 minutes can also make room for any other responses which may take take longer than the next suggested 40 mintues to write up.
And Most Importantly:
- REMEMBER THAT QUALITY MATTERS, NOT QUANTITY. There is nothing in the marking criteria directed at the length of a composition, it is all about the quality of the writing. Even if you don't have time to write as much as you want, as long as you finish and conclude your essay in a logical manner, this won't matter too much. I've even seen responses that are only 2 pages (from Section II of Area of Study Paper) or only 3-4 pages (from Section III Modules Papers) long, that have scored full marks in the HSC exam.
