2016 VCE exam guide — English: Practice makes perfect

Revision

Go over all of your old work from the start of the year, making notes as you go. Take note of key quotes, important scenes and specific themes. In order to perform well, you need to memorise these aspects of the texts. Plan and write responses to previous VCAA VCE English exams, give yourself one hour for each section of the exam. Write a sample exam, paying close attention to how much time you take on each section, and plan accordingly for the next time. Past exams will also give you an indication of the type of questions that might be asked. Look at how these questions and prompts are constructed and isolate key words, particularly those that might require a nuanced response. Once you’ve written a practice piece, compare it to the VCAA criteria. Ask others to do this comparison too including teachers and fellow students. Most importantly keep working at it, the more you practice the better you’re likely to perform. Past VCAA exam results also offer scope to see what examiners may be looking for.

Text response

The first key aspect of writing text essays is showing an understanding of the key themes in the text, and being able to discuss them. You should create a table that lists texts’ key ideas and concepts and how they are connected to each other within the text. You should also endeavour to find patterns in each text, particularly similarities and differences between characters and their responses to similar, if not identical problems. Identifying and discussing their differences renders your ideas more complex and deep. The structure of your work needs to be clear, logical and sequential. Don’t forget to write a topic sentence, several body paragraphs and a conclusion. Work on structuring them clearly and effectively, transmitting your ideas to the examiner quickly and efficiently. It is recommended that you memorise at least 10 quotes for each text, making sure they connect to the key themes you’ve already discussed in your piece. Quotes are there to support and highlight your ideas. Make sure your expression is clear, in particular your sentence construction. Using conjunctions between ideas ensures your work is coherent and flows well. Read over your work if you have time at the end of the exam, taking note of fluency and expression.

Writing in Context

Regardless of the form your piece will take you must include clear and direct links to the chosen text(s), an exploration of the ideas found in the prompt and a demonstrated understanding of the context itself. Textual examples can be as simple as direct quotes in an essay type response, or a reimagined situation from any one of the selected texts. If you are writing creatively, make sure the examiner can identify the text you’re writing about. It is difficult to reward obscure ideas, especially since there is no statement of intention to explain your approach. Exploring the ideas in the prompt is vital, think about how the texts highlight or discuss the ideas in the prompt, not the other way around. The prompt is under discussion, the texts are just its conduit. Using more than one text helps you discuss the prompt in greater depth too. You need to show a complex understanding of the context too, specifically what it is saying about a particular aspect of the human experience. Like your text response, you can discuss different ideas and characters highlighting through their difference how people are and see the world.

Analysis of language use

You must first look at the background information for the issues analysis piece. It will tell you what sort of text type in it is, and give you a clear direction about the intended audience. Use this information to inform your response, discuss how particular techniques might appeal to the specific audience. You must look at all of the written and visual stimulus material and reflect on how they are connected. Headlines, pull quotes and images are all used to assist the piece’s contention.

There are a number of ways to structure your piece, either discussing techniques as they appear in the text, or grouping them under common themes. Discuss as many persuasive techniques as possible. The most important thing is to discuss how the texts are trying to persuade the intended audience. A discussion on how different techniques are linked to each other is also vital, and will show the examiner a deep and complex understanding of language analysis.

Finally

The only hindrance to your success is only your own limitations. Work out what they are, think about how you can work around them, and produce work that surpasses them. You have the ability to perform well, just stay focused and apply yourself.

Andrew Doyle teaches VCE English at Vermont Secondary School