CONTENTS
THE INTRO ............................ 04 PAGE
STEP BY STEP ........................... 05 PAGE
THE BODY ............................ 06 PAGE
ANALYSIS ........................... 07 PAGE
CONCLUSION ........................... 08 PAGE
SCAFFOLD ............................ 09 PAGE
TIPS ........................... 10 PAGE
PRACTICE Q’S ............................ 11 PAGE
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Imagine you see the boy/girl of your dreams wai ng for the bus across the road.
You’ve seen them several mes in the past, but this me you’re feeling confident-‐ it’s me to say something.
You cross the road and approach them boldly.
It could go 2 ways.
OOp on 1: you race through your words, mispronounce things and end up babbling on about irrelevant topics.
Your future bf/gf is not impressed.
Op on 2: you speak eloquently, get to the point and smoothly achieve your purpose.You just got a phone number!
It is exactly the same with your essay wri ng.
MMost of the power of your essay is in the introduc on. You could have the fa est, juiciest body, but if your intro is junk it is pointless.
Your introduc on basically tells your marker what they can expect in the upcoming essay. They should be able to just read the intro, skim through the body (looking for your use of techniques), read your conclusion and BAM – give you a straight up 20/20.
BBecause of the value of the introduc on we recommend you focus a whole lot of your me on the intro. Most of the body can be prepared, but you need to adapt the intro to the ques on.
We usually find that introduc ons are the part that students struggle with the most, o en because teachers spend all their me dealing with the prescribed texts and focusing on techniques to the detriment of the introduc on.
WWhether you are wri ng your first essay in year 7 or about to tackle your HSC in year 12, nailing your essay introduc on is a valuable skill to refine.
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Nailing your analysis is crucial to maximising your marks.
The simplest and most effec ve scaffold is the PETAL method
P -‐ POINT. State your ideaE -‐ EXAMPLE. Bring in your examples that support your claims
T -‐ TECHNIQUES. Iden fy the techniques that feature in the examples you are usingA -‐ ANALYSE. How does your example illustrate your point
LL -‐ LINK. Connect your idea back to the ques on of your essay.
It is simple -‐ but it works.
Don’t waste me retelling the story and ensure that every statement you make is supported by evidence.
The body of your essay is where all the business happens.
English is all about techniques. Your essay needs to focus on techniques; how does the composer use techniques to further emphasise their perspec ve?
SState your idea; give an example that supports it; iden fy the technique; describe its purpose; Simple.
Pack the body with as many examples as you can that back up the points you are making.
MMost students go in to exams knowing what they are going to write about in advance but the best essays are those that can be adapted and moulded to answer the ques on.
IIdeally, go in with your core themes locked down -‐ the central themes of your argument and try to mould these around the ques on.
MMost essay ques ons will follow predicat-‐ble pa erns, so you can usually choose themes that will match with any ques on. Find some good topic sentences and some techniques to support these ideas, then prac ce matching them to different essay ques on.
The structure of your essay needs to be smooth and cohesive. You need to be sure that it follows a single idea without jumping about wildly. You are being marked on your ability to sustain and support an argument -‐ so keeping that focus is crucial.
Each body paragraph should:
Begin with a topic sentence -‐ this is the idea that you are arguing for or against.
Discuss this idea in greater detail.
Provide evidence to support your idea, such as examples, quotes and techniques.
Explain hExplain how each example supports your idea.
Bring in other suppor ng texts to further strengthen your argument (if required)
Link back to the ques on.
Some extra ps:
YYour choice of language makes a big impression. Try and li your level of vocabulary and avoid using the same word over and over again – you don’t want to bore your marker!
BBe formal. Essay wri ng is not an art; it is a science. You need to be formal and tech-‐nical. Avoid the slang and imagine you are wri ng it for the Queen.
Use buzzwords. Your markers are going to be looking for specific words that they can give you marks for. Make sure you know what these words are in each topic. There are some that will always apply; tech-‐niques (naming them), context and purpose to name just a few.
Spelling and grammar will count. They might not earn you marks, but they con-‐tribute to the overall experience.
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ESSAY SCAFFOLDFollow this step by step scaffold to ensure your
essay cks every box.
INTRODUCTIONThesis/Intro statement about the concept
Introduce texts with brief summary
Men on techniques & composer’s purpose
Answer ques on with thesis statement
BBring it back to the audience
BODY (x2-‐3)Topic sentence on idea
Explain your idea (P)
Provide example (E)
Iden fy technqiues (T)
Anlayse your example (A)
Link Link to ques on (L)
Repeat for each different idea
CONCLUSIONHighlight most important points
Answer essay ques on
Final comment on how it afffects the audience
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELFHHave you answered the ques on
Have you supported your response fully
Can your marker clearly see your perspec ve
Have you checked all your quotes are accurate
ALWAYS READ BACK THROUGH!
Your conclusion is the icing on the cake. Without a good conclusion your essay is like a TV show that finishes with a ‘to be con nued…’
TThis is your sign-‐off. In a speech you
would finish on a high. In a sales
pitch you would finish with a call to
ac on. In the essay you finish by
addressing the impact the concept
has on the audience.
RRevisit the ques on and make sure
you have dealt with it.
Summarise what you spoke about in
the body (avoid going in to detail and
analysis)
DDescribe how the concepts increases
the responders understanding of the
world.
STEP BY STEP
Revisit the most important ideas you
discussed.
Answer the essay ques on and
describe how your texts show this.
GGeneral statement regarding the
impacts of the texts/ideas/themes on
the greater audience.
EXAMPLE
IIn conclusion, the process of discovery
can lead to a greater understanding of
both self and those around us. This is
demonstrated in ______ and _____
which use their portrayal of the central
character to highlight the impact of dis-‐
covery on the individual. Through the
use use of textual features the composers
challenge the audience to...
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ESSAY WRITING TIPS
Be aware of how much me your have. Time can be your best friend or worst enemy when
wri ng an essay. In most exams you will have
40 minutes to complete your essay -‐ which is
around 4 hand wri en pages or 700 words if
typed. Don’t try to be a super hero by planning
to write more than you can handle -‐ a
complcomplete essay will always trump one that
doesn’t get finished. In the HSC, if one essay
takes longer than the alloted 40 minutes you
will take me away from another module.
Time management is key!
Know the marking critera. If it is going to be marked out of 20, aim to have 20 strong
examples to support your case. It is not
exactly one mark per example, but the more
cks you get the more marks your teacher will
give you.
UUse the buzzwords. There are certain words, terms or phrases that your marker will be
looking for. Know what these are and use
them. Hint: use the syllabus or rubric to find
what these are!
SepeSeperate yourself from the rest. Your teacher doesn’t want to be si ng at home on a
Saturday night marking essays. Atleast make it
enjoyable for her by wri ng an engaging essay
that deviates from the same boring response.
Choose an interes ng related text. Try to let
your passion come through in how you write.
IfIf she can see this, she will feel appreciated
and give you marks you deserve.
Don’t try to remember an essay word-‐for-‐word. This forces you in to a very limited pa ern -‐ you want to be able to adapt
to the ques on or s mulus. Going in to an
exam, have your topic sentences, examples
and overall thesis prepared -‐ everything else
you need to be able to mould to the ques on.
And And remembering every word is a huge
burden on your memeory!
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