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How does one get better at short answers in english? (1 Viewer)

v.tex

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I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
 

Masaken

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I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
practise, the more you do them the more you realise how the questions can ask the same thing over and over just with different buzzwords for the rubric and the themes. also the key to short answer is bsing your answer if you don't understand what the text is about - the best thing about short answers is that you can just take the most surface-level idea or analysis and as long as you have quotes and techniques with 'analysis' that you can just bs a link back to the ideas of the question, that grabs you the marks even if you have no idea what the text is about

the one that's stuck with me the most is a 20/20 exemplar i remember seeing ages ago where the q was 'how does the text show winter in [place]?' and the answer the student wrote was 'they show winter by saying what you can do in it'. it's a very simple topic sentence and idea but since it answers the idea it gets the mark and it made me realise that you have to oversimplify your mindset because in essays you're expected to have complex sophisticated ideas and you need to dumb yourself down for short answer
 
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iloveeggs

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practise, the more you do them the more you realise how the questions can ask the same thing over and over just with different buzzwords for the rubric and the themes. also the key to short answer is bsing your answer if you don't understand what the text is about - the best thing about short answers is that you can just take the most surface-level idea or analysis and as long as you have quotes and techniques with 'analysis' that you can just bs a link back to the ideas of the question, that grabs you the marks even if you have no idea what the text is about

the one that's stuck with me the most is a 20/20 exemplar i remember seeing ages ago where the q was 'how does the text show winter in [place]?' and the answer the student wrote was 'they show winter by saying what you can do in it'. it's a very simple topic sentence and idea but since it answers the idea it gets the mark and it made me realise that you have to oversimplify your mindset because in essays you're expected to have complex sophisticated ideas and you need to dumb yourself down for short answer
i agree with all of this, plus i would suggest maybe looking through the content and syllabus for the modules being tested (just look at the kinds of words and phrases being used). the reason why is bc the short answer is sometimes related to the things they are assessing in your essays as well, but more indirectly, and you an always recycle the type of logic you use in an essay for the short answer.

for example in english advanced this term there is an emphasis on storytelling and challenging worlds in my school and that is what will show up on my essay. if we had short answer id assume that if i got a piece of art/poem or smth like that, that it relates to storytelling in some way. storytelling can refer to the type of techniques they are using, and how they convey their message etc, and obv this translates across to all art. so i can essentially receyle the thesis i might use in an essay on my short answer too. obv not word for word but just the ideas.

this is just smth to think about, if your short answers have nothing to do with your essay stuff ignore this
 
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katev3s

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I’m a goat at essays because i always have my main ideas layered out.

However i get to the short answers and see a tourism poster and am like what the hell am i meant to say about this.
Easiest way genuinely, is to revise the most common techniques you’ll see in a short answer response or image. I continuously practiced the longer responses as they can automatically fit into short answers. Finding common, yet, sophisticated techniques can really elevate your response. Definitely look at some past papers, specifically the answers. Hope this helps 👍🏻
 

iloveeggs

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Easiest way genuinely, is to revise the most common techniques you’ll see in a short answer response or image. I continuously practiced the longer responses as they can automatically fit into short answers. Finding common, yet, sophisticated techniques can really elevate your response. Definitely look at some past papers, specifically the answers. Hope this helps 👍🏻
you guys get sample answers for english?
 

katev3s

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you guys get sample answers for english?
Yeah we got LOTS of essay samples last year, that’s how I was able to formulate good essays I suppose. But it was also from my hard work. You can check some HSC websites too! I think it’s called ACEHSC? But my HSC days are over… but best wishes! :)
 

iloveeggs

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Yeah we got LOTS of essay samples last year, that’s how I was able to formulate good essays I suppose. But it was also from my hard work. You can check some HSC websites too! I think it’s called ACEHSC? But my HSC days are over… but best wishes! :)
thanks!
 

v.tex

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Bruh, I just sat my english exam and it went absolutely terrible. I studied so much for it aswell. Didn’t even answer a 5 marker and it’s out of 40 marks..
 

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