How to Compose an essay for the Area of Study (2 Viewers)

[zahid]

How to Compose an essay for the Area of Study

This is a very demanding task because it requires students to explore, analyse, question and articulate whilst using a degree of flair and sophistication of expression. The fact that students must use a variety of texts in a variety of genres and media in addition to the prescribed text furthers exacerbates the difficulty of this task. The following are a guide of what you should include in your composition.


1. Make a note of all texts you will use in your composition including their mode of production. Ensure you draw your chosen texts from a variety of sources, in a range of genres and media, as directed in the Stage 6 Syllabus. If time allows try to use prose (fiction/nonfiction), film (feature/documentary), media (newspaper/magazine/television), multimedia (Internet site) and a visual text (painting/cartoon).


2. Identify which aspects of the prescribed text will best assist you in exploring, analysising, questioning and articulating the ways in which perceptions of changed are outlined. Stick to this plan.


3. Use the wording of the question in the introductory paragraph of your composition.


4. Outline the material to be used in the composition in its introduction.


5. Most tasks will have a how embedded in their phrasing, so therefore in the introduction of your composition construct a thesis which concentrates on the how, as outlined in the question.

6. In the first paragraph of your composition use a topic sentence focussing on the question but allowing an overall evaluation of the merit of your prescribed text. Topic sentences should be used throughout your composition.

7. Introduce the first aspect of your thesis relating this to your prescribed text simply and succinctly and in reference to the task. Then further elaborate, emphasising the text's qualities keeping in mind your focus area of the Area of Study.


8. Ensure that causality is established and maintained throughout, both between your paragraphs and within the sentences of each paragraph.


9. Quoting from the prescribed and other texts is essential in validating claims throughout.


10. Your composition must directly engage with the mode of production of texts you are using. Ask yourself if a marker can possibly mistake a film for a novel. What aspects of the film (editing, framing, mise-en-scene, design, acting, genre) can convince the assessor that this text is indeed a film?


11. Integration of texts/aspects of texts is desirable. In your second paragraph you can introduce your 1st self-selected text, comparing and contrasting this, where necessary, with prescribed text, whilst focussing on the aspect of the journey identified in the task.


12. Provide only a brief idea of what a text is about, using language appropriate to the type of text you are describing eg protagonist (dramatic text) persona (poem) hero (prose fiction) etc.

13. Do not simply retell the story, or give an account of the journey(s), analyse and critique the information and ideas.

14. Concentrate only on aspects of texts which can connect with the concept of the Area of Study.

15. Even fleeting references to aspects of texts not analysed fully can give a good impression as long as there is detailed analysis of the minimun number of texts specified by the question.


16. Use the correct number of texts from prescribed BOS Stimulus booklet . This will probably be only one but you must be prepared to engage with all six if need be.


. Reiteration of thesis is essential at the conclusion of your composition. Conclusion should also re-emphasise impact of change on the responder

best of luck on Monday.

 

[Sarah168]

Hahaha that came from the ETA didnt it?

 

[zahid]

yes i think so my friend sent it to me via email, i though it may be useful.

 

[CrashOveride]

Hey i just wanted to ask about the thesis: do u have to actually come out and almost say .."my thesis is..." or can u just make references to it thru out ur essay. Like for the AOS essay on journeys my thesis is something along the lines of the ultimate destination is of importance but of greater significance is the process of change itself, etc. Does this sound like a valid thesis and is it ok if i just keep referring to this point thru out instead of just coming out and saying it?

Also whenever they ask a question, shud u come out straight first line answering it directly. I was taught not to but i noticed some examplars did ???

 

[glitterfairy]

I'm sure some examplars might have but I find that it's a bit too... obvious and tacky to come right out and say "In conlcusion" or to answer it bluntly in the first sentence. There's got to be a more sophisticated way to do it...

 

[nessie_lee]

16. Use the correct number of texts from prescribed BOS Stimulus booklet . This will probably be only one but you must be prepared to engage with all six if need be.



YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!.. we don't need to know all 6, because if i do, i am so beyond screwed! I only have got the Wind in the Willows, because they usually only ask u for one stimulus text.. :S

 

[Paroissien]

If they do ask for more than one, many, many people will be fucked

 

[superbird]

IF they do ask for more than one stimulus booklet material which i highly doubt, go with the invory trail one. at least u know wat it looks like and hence easy to make something up.

 

[anti]

Hey i just wanted to ask about the thesis: do u have to actually come out and almost say .."my thesis is..." or can u just make references to it thru out ur essay. Like for the AOS essay on journeys my thesis is something along the lines of the ultimate destination is of importance but of greater significance is the process of change itself, etc. Does this sound like a valid thesis and is it ok if i just keep referring to this point thru out instead of just coming out and saying it?

Also whenever they ask a question, shud u come out straight first line answering it directly. I was taught not to but i noticed some examplars did ???

I always say that the first thing you should do is answer the question. In the intro if you state your thesis it may make it easier to follow your arguments especially if you're talking about a variety of types of journeys. However it's not necessary.. if you remember to keep referring to it you should be fine.

Also, avoid being vague in your introduction (you might as well not have one!!) - be specific when talking about your texts.

 

[iyamahobbit]

The board of studies should just specify outright that we only need one...

That said, i can't see them putting in a question that goes against what they've been doing in the last 3 years that'd stuff up 3/4 of the state. So I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[gemita]

Prolly the reason they say be prepared to discuss all 6 is that they possibly may specify one stimulus booklet text which you have to use, eg "refer to your prescribed text, at least one text of your own choosing, and either The Wind in the Willows and/or The Ivory Trail from the stimulus booklet."

I know it hasn't been done before, but there's only been three exams so you never know. They sometimes specify which speech to use in the speeches module for example, so I wouldn't rule it out here.

 

[disco_dave]

The BOS does have the right to specify what texts to use in your answer (the sylabus says so)... and seeing how last years year 12ers come out and publicly announced that the AOS extended responce was easy to PREpare in the Daily Telegraph, I wouldnt put it past the BOS to do something so outrageuous!!!

SO if it does happen tomorrow (ekk) we'll blame last years whislte blowers!! grr, so hope they dont though!!

 

[jumb]

What's really annoying, is that theoretically, they could ask about a specific text. Although it is unlikely.

 

[disco_dave]

What's really annoying, is that theoretically, they could ask about a specific text. Although it is unlikely.

well said. i doubt they would, cause they know that people study one or two texts really hard and if they specified a text those people would have a huge unfair advantage... i think the BOS are almost smart enough to realise that!!

hopefully....

 

[ujuphleg]

its the BOS. you never know....

 

[Seraph]

I always say that the first thing you should do is answer the question. In the intro if you state your thesis it may make it easier to follow your arguments especially if you're talking about a variety of types of journeys. However it's not necessary.. if you remember to keep referring to it you should be fine.

Also, avoid being vague in your introduction (you might as well not have one!!) - be specific when talking about your texts.

but are you not constructing a thesis by answering the question in the first place?? , Do you agree with blah blah , Yes i agree , as it is blah blah that does this and that....?

 

[Aeolior]

Hmm, after all the posts I've read. I agree, the syllabus does state that the BOS can ask you specificly on one text. But of course they probably wouldn't specify the one text to do, for it would be kind of unfair. But then, who knows...