Memorizing Essays......... (1 Viewer)

[Vampire]

I thought exemplar = full marks as well, but from looking at a couple of them, I might be wrong...

 

[silvermoon]

nah, exemplar usually just means excellent, top range etc. an essay worth 100% would be exemplar, but an exemplar essay is not necessarily worth 100%

 

[nwatts]

That doesn't make any sense.

"An exemplar essay is not always worth 100%, yet an essay worth 100% is exemplar..."

Confuso!

 

[AreYouAlright?]

I agree with a lot of what has been said, but in writing an essay off the top of your head it is sooo difficult to get not only the quantity of information out, but put it into a sophisticated form in the time you have. If you spend too much time trying to think of something new to write you will have written nothing.

Whereas if you memorise logical segments of information i.e. for Critical Study know GENRE, SETTING, CONTEXT, CHARACTERS, TWO EXTRACTS LANGUAGE FEATURES IN DETAIL, CRITICS.

I'd say you'd much easier be able to put together a prepared essay in exam conditions that is prepared in the sense all your paragraphs have been rope learnt but the way you put it together can answer the question. All in the topic sentences, opening paragraph and conclusion. What do you think?

 

[lilkiwifruit]

I agree with a lot of what has been said, but in writing an essay off the top of your head it is sooo difficult to get not only the quantity of information out, but put it into a sophisticated form in the time you have. If you spend too much time trying to think of something new to write you will have written nothing.

Whereas if you memorise logical segments of information i.e. for Critical Study know GENRE, SETTING, CONTEXT, CHARACTERS, TWO EXTRACTS LANGUAGE FEATURES IN DETAIL, CRITICS.

I'd say you'd much easier be able to put together a prepared essay in exam conditions that is prepared in the sense all your paragraphs have been rope learnt but the way you put it together can answer the question. All in the topic sentences, opening paragraph and conclusion. What do you think?

I totally agree with you that it is very difficult to write an essay off the top of your head combined with the pressures in exam conditions and time. I usually prepare the topic sentences so that i know the structure of my essay and know what to write

 

[pLuvia]

memorising is a sign of weakness , you should be able to walk into the exam room with your argument, i.e. thesis, antithesis and synthesis ready so you can begin to write and integrate it into the question

 

[nwatts]

memorising is a sign of weakness , you should be able to walk into the exam room with your argument, i.e. thesis, antithesis and synthesis ready so you can begin to write and integrate it into the question

Ah, no. You get a thesis from the question. Coming in with a preprepared thesis will result in you not answering the question.

Kandill, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. You haven't even began the HSC year and you have an UAI prediction in your sig?

I totally agree with you that it is very difficult to write an essay off the top of your head combined with the pressures in exam conditions and time. I usually prepare the topic sentences so that i know the structure of my essay and know what to write

That's what Year 12 is for. This time next year you'll know how and will be able to write from your head in a cohesive, sophisticated manner.

I'd say you'd much easier be able to put together a prepared essay in exam conditions that is prepared in the sense all your paragraphs have been rope learnt but the way you put it together can answer the question. All in the topic sentences, opening paragraph and conclusion. What do you think?

You'll find yourself not answering the question and not supporting your argument. As I think glitterfairy has said before, every single word and sentence must link back to your thesis - because if it is not, there is no point it being there.

Also, I'd imagine you'd find yourself writing very simplistic responses, as they'd be structured in the same standard manner you've memorised them in. Often, a majority of your preprepared material will not be asked for in the question given, which means you'll offload a pile of irrelavent detail.

 

[pLuvia]

Kandill, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. You haven't even began the HSC year and you have an UAI prediction in your sig?

lol, that's my goal uai~ im aiming towards that, isnt that obvious?

 

[nwatts]

lol, that's my goal uai~ im aiming towards that, isnt that obvious?

I am now, since you edited your sig. The old "UAI for 2006: 96.5" felt, just, a little pretentious?

 

[kami]

That doesn't make any sense.

"An exemplar essay is not always worth 100%, yet an essay worth 100% is exemplar..."

Confuso!

It does make sense.
Not all exemplars are perfect, but any perfect essay would have to be an exemplar as it doesn't fit anywhere else.

And I think alot of people have been missing the point when we its said not to memorise, this doesn't mean to go in blind - it means don't prepare an argument before hand, memorise it word for word, then go in and write it in the exam because you will be in effect ignoring the question and writing dribble - it may be well structured and supported dribble but it will still be dribble. Instead you should use your skills to form an argument out of the ideas you have hopefully been learning and thinking about for a year to address the question. That is where the top marks will come from. It should also be noted that this isn't the most wide ranging of courses so if you have spent a year studying this subject and the year before in prelim preparing to study for it, then its not that big an ask for you to create a plan of attack in the time you're given.

 

[ManlyChief]

That doesn't make any sense.

"An exemplar essay is not always worth 100%, yet an essay worth 100% is exemplar..."

Confuso!

I believe the argument is something of a syllogism:

The category of 'Essays receiving 100%' is a subset of 'Exemplar Essays'.

If an essay receives a mark of 100%, it will, by be an exemplar.

However, because the exemplar category is not limited to essays achieving 100%, essays marked 'exemplar' did not necessarily achieve a mark of 100%.

This divisoin requires an alteration of the definition of exemplar posted above - i.e. exemplar as best.

 

[LostAuzzie]

Ah, no. You get a thesis from the question. Coming in with a preprepared thesis will result in you not answering the question.

If your smart enough, you can go in there with a prepared thesis and a basic structure of what you want to write, not a fully prepared essay, and manipulate the thesis slightly to incorporate the question or bend the question slightly to better suit your thesis.

Doing all of this in your introduction and adding trigger words, phrases or sentences relating back to the question throughout the body of your argument allows you to avoid not answering the question with a prepared argument.

Thats the only way I see fit to do it as I need all the time I can get to be writing the essay rather than thinking of a thesis related to the question and what to write next.

Memorising Essays completely can be effective for some, I know a few people in my school achieving the higher marks (13-15 or 15-20) for essays they completely memorised and just manipulated slightly to suit the question

 

[nwatts]

If your smart enough, you can go in there with a prepared thesis and a basic structure of what you want to write, not a fully prepared essay, and manipulate the thesis slightly to incorporate the question or bend the question slightly to better suit your thesis.

If you're smart enough, you can go in with the course in your head and get full marks. I seem to be able to do it. Kami, glitterfairy and others seem to be able to do it. Considering the quality of the AOS response you posted LostAuzzie, I suggest you follow the advice of us rather than trying to inflict your poor essay style upon others.

I'm tired of arguing with those who support preprepared essays. Do what you want. Come HSC exam time you'll find you get much lower English marks than expected. I don't care, they're your marks not mine.

 

[LostAuzzie]

I'm tired of arguing with those who support preprepared essays.

Then don't. Not everybody is an elite english student and not everybody can memorise the entire course and come up with a brilliant answer on the day. Some people, like you and Kami and Glitterfairy can, but many cant. I am one of those people because I have a mathematical/scientific mind and I need structure

I suggest you follow the advice of us rather than trying to inflict your poor essay style upon others

I am not trying to inflict anything upon anyone, I am merely giving an opinion which others can take if they want to or choose to ignore it.

I apologise if my previous post seemed to aim at completely disregarding your opinion as worthless and unfeasable, it wasnt my intention at all.

My intention was simply to say that you can answer the question with a prepared argument and thesis (not a word for word essay just a structure) if you manipulate it a little or bend the question (as my teacher used to say)

 

[kami]

Then don't. Not everybody is an elite english student and not everybody can memorise the entire course and come up with a brilliant answer on the day. Some people, like you and Kami and Glitterfairy can, but many cant. I am one of those people because I have a mathematical/scientific mind and I need structure.

Kami can - kami has a mathematical/scientific mind.

I think, personally, that you and alot of people are selling themselves short and putting barriers in place that don't have to be there. I can understand your points though - I just don't agree with all of them. And I do hope that I did not give an impression of elitism, as such was not my intention. I merely wished to convey my point clearly.

 

[AreYouAlright?]

This is exactly right... I have a mathematical\scientific mind so i too find i learn better with structure. Sure there are those people who can walk around a house holding a calculator in ond hand and nothing else and calculate the 23rd derivative of an equation for the path in projectile motion. Or who can stand and deliver a substantiated thesis off the top of the head but these few people are a minority and subsequently are represented by a minority in this topic.

The exams are utterly useless as a mark of true achievement in any case as F. R. Leavis a true elite master of english said in Education and the University "The good student as things stand, is he who studies single mindedly and undeviatingly how to come out best in the examination (and what doing well in examinations proves is the ability to do well in examinations)."

nwatts it's a game we are playing it our way you can play it yours.. in the end if we can get a mark that we are happy with we have won.

 

[silvermoon]

I am now, since you edited your sig. The old "UAI for 2006: 96.5" felt, just, a little pretentious?

i don't know about that - 96.5 should be easily obtainable - besides which, it's a positive thinking and projection technique. Writing 'target' or 'hoping for' etc. almost lends a sense of the possibility and, in some cases, probability of failure. Obviously kadlil expects a good mark, so putting the possibility of not reaching it in his mind is really just holding him back.

 

[silvermoon]

This is exactly right... I have a mathematical\scientific mind so i too find i learn better with structure. Sure there are those people who can walk around a house holding a calculator in ond hand and nothing else and calculate the 23rd derivative of an equation for the path in projectile motion. Or who can stand and deliver a substantiated thesis off the top of the head but these few people are a minority and subsequently are represented by a minority in this topic.

The exams are utterly useless as a mark of true achievement in any case as F. R. Leavis a true elite master of english said in Education and the University "The good student as things stand, is he who studies single mindedly and undeviatingly how to come out best in the examination (and what doing well in examinations proves is the ability to do well in examinations)."

nwatts it's a game we are playing it our way you can play it yours.. in the end if we can get a mark that we are happy with we have won.

ah, but you're missing the point. An essay for english is nothing if it does not have logical progression and structure. In many ways English, as a subject, is not so different from science and maths - you just have to see the connection. Saying "oh, but I'm a science person" is an unacceptabl excuse: if this truly was a viable excuse then nobody who excelled at maths or science could also excel at english and humanities and that has been proven time after time not to be the case. You're only holding yourself back if you follow this argument.

What exactly was the point of the Leavis quote? No-one here is saying you shouldn't study how to gain the best possible marks in your exam: we're merely debating what this 'best way' actually is. As many of us have pointed out, saying 'don't memorise your essays' is not in anyway the same thing as saying 'don't memorise quotes' or don't be prepared. You have been learning for a year what you will be asked on in the exam --> if you haven't learnt enough in 12 months to be able to generate a question-specific thesis and answer it fully when you sit down to do the exam then no prepared essay will be up to scratch.

Rather than spend time memorising texts, topic sentences and linking paragraphs etc. spend time practicing writing essays over and over again. not only will you improve your technique, time management skills and ability to generate an accurate and appropriate thesis in response to the question, but in writing about the same texts repeatedly for each essay you will find you don't need to memorise specific phrases and sentences - all the information you need (and how to link it all together) will be right there in the front of your mind.

 

[Z_Nizzle]

an essay worth 100% would be exemplar, but an exemplar essay is not necessarily worth 100%

WTF ???

 

[kami]

WTF ???

Ok, its like this. Lets say all exemplars have to be "good and higher", now a "perfect" essay fits in the category of good and higher so therefore is an exemplar. However, there are alot of essays that fit the description of "good and higher" that aren't "perfect" so alot of exemplars aren't "perfect" *but* all the "perfect" essays are "good or higher" and so must all be exemplars.