sirfeathers
Member
Short answer: no.
I have massive problems with the HSC English syllabus, even though I've being doing alright in it so far. I do Advanced and Extension 1 (dropping Extension 2= best decision I ever made) and my experience is that they reflect barely anything except the ability to memorise an essay, to be able to alter it superficially to answer the question, and to have the physical stamina to write 3500+ words legibly in 2 hours.
Of course the ability to understand and communicate effectively in the English language is an important skill. Of course the ability to create and critically evaluate arguments is an important skill. Of course. But there are many other subjects which test these general skills.
How many times will you have to write a feminist/Marxist/nihilist/whatever technical analysis in your life? How many times will you need to call on the wisdom of Imaginative Journeys to get you through life? Not many, I'd venture. English should be about improving your ability to think creatively and discerningly, allowing you to formulate your own views about the texts as you learn. But instead, we do the opposite. "BNW and Bladerunner place a significant emphasis on humanity's relationship with the wild." We are given a narrow window of discussion to squeeze the texts through, and must siphon our own opinions based on the pre-cut dictates of the HSC English rubric.
In any case, there are so many people cheating the system - people regurgitating 3rd or 4th hand reproductions of essays written by previous HSCers - that any record of comparative achievement in the subject means absolutely nothing. A very large number of the "best achievers" in our English cohort fall under this category, and they are pushing out some genuine hard workers from the good ranks. It is truly jading and truly disheartening.
In my opinion, the HSC should require students to pick at least one subject in a band of subjects testing similar skills eg. at least one from [English, Ancient History, Modern History], at least one from [Maths, Physics...] etc. But English full stop? Hell no.
I have massive problems with the HSC English syllabus, even though I've being doing alright in it so far. I do Advanced and Extension 1 (dropping Extension 2= best decision I ever made) and my experience is that they reflect barely anything except the ability to memorise an essay, to be able to alter it superficially to answer the question, and to have the physical stamina to write 3500+ words legibly in 2 hours.
Of course the ability to understand and communicate effectively in the English language is an important skill. Of course the ability to create and critically evaluate arguments is an important skill. Of course. But there are many other subjects which test these general skills.
How many times will you have to write a feminist/Marxist/nihilist/whatever technical analysis in your life? How many times will you need to call on the wisdom of Imaginative Journeys to get you through life? Not many, I'd venture. English should be about improving your ability to think creatively and discerningly, allowing you to formulate your own views about the texts as you learn. But instead, we do the opposite. "BNW and Bladerunner place a significant emphasis on humanity's relationship with the wild." We are given a narrow window of discussion to squeeze the texts through, and must siphon our own opinions based on the pre-cut dictates of the HSC English rubric.
In any case, there are so many people cheating the system - people regurgitating 3rd or 4th hand reproductions of essays written by previous HSCers - that any record of comparative achievement in the subject means absolutely nothing. A very large number of the "best achievers" in our English cohort fall under this category, and they are pushing out some genuine hard workers from the good ranks. It is truly jading and truly disheartening.
In my opinion, the HSC should require students to pick at least one subject in a band of subjects testing similar skills eg. at least one from [English, Ancient History, Modern History], at least one from [Maths, Physics...] etc. But English full stop? Hell no.
