sophisticated language in personal responses + creatives (1 Viewer)

jojosiwa123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2020
Messages
353
Gender
Female
HSC
2020
I'm confused, most exemplar creatives use really high order language which can get pretty convoluted. I've personally lost marks in my creative/personal task this year for using 'big words' so I'm not sure where to draw the line. For a band 6 in creative, discursive, personal type of responses, is it better to keep it simple or pile up the sophisticated words?
 

#RoadTo31Atar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2019
Messages
322
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2020
I thing too much "big words" can make it hard to read especially if an easier word can be used for the same effect. I prefer to use simpler words in creative but my English marks are pretty inconsistent so I can't say that I 100% know what is best. I really feel like your feedback will largely depend on the marker in English as it is very hard to understand what they actually want from you when looking at the criteria, it mostly just says the same point with sophisticated/sound/limited thrown in.

I wouldn't worry about it if you're on the edge B6 and always B5 because that is good enough to get a really high atar assuming you do well in other subjects.
 

quickoats

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
970
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2019
I'm assuming you're talking about the Mod C "creative" (which doesn't necessarily have to be a creative). An important component is your personal voice and how you developed that through your study of your module texts. If the 'big words' feel forced and not natural to your style of writing, then don't use them. However, don't confine yourself to really elementary phrases as again, that won't convey your intended meaning and it is probably not your 'natural' writing voice. Usually, just inserting complex vocabulary for the sake of it will make your response feel a little off, as the definition wouldn't be bang on what you meant, and it will stick out and seem forced. As the user above posted, it can be a bit difficult to reach that band 6, but rest assured that a high band 5 will still make a significant contribution to your atar.
 

RossoneriAU

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2018
Messages
34
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
I don't remember using any extremely sophisticated language in Mod C or even extension english for that matter. For me, the main marks came down to voice, language features, and a unique yet relatively simple storyline which helped me to pull around the 17/18 out of 20 mark. I'd recommend keeping the language simple and instead, focusing on the execution of techniques like personification, voice/perspective and extended metaphors (a really well-executed extended metaphor normally gets really good marks)

From what I've seen with the way my school marked, well-crafted and succinct pieces normally got marked better than the more complex and overzealous ones that used language I doubt I'll ever understand
 

Nikolerak

Active Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Messages
203
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
I don't remember using any extremely sophisticated language in Mod C or even extension english for that matter. For me, the main marks came down to voice, language features, and a unique yet relatively simple storyline which helped me to pull around the 17/18 out of 20 mark. I'd recommend keeping the language simple and instead, focusing on the execution of techniques like personification, voice/perspective and extended metaphors (a really well-executed extended metaphor normally gets really good marks)

From what I've seen with the way my school marked, well-crafted and succinct pieces normally got marked better than the more complex and overzealous ones that used language I doubt I'll ever understand
What do you mean by voice and simple story line?
 

RossoneriAU

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2018
Messages
34
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
What do you mean by voice and simple story line?
Simple storyline just means a story that is easy to follow and understand without going to a thousand different settings and using a thousand different characters. Voice refers to the tone used in the story. E.g. if you're writing from a first-person perspective of a wise old man, your choice of language would be drastically different to that of an 8-year-old boy's perspective
 

jojosiwa123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2020
Messages
353
Gender
Female
HSC
2020
I don't remember using any extremely sophisticated language in Mod C or even extension english for that matter. For me, the main marks came down to voice, language features, and a unique yet relatively simple storyline which helped me to pull around the 17/18 out of 20 mark. I'd recommend keeping the language simple and instead, focusing on the execution of techniques like personification, voice/perspective and extended metaphors (a really well-executed extended metaphor normally gets really good marks)

From what I've seen with the way my school marked, well-crafted and succinct pieces normally got marked better than the more complex and overzealous ones that used language I doubt I'll ever understand
So with the story and keeping it generally simple, does it still need to follow the traditional conflict/resolution type of structure or can I just kind of describe a setting or a snapshot of the moment? I'm having trouble coming up with proper resolutions to creatives because I feel like I need to resolve whatever conflict I described... how do i end the story without it becoming too complicated?
 

RossoneriAU

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2018
Messages
34
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
So with the story and keeping it generally simple, does it still need to follow the traditional conflict/resolution type of structure or can I just kind of describe a setting or a snapshot of the moment? I'm having trouble coming up with proper resolutions to creatives because I feel like I need to resolve whatever conflict I described... how do i end the story without it becoming too complicated?
You don't need a resolution, but you need to find a way that you can 'round up' the story. If you look up a few short stories, they can give you some ideas as to how to conclude a piece of writing. My creative pieces always tended to sway me to use some sort of religious motif/extended metaphor because I found that these symbols were both pertinent and powerful regardless of what context my creative was set in. This made it easier to 'fade away' from the scene using the extended metaphor as a sorta 'concluding statement' that established an emotive yet conclusive tone.

From what I remember, you can treat the piece like an excerpt of a chapter from a book, so it doesn't need to end with a revolutionary finding that solves the character's problems (Doing an idea like this sounds very cliche and would most likely negatively impact the execution of your writing). Your piece doesn't need to have a fully-fledged solution, but it needs to sound 'complete' so the marker recognises that you finished your piece.
 

jojosiwa123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2020
Messages
353
Gender
Female
HSC
2020
You don't need a resolution, but you need to find a way that you can 'round up' the story. If you look up a few short stories, they can give you some ideas as to how to conclude a piece of writing. My creative pieces always tended to sway me to use some sort of religious motif/extended metaphor because I found that these symbols were both pertinent and powerful regardless of what context my creative was set in. This made it easier to 'fade away' from the scene using the extended metaphor as a sorta 'concluding statement' that established an emotive yet conclusive tone.

From what I remember, you can treat the piece like an excerpt of a chapter from a book, so it doesn't need to end with a revolutionary finding that solves the character's problems (Doing an idea like this sounds very cliche and would most likely negatively impact the execution of your writing). Your piece doesn't need to have a fully-fledged solution, but it needs to sound 'complete' so the marker recognises that you finished your piece.
thank you for your help!
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top