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CONTENTS
THE INTRO ............................ 04 PAGE
STEP BY STEP ........................... 05 PAGE

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THE BODY ............................ 06 PAGE

ANALYSIS ........................... 07 PAGE
CONCLUSION ........................... 08 PAGE
SCAFFOLD ............................ 09 PAGE
TIPS ........................... 10 PAGE
PRACTICE QS ............................ 11 PAGE

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Imagine you see the boy/girl of your dreams wai ng for the bus across the road.
Youve seen them several mes in the past, but this me youre feeling condent- its
me to say something.
You cross the road and approach them boldly.
It could go 2 ways.
Op on 1: you race through your words, mispronounce things and end up babbling on
about irrelevant topics.
Your future bf/gf is not impressed.
Op on 2: you speak eloquently, get to the point and smoothly achieve your purpose.
You just got a phone number!
It is exactly the same with your essay wri ng.
Most of the power of your essay is in the introduc on. You could have the fa est,
juiciest body, but if your intro is junk it is pointless.
Your introduc on basically tells your marker what they can expect in the upcoming
essay. They should be able to just read the intro, skim through the body (looking for
your use of techniques), read your conclusion and BAM give you a straight up 20/20.
Because of the value of the introduc on we recommend you focus a whole lot of your
me on the intro. Most of the body can be prepared, but you need to adapt the intro
to the ques on.
We usually nd that introduc ons are the part that students struggle with the most,
o en because teachers spend all their me dealing with the prescribed texts and
focusing on techniques to the detriment of the introduc on.
Whether you are wri ng your rst essay in year 7 or about to tackle your HSC in year
12, nailing your essay introduc on is a valuable skill to rene.
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The body of your essay is where all the
business happens.

English is all about techniques. Your essay

needs to focus on techniques; how does
the composer use techniques to further
emphasise their perspec ve?
State your idea; give an example that
supports it; iden fy the technique;
describe its purpose; Simple.
Pack the body with as many examples as
you can that back up the points you are
making.
Most students go in to exams knowing
what they are going to write about in
advance but the best essays are those
that can be adapted and moulded to
answer the ques on.
Ideally, go in with your core themes locked
down - the central themes of your
argument and try to mould these around
the ques on.
Most essay ques ons will follow predicat-
ble pa erns, so you can usually choose
themes that will match with any ques on.
Find some good topic sentences and
some techniques to support these ideas,
then prac ce matching them to dierent
essay ques on.
The structure of your essay needs to be
smooth and cohesive. You need to be sure
that it follows a single idea without
jumping about wildly. You are being
marked on your ability to sustain and
support an argument - so keeping that
focus is crucial.
PAGE 06

Each body paragraph should:

Begin with a topic sentence - this is the
idea that you are arguing for or against.
Discuss this idea in greater detail.
Provide evidence to support your idea,
such as examples, quotes and techniques.
Explain h
Explain how each example supports your
idea.
Bring in other suppor ng texts to further
strengthen your argument (if required)
Link back to the ques on.
Some extra ps:
Your choice of language makes a big
impression. Try and li your level of
vocabulary and avoid using the same word
over and over again you dont want to
bore your marker!
Be formal. Essay wri ng is not an art; it is
a science. You need to be formal and tech-
nical. Avoid the slang and imagine you are
wri ng it for the Queen.
Use buzzwords. Your markers are going to
be looking for specic words that they can
give you marks for. Make sure you know
what these words are in each topic. There
are some that will always apply; tech-
niques (naming them), context and
purpose to name just a few.
Spelling and grammar will count. They
might not earn you marks, but they con-
tribute to the overall experience.

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Nailing your analysis is crucial to maximising your marks.
The simplest and most eec ve scaold is the PETAL method
P - POINT. State your idea
E - EXAMPLE. Bring in your examples that support your claims
T - TECHNIQUES. Iden fy the techniques that feature in the examples you are using
A - ANALYSE. How does your example illustrate your point
L - LINK. Connect your idea back to the ques on of your essay.
It is simple - but it works.
Dont waste me retelling the story and ensure that every statement you make is
supported by evidence.

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Your conclusion is the icing on the
cake. Without a good conclusion
your essay is like a TV show that
nishes with a to be con nued
This is your sign-o. In a speech you
would nish on a high. In a sales
pitch you would nish with a call to
ac on. In the essay you nish by
addressing the impact the concept
has on the audience.
Revisit the ques on and make sure
you have dealt with it.
Summarise what you spoke about in
the body (avoid going in to detail and
analysis)
Describe how the concepts increases
the responders understanding of the
world.
STEP BY STEP
Revisit the most important ideas you
discussed.
Answer the essay ques on and
describe how your texts show this.
General statement regarding the
impacts of the texts/ideas/themes on
the greater audience.
EXAMPLE
In conclusion, the process of discovery
can lead to a greater understanding of
both self and those around us. This is
demonstrated in ______ and _____
which use their portrayal of the central
character to highlight the impact of dis-
covery on the individual. Through the
use of textual features the composers
use
challenge the audience to...

PAGE 08

ESSAY SCAFFOLD
Follow this step by step scaold to ensure your
essay cks every box.
INTRODUCTION
Thesis/Intro statement about the concept
Introduce texts with brief summary
Men on techniques & composers purpose
Answer ques on with thesis statement
Bring it back to the audience
BODY (x2-3)
Topic sentence on idea
Explain your idea (P)
Provide example (E)
Iden fy technqiues (T)
Anlayse your example (A)
Link to ques on (L)
Link
Repeat for each dierent idea
CONCLUSION
Highlight most important points
Answer essay ques on
Final comment on how it afects the audience
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Have you answered the ques on
Have you supported your response fully
Can your marker clearly see your perspec ve
Have you checked all your quotes are accurate
ALWAYS READ BACK THROUGH!

PAGE 09

ESSAY WRITING TIPS

Be aware of how much me your have. Time
can be your best friend or worst enemy when
wri ng an essay. In most exams you will have
40 minutes to complete your essay - which is
around 4 hand wri en pages or 700 words if
typed. Dont try to be a super hero by planning
to write more than you can handle - a
complete essay will always trump one that
compl
doesnt get nished. In the HSC, if one essay
takes longer than the alloted 40 minutes you
will take me away from another module.
Time management is key!
Know the marking critera. If it is going to be
marked out of 20, aim to have 20 strong
examples to support your case. It is not
exactly one mark per example, but the more
cks you get the more marks your teacher will
give you.
Use the buzzwords. There are certain words,
terms or phrases that your marker will be
looking for. Know what these are and use
them. Hint: use the syllabus or rubric to nd
what these are!
Sepe
Seperate yourself from the rest.
Your teacher
doesnt want to be si ng at home on a
Saturday night marking essays. Atleast make it
enjoyable for her by wri ng an engaging essay
that deviates from the same boring response.
Choose an interes ng related text. Try to let
your passion come through in how you write.
If she can see this, she will feel appreciated
If
and give you marks you deserve.
Dont try to remember an essay
word-for-word. This forces you in to a very
limited pa ern - you want to be able to adapt
to the ques on or s mulus. Going in to an
exam, have your topic sentences, examples
and overall thesis prepared - everything else
you need to be able to mould to the ques on.
And remembering every word is a huge
And
burden on your memeory!

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