HSC Skills

23/08/2015

At HSC level you will write analytical essays that explore set texts.
You will often be asked to find and explore the connections between texts.
Therefore, you must understand how to analyse whilst drawing together
two texts. Below I will set out what makes a good introduction, how to
structure the main body of your essay and how to conclude. At the end I
will provide some top tips for essay writing.
Introduction = a good introduction will introduce the texts that the
essay will explore and give a brief overview of how your essay ideas
appear in the texts.
Examples:

Main body of Essay:

In the main body of your essay you will explore how the
theme/ideas identified in your introduction appear throughout your texts.
Always identify one text as being the text you will introduce first and then
always explore first in your comparative paragraphs.
Structure
Explore how a key idea of theme is presented in the text
Embed the quote that supports this idea who is speaking and how?
Or identify the author.
Include the quote
What does the quote mean? Briefly explain what it shows
How do we know this? Analyse word(s) from the quote
Summarise what we learn from the quote and how this links to
context
Link now to text B and state whether you have found a point for
comparison or contrast, and then develop this paragraph using the same
structure:
Explore how a key idea of theme is presented in the text
Embed the quote that supports this idea who is speaking and how?
Or identify the author.
Include the quote
What does the quote mean? Briefly explain what it shows
How do we know this? Analyse word(s) from the quote
Summarise what we learn from the quote and how this links to
context and restate the link you have just made with text A

The structure above should take about a page of writing and a

comparative essay should aim to explore minimum of 3 links.
Conclusion
A good conclusion should pull together the essay and reinstate the
ideas presented in the introduction so it ties together the essay. Conclude
the main points you have made in the essay but dont repeat
ideas/wording summarise instead.

Tops tips
1. After using the authors/playwrights full name you must then just
use their surname for the remainder of the essay e.g. William
Shakespeares Macbeth captures the act of regicide. Shakespeares
character Banquo is the most moral character within the play.
2. You must use quotation marks around quotes but also around
words that you analyse from the quotes. E.g. When Lady Macbeth
declares out damn spot she demonstrates her madness as the spot she
sees does not exist.
3. Whichever text you introduce in the essay first must be the text
you explore first and then continue in this order. E.g. Text A explores the
idea of love whilst Text B explores the idea of hate. You will now always
explore Text A before you then proceed to explore Text B
At HSC level you will be provided with stimuli (a quote, extract or
image) and you will be asked to create a story, a poem etc using this as
your inspiration.
Below I will explore the different ways to write creatively and the
best techniques to use.

1. Literal writing = when you describe something as it is, you can

use the 5 senses to describe a situation taking into account its various
aspects but you will not use any techniques such as: simile, metaphor,
personification. Your audience should not have to figure anything out in
this style of writing, it should effortlessly create an image in the mind of
the reader.
You can use sentence variety to ensure your writing is varied and
engaging. 5 sentence types:
1. ly beginning (adverb beginnings)
e.g. Slowly, the old man made his way across the road.
2. ing beginning (verb beginnings)
e.g. Running, the boy exited the room at speed.
3. two adjective beginning
e.g. Crying and desperate, the woman clung to her child.
4. informative interrupters (commas to insert information)
e.g. The man, who sat alongside the woman, was infuriated that he
had been fired.
5. short sentences for effect
e.g. To be alone is the hardest place to be. Sadness. It consumes
your every thought.

2. Figurative language = this is when your creative writing leaves

something of your reader to figure out. You dont describe things as they
are but draw upon points for comparison. When you write using metaphor,
similes and personification.

Top tips:

1. Personify an object by giving the object: thoughts, words, actions

2. To write an extended metaphor start with a simple metaphor
then create a word bank related to this metaphor, finally use this word
bank to create your extended metaphor. E.g.
(Simple metaphor) Macbeth is a puppet
Word bank related: strings, puppeteer, control, moves
(Extended metaphor) Macbeth is a puppet as he is subservient to
his wife as she pulls the strings and controls his every move. As a
puppeteer she is ruthless and does not give in to his cowardice, she
implores him to carry out the act of regicide and when he resists she
draws the strings tighter, forcing him to continue with her merciless plan.
The website below provides past papers and example responses
from each band and for each section of HSC exams. Open the relevant
papers for the level you wish to study, read through the example and
make some notes within the final tab of this booklet:
http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/standardspacks/SP02_15140/

Video examples of HSC work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqnlLc6DgMM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0uMcsEYE_o

Good revision sites:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/hsc-study-guide
http://www.boredofstudies.org/studying.php
1.
Complete question 1 and 2 of last years exam paper:
Question 1 helps with analytical writing
Question 2 helps with creative writing

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/2014/pdf_doc/2
014-hsc-english-p1-std-adv.pdf

2.
Use the line below as the opening for a short story (30 minutes
writing time)
He was confidently striding towards me, I could see the intention in
his eyes and I knew I had no time to move

3. Use the image below as your stimulus and write a piece of

creative writing about the idea of discovery (30 minutes writing time)

4. The
presented in
Macbeth are still
21st century

ideas
Shakespeares
relevant to a
audience.

How far do
you agree with
this statement?
Your answer
must be supported by quotes from the text. (40 minutes writing time)
Analysis:

Creative writing:

Past Papers:

My Tasks: