Essay Writing Tips and Advice

Know Your HSC Verbs

Account - Account for: state reasons for, report on. Give an account of: narrate a series of events or
transactions

Analyse - Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications

Compare - Show how things are similar or different

Contrast - Show how things are different or opposite

Critically (analyse/evaluate) - Add a degree or level of accuracy depth, knowledge and understanding,
logic, questioning, reflection and quality to (analyse/evaluate)

Define - State meaning and identify essential qualities

Demonstrate - Show by example

Describe - Provide characteristics and features

Discuss - Identify issues and provide points for and/or against

Explain - Relate cause and effect; make the relationships between things evident; provide why and/or
how

Identify - Recognise and name

Justify - Support an argument or conclusion

Outline - Sketch in general terms; indicate the main features of

Recommend - Provide reasons in favour

Recount - Retell a series of events

Summarise - Express, concisely, the relevant details

Synthesise - Putting together various elements to make a whole

Know the TYPES of extended
responses
This is the text type. Not all
extended responses are
formal essays.



Miss, what's an extended response?"

Extended responses cover a number of text types
(modes/mediums/forms). Students are required to
analyse, synthesise, manipulate and evaluate
information and ideas to create their own texts for a
specific purpose and audience.

This may involve expressing and justifying a point of
view, explaining and evaluating an issue, proposing a
solution or solving a problem in the creation of texts.

Types of Extended Responses
Expository texts explain, analyse or evaluate. An expository text describes objects, events or processes
in an objective manner, presents or conveys an argument, states the solutions to a problem or explains a
situation. The following are examples of expository texts:
analytical exposition (formal essay)
media analysis
magazine article
panel discussion
seminar/speech/address
argument/discussion/conversation

Persuasive texts argue or persuade, to convince readers to accept particular perspectives or points of
view. The following are examples of persuasive texts:
feature article
profile or column
review
interview
public address (Australia Day or similar)
discussion forum
letter to the editor

Types of Extended Responses
Reflective texts ponder, muse or reflect on events and experiences. The following are examples of
reflective texts:
memoir
personal narrative
autobiography and biography
obituary
testimonial
directors notes
personal letter/email

Imaginative texts use language in aesthetic and engaging ways to entertain, to move, to express and
reinforce cultural identity. The following are examples of imaginative texts:
poems
short story
drama script
television or film script
monologue
dramatic recreation
news report
diary/journal entry
The Formal Essay
Lets look more closely at composing a
formal essay.




Yes, you need these skills for English but
they are also handy for any subject which
requires a written response.
Essay
Structure
The Essay - Introduction
Your introduction is the first thing a marker reads. A good engaging
introduction is a key element in all of your responses.
Address the question use language from the question (dont just repeat it!)
Outline your text title/s, composer/s and form/s. Take care to be correct!
Establish a THESIS this is your main argument; your answer/ position in
response to the essay question.
Your introduction should be around 4-6 lines in length. In exam conditions
you should spend no longer than 5 minutes writing it.
Your essay should act as a PLAN for your response. It should help the
marker understand exactly what youll be discussing in your essay.

Tip! Break down your question. Circle and underline key words and verbs.
Then, consider alternative words (synonyms) for the key words to use
throughout your essay. Be sure you address the key verbs (for example,
analyse, discuss, evaluate, compare).
Example of an Introduction
You have studied two texts composed at different times. When comparing these
texts and their contexts, how would the modern responders understanding of each
text be developed and reshaped?



Fay Weldons epistolary commentary featured in Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane
Austen incites the modern responder to reconsider their initial understanding of the values
presented in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice. Fay Weldon provides a unique insight
into the values representative of Austen's era to reshape their boring, petty and irrelevant
image, highlighting the need for a deeper appreciation of the 19
th
Century. Weldons
tendentious approach successfully convinces the responder to find merit in her academic
and feminist inspired reading of Pride and Prejudice. It is through her didactic critique that
the responder's initial perception of Austen's world is transformed, allowing responders to
gain a distinctly new perspective of the portrayal of marriage, the role of women and the
importance of education.

Thesis Statement
Three Key Concepts = Three
Central Paragraphs
Addresses the Q
Elevated Vocab
Text / Composer / Form
What is a Thesis Statement?

WHAT?
A concise, well-worded
sentence that summarises
your major point
(your opinion) of the topic.

WHY?
It lets your reader know
what theory or ideas you
are trying to prove.

WHERE?

If writing a single intro paragraph it should be the 1
st

or 2
nd
sentence. It needs to be the FOCUS of your
introduction.

You need to continue to refer to your thesis throughout
your essay, however, try to change up some of the
language.
Your thesis should
answer the question -


If I had only one
idea I wanted my
reader to
understand, what
would it be?
Examples of Thesis Statements
There are different levels of thesis statements. Take a look at the ones below,
which all answer the question: How is hope important in The Book Thief?

Simple and general: Hope is important in The Book Thief.

More specific: Hope is important to some characters in The Book Thief
because they need it to survive.

Specific and well-written: World War II was a desperate time for both Germans
and Jews. For many of the characters in Markus Zusaks The Book Thief, hope
was the only thing that gave them the willpower to try to survive with the hope
of creating a better life.

Specific, stylish, and with some foreshadowing: In the desperate times of
World War II, hope was the only thing that gave many of the characters in The
Book Thief the willpower to survive with the desire to create a better life, filled
with justice and equality.

Remember: one paragraph for each main point/argument!

Start with your POINTyour topic sentence that explains your
opinion about the paragraphs topic.

State your QUOTE/S or EVIDENCE as primary evidence to
support your point, integrated into your own sentence. When
you are referring specifically to techniques, use the IEEL
scaffold (Identify-Example-Effect-Links).

Include an EXPLANATION of one or more sentences
explaining how the quote supports your point.

You can have more than one quote or piece of evidence, so
repeat the Quote/Explanation steps as needed.
The Essay - Body Paragraphs
The Essay - Conclusion
Re-state your main position/thesis statement in which you address the
question (use language from the question). But DONT just repeat your
introductory statement. For example:

Original thesis: Violent movies exemplify and glorify what is wrong with
our culture.
Conclusion: The violence in society is reflected in the movies we view.

Mention your texts, composers and forms.

Finish on a strong statement that summarises your major ideas from the
essay.

Tip! Avoid saying in conclusion. Your conclusion should be around
3-5 lines in length and should take around 3-5 minutes to write in exam
conditions. Watch your time to ensure you write a conclusion.
Using Quotes Wisely

Quotations add evidence but must not be too long the

essence of the quotation should be selected and only this should
be used in an examination essay.

Focusing on the essential parts of a quotation allows you to

develop your own explanation and illustrate understanding and
personal engagement with the text. Use punctuation to
paraphrase.

it was a perfect day [in Riverdale] [the sun was] a ball of red dust
swirling in the lurid teal sky.

Placing a quotation first in a sentence changes the focus of the

idea and implies that you are jumping from quotation to quotation.
Make a statement about the topic first and then use the quotation
to illustrate this. This foregrounds and then supports the idea.

Using Quotes Wisely

Use integrated quotes. Quotations should become part of the

sentence as much as possible rather than inserted. Integrating
your quotes is more sophisticated.

The structure of your sentence should allow you to remove the

quote marks and the sentence should make sense with the quote.
For example:

'Mrs Bennet is a character that is thought to be silly and unwise
as shown in the quote, "foolish and petty".'

'Mrs Bennet is portrayed by Austen to be a "foolish and petty"
character'.

Not integrated
Integrated
Handy Tips and Advice!

Underline key words and annotate your question to ensure that you address
ALL aspects of a question. Then be sure to ADDRESS all aspects of the
question.

Only write in the first person if the question specifically asks you to write
using a personal voice.

Use your time wisely a wasted few minutes could mean your work is half a
page less than it could be! You should be writing at least one page every 10
minutes and aiming to be writing one every 7-8 minutes by your HSC
exams. Find ways to abbreviate long titles of texts. Practice hand writing
within time constraints to ensure you are physically up to the task!

Keep asking for feedback and re-working your practice responses until it is a
high band piece of work. REMEMBER if you have not completed high
quality responses when you have time and resources on your side how are
you going to generate a solid response in exam conditions?


Handy Tips and Advice!

Any answer MUST respond directly to the set question. Do not use
language specific to past practice questions. Its important to know
when to leave out information if it isnt relevant to the question.

Knowing the texts is essential but only that knowledge which is

relevant should be used and care has to be taken not to tell the
story. A way of avoiding recount is by organising the essay under
arguments or paragraphs that refer to ideas and concepts rather than
following the novel or film from beginning to end.

Understanding HOW the composer has made meaning is important

but this information must SUPPORT any answer and not DRIVE it.
The techniques must offer valid justification of how meaning is
created, without becoming a list of techniques disconnected from
overall meaning.