How to write a good English answer?

smileyxx

We're currently answering questions on the play (Hamlet) and I try to stick to the question and quote plenty, but I always get C's

Any advice?

AddictedToYou

Only quote if it's going to help your argument. Don't just throw down quotes to fill up the space. Make your point, explain it and then support it with a quote.

A personal response wouldn't go amiss, depending on the question..

theowen

smileyxx wrote: »

We're currently answering questions on the play (Hamlet) and I try to stick to the question and quote plenty, but I always get C's

Any advice?

Where exaclty do you feel your going wrong?

aine-maire

I got C's all the way through fifth and sixth year, and got an A1 in the Leaving- it well may be that your teacher is marking you down to encourage you to work harder.

That said, my English did improve markedly within those 2 years, so work to make your English better!

Firstly... How much are you writing for your Hamlet essay? Quality not quantity is a lie- you will not get high marks for high-quality material which is not sufficient in length. At least 3-4 A4 pages is (I think) required, although I wrote significantly more than this in the exam.

Also... Are you incorporating your quotes into the answer? Examiners appreciate the ability to manipulate what you're saying to include a quote in a statement. Rather than quoting and then explaining the quote, make the quote a part of what you're saying. Refer to certain characters by a quote as well, eg. "the instruments of darkness" or "midnight hags" rather than the witches. (Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with Hamlet )

Also... The most important thing about any English essay (well,one of them) is structure. Make sure your points are separated into different paragraphs, and that each point is clear. The key to achieving this is planning- not a complex, organised thing, but simply deciding what points you'll make and the order you'll make them in.

Also... Do a little background research. Examiners love it if you can show that you've done some further reading. In my exam I quoted Thomas Aquinas! Tbh, I never read anything by him, but had just learned said quote, but it looked good

Also... I know that you said that you do this, but always adhere to the question. No tangents!

Hope this is some use

Colpriz

Anne-Maire has made some good valid points, but I disagree with her saying 3-4 A4 pages (as minimum) No disrespect... Unless you are used to writing that much (under pressure/time constraints) have that much valid points to make and can get to point quickly without drawing it out or repeating yourself to fill up pages, then avoid this advice.

Ask for some pointers from your teacher how other students achieved higher grades than you and where you fall down, thats what a teacher is there for..good luck

aine-maire

Colpriz wrote: »

Anne-Maire has made some good valid points, but I disagree with her saying 3-4 A4 pages (as minimum) No disrespect... Unless you are used to writing that much (under pressure/time constraints) have that much valid points to make and can get to point quickly without drawing it out or repeating yourself to fill up pages, then avoid this advice.

Unfortunately I wish that I was wrong there, but it was my teacher, a former corrector, who advised me as such. Practice, practice, practice, will help anyone achieve that amount. No WAY could I have written that much in fifth year.
And obviously, it has to be of a high quality. You're not going to get the marks repeating yourself :rolleyes:

Colpriz

Wasnt saying you were wrong there AM, just you have to consider the other questions on the paper also and be able to attend to those too within the overall given time allowed to you in the exam. One can practise all they want but if you have 5-6 others subjects needing your attention, essay practising can chew up a lot of your time..:)

aine-maire

Yes,of course you have to divide up the time allocated between the different questions based on the number of marks each is worth. That shouldn't impede you from writing 3-4 pages on Hamlet (dependant on handwriting )
Good luck anyway smiley!

Colpriz

Majority of teachers are correctors, how do they make extra cash during the first few summer months?..so AM.. your teacher being a former corrector is irrelavant..I think you are putting unduly pressure on this student to write x amount of pages, when more can be less if it is more orientated. Let Smiley's teacher be the decider of this student's misgivings. But you made good points about structure & quoting where needed...Smiley..of course, if you are offering half a page to answer a question then you might be going wrong, but if your are going to twattle for 4+ you are also failing yourself too...Ask your teacher..

Dante

Colpriz wrote: »

Majority of teachers are correctors, how do they make extra cash during the first few summer months?..so AM.. your teacher being a former corrector is irrelavant..I think you are putting unduly pressure on this student to write x amount of pages, when more can be less if it is more orientated. Let Smiley's teacher be the decider of this student's misgivings. But you made good points about structure & quoting where needed...Smiley..of course, if you are offering half a page to answer a question then you might be going wrong, but if your are going to twattle for 4+ you are also failing yourself too...Ask your teacher..

I was always told to write around 4/5 pages for the single text and I wasn't aiming for anything near an A. Although obviously you'd be better of with 3 pages of solid material with quotes and relevant points than 5 pages of complete waffle.

spurious

A minority of teachers are correctors, but find one and ask them.
Make sure you read the question properly and address all components.

implausible

Colpriz wrote: »

Majority of teachers are correctors, how do they make extra cash during the first few summer months?..so AM.. your teacher being a former corrector is irrelavant

What?! It's a tiny minority!

AM's teacher is worth listening to.

The PR is a big thing, the best way to show you understand is to offer a well-considered personal response. If you can engage with the text, you understand it.

PhysiologyRocks

Don't be afraid to state the obvious. It's most often obvious because the playwright wanted it to be.

If you can argue it and it's relevant, write it. Even if you don't feel certain, "interesting" points will not go amiss. Texts are somewhat open to interpretation, so if you argue it, nobody can really say that you're wrong.

This seems like a tiny thing, but vary your adjectives, even if you mean the same thing repeatedly.

Don't give any info about Shakespeare's life, unless asked, or unless it's particularly relevant to your point - my friend found out half way through 6th year that this was getting her marked down.

Don't panic. It's likely to make your writing awkward. Make sure you watch your grammar. It's a small amount of marks, but impression does count.

Read a randomly selected page of the dictionary a day.
This will most likely remind you of words you know well, but wouldn't have thought to use. The purpose is not to learn obscure vocab!

I know these points are a bit general, and may not apply to you at all, but I hope it helped even a tiny bit!

DakotaDreaming

I think that the best way to approach questions on a play is to:

a) Go to wikipedia and ensure you have a good understanding of plot, characters, general themes, etc.

b) Learn off a reasonable amount of valid quotes, but dont go overboard.

c) Make sure you stick to the question. This means no learning off huge
chunks of text by heart. You have to keep relating back to the question.

d) Each essay should begin with an introduction stating how you plan to answer the question.

e) As a general rule, each paragraph you write should begin with a statement, an explanation of that statement and then reference to the text to back up your point.

f) You should finish with a concluding paragaph that relates back to the introduction and to the question.

Other general points:
*Remember PCLM
i) Clarity of Purpose (P)
ii) Coherence of Delivery (C)
iii) Efficiency of Language (L)
iv) Accuracy of Mechanics (M)

* Practice writing essays.
This one goes without saying but in my opinion writing your own essays is more important than reading other peoples notes/essays. Timing yourself can also be beneficial.

* Quickly read over what you have written after every page. You would be amazed how many glaring mistakes can be made under pressure.

* Quality and quantity are of equal importance in doing well in a question. If you want to get an A1, you need plenty of quantity and quality, and a little bit of luck :cool:

Hope this helps