English Essays

Alice10

Anyone have a few good English essays for paper 1 already wrote out?

Flecktarn

Got one short story done, got 85/100 for it, A2 job...

Alice10

Any chance you could email it to me scan it or something?
I'm hopeless at English so im jus gonna try and learn a few and try to twist them.
I know thats really stupid but its all i can do when i cant write them myself

Flecktarn

Em ya I'll try scan it for you. Could take a few days though as I've no scanner/printer, but I'll try my best!

Alice10

yeah thats grand whenever you have time if you can scan, tell me and i can give you my email address

Skykes

Laziness like this is why you are bad at English. Learning off essays is a bad idea, well not necessarily bad, but there are more favorable alternatives.

The examiner will know when you actually understand what you are talking about and when you are just emulating somebody else's words.

Alice10

Eh excuse me it is not laziness! Some people are good at art and can draw, some people cant. does that make them lazy? no.

more favourable alternatives like what?!

implausible

Alice10 wrote: »

Eh excuse me it is not laziness! Some people are good at art and can draw, some people cant. does that make them lazy?

No, but they probably wouldn't be doing Honours if they were no good at Art! Why would you do HL English if you can't write an essay? If you're as bad at writing essays as you reckon, then you probably will have difficulty twisting an answer to fit a question. The day when you could slot an essay into a title is long gone, the marking scheme has tightened up.

Get a revision book, get familiar with well-structured and well-written pieces and try to emulate them.

Skykes

While deemark was a bit harsh he is probably right.
If you really do want to do HL:

Never miss another English class; attend all classes, listen and participate.
Read in your own time as a recreational activity.
----
I had a few more in my head but got distracted; pokemon platinum is addictive.

Moshimoshi

Alice10 wrote: »

Eh excuse me it is not laziness! Some people are good at art and can draw, some people cant. does that make them lazy? no.

more favourable alternatives like what?!

Like practice?

Being able to write well isn't an innate skill, neither is being able to draw :rolleyes:

Flecktarn

No offence "Alice 10", but you cannot do well in English without putting in hard work. Maybe you might bluff your way through paper one, but certainly not paper two, that requires hard-earned work I'm afraid....

Alice10

I dont need to bluff my way through paper 2 because i find that easy.
I also have no problem with the Comprehensions, its just the essays.
And at school we do one long essay a week so its definately not that i dont have the practise. and it has nothing to do with missing classes or not listening.

I just cant write good essays and i dont seem to be improving at them

theowen

Alice10 wrote: »

I dont need to bluff my way through paper 2 because i find that easy.
I also have no problem with the Comprehensions, its just the essays.
And at school we do one long essay a week so its definately not that i dont have the practise. and it has nothing to do with missing classes or not listening.

I just cant write good essays and i dont seem to be improving at them

Maybe try a different type of composition? What type do you normally write?

Moshimoshi

Have you tried the argumentative/persuasive writing? I find those options way easier than any of the others, very straight forward and logical so they're a help if you're not good at spontaneous composition.

straight_As

Alice10 wrote: »

I dont need to bluff my way through paper 2 because i find that easy.
I also have no problem with the Comprehensions, its just the essays.
And at school we do one long essay a week so its definately not that i dont have the practise. and it has nothing to do with missing classes or not listening.

I just cant write good essays and i dont seem to be improving at them

Well then in fairness, you don't deserve to do well. Plagiarising someone else's work is cheating. No ifs and buts.

By all means, take from the structure of well written essays, but if you're willing to take credit for someone else's imagination in a section of the paper designed to explore your own imagination, then you are cheating.

Also, I can't understand why you would come on a message board to find such essays.

Read an anthology of short stories, read a quality newspaper, read a few editorials. They'll probably have 'A standard' pieces.

There is no short cut. People think winging on the day is a short cut. It's not, if you plan on doing the essay with style. If you want do well in the essay, you must learn to organise your ideas into easily followable structures and express yourself clearly. This takes considerable time to perfect, hence the weighting given to the essay.

Behind you Joey

straight_As wrote: »

Well then in fairness, you don't deserve to do well. Plagiarising someone else's work is cheating. No ifs and buts.

By all means, take from the structure of well written essays, but if you're willing to take credit for someone else's imagination in a section of the paper designed to explore your own imagination, then you are cheating.

Also, I can't understand why you would come on a message board to find such essays.

Read an anthology of short stories, read a quality newspaper, read a few editorials. They'll probably have 'A standard' pieces.

There is no short cut. People think winging on the day is a short cut. It's not, if you plan on doing the essay with style. If you want do well in the essay, you must learn to organise your ideas into easily followable structures and express yourself clearly. This takes considerable time to perfect, hence the weighting given to the essay.

Agreed.

partyatmygaff

Alice10 wrote: »

Anyone have a few good English essays for paper 1 already wrote out?

Written out not wrote out..........
























Well it is a thread about English :pac:

theowen

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Written out not wrote out..........
























Well it is a thread about English :pac:

Are you sure it's not wrote? I thought written was just after has, was etc?:cool:

partyatmygaff

theowen wrote: »

Are you sure it's not wrote? I thought written was just after has, was etc?:cool:

I has written?
:P

theowen

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I has written?
:P

Oi, that pains me:eek::rolleyes:. One of those things, like effect and affect. I'm good at english but it invariably escapes me:mad:

almostnever

theowen wrote: »

Oi, that pains me:eek::rolleyes:. One of those things, like effect and affect. I'm good at english but it invariably escapes me:mad:

Just remember affect is the verb, effect is the noun.

kdave

straight_As wrote: »

Well then in fairness, you don't deserve to do well. Plagiarising someone else's work is cheating. No ifs and buts.

For gods sake it's for an exam not a book

straight_As

kdave wrote: »

For gods sake it's for an exam not a book

An exam which is undermined by the attitude that using someone else's work is a substitute for your own work, especially in English.

It's because of this that leaving cert is becoming irrelevant to the world today. We don't actually gain anything from it if we equate plagiarising the exemplar with working for ourselves. What get is a generation of spoofers (thanks BC) who feel that stealing the work of others is good work on their part.

kaki

And, imo, exams are about measuring your skill at a particular subject in relation to the rest of the country. Emulating skill/proficiency at a certain subject by learning off someone else's intellectual property and regurgitating it on your exam booklet in June is plagiarism, and ever so slightly immoral (as I feel the culture of grind schools is...but that's a different topic...)

Alice10, I'd suggest reading lots to improve vocabulary and ability to construct a flowing argument. Books and novels would help with the creative essay/short story option, whereas newspaper articles and editorials will help with argument and persuasion.

Maybe something like debating/public speaking would help, I found it helped me to be able to construct arguments on my feet (then again, if you're in 6th year, it might be a bit late).

deman

Alice10 wrote: »

I dont don't need to bluff my way through paper 2 because i find that easy.
I also have no problem with the Comprehensions, its it's just the essays.
And at school we do one long essay a week so its it's definately definitely not that i I dont don't have the practise practice. and it has nothing to do with missing classes or not listening.

I just cant write good essays and i dont don't seem to be improving at them

And it's not laziness?

kdave

deman wrote: »

And it's not laziness?

It's not laziness English is not the only subject in the Leaving Cert
There are 6 others.
At moment the leaving cert students have to content with leaving cert mocks, Irish and 3rd language orals as well.
You's seem to forget how hard and stressfull the leaving cert year was

kaki

Just because something is stressful, or you find it difficult whilst you have aptitudes in other areas, should not (imo) give a person free reign to plagiarise other's work, and cheat to a better grade, morally at least.

Nevermind that the **** will hit the fan when you get to college and think that you can adopt the same attitude there. I find university far far far more stressful than leaving cert, and reproducing someone elses work will, 99% of the time, not cut it. And even if it does, who are you fooling anyway?

degausserxo

If you've an A grade essay and a so-so comprehension, the examiner will smell plagarism a mile off. The essay is gonna be done in a style completely different to yours, too. Ask your teacher to help you with structure, read newspapers to try and boost your vocabulary, learn a couple of quotes that can be applied to lots of different things. Learning off someone else's answer isn't the only option you have.

straight_As

kdave wrote: »

It's not laziness English is not the only subject in the Leaving Cert
There are 6 others.
At moment the leaving cert students have to content with leaving cert mocks, Irish and 3rd language orals as well.
You's seem to forget how hard and stressfull the leaving cert year was

I'm doing the LC at the moment and can say it is definitely possible to put time in improving.

implausible

I'd imagine that the OP's problem is the type of essay she's writing. Some people are excellent at short stories, most aren't. There is no point either in trying to write strong argumentative pieces if you're no good at them.

If the OP posted back with the type of essay she's doing badly in, then she might get some hints. OP?

esio trot

The English course is basically redundant anyway, we are studying a 400 year old wanker for Christs sake. If you can get a good essay and get away with plagiarising it then good for you. Half the ****ers just regurgitate notes anyway. The Leaving is the biggest load of bollocks going, plagiarisingis basically what we are being thought to do and if you are weak at a subject then **** it. Cheat your arse off and hope for the best.

partyatmygaff

esio trot wrote: »

The English course is basically redundant anyway, we are studying a 400 year old wanker for Christs sake. If you can get a good essay and get away with plagiarising it then good for you. Half the ****ers just regurgitate notes anyway. The Leaving is the biggest load of bollocks going, plagiarisingis basically what we are being thought to do and if you are weak at a subject then **** it. Cheat your arse off and hope for the best.

Good luck with that attitude :rolleyes:

fuzzel

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I has written?
:P

I has anything?
I think you can safely assume that the "etc.." in (has, was etc...) includes have:
I have written, which is correct unlike: I have wrote.

implausible

esio trot wrote: »

The Leaving is the biggest load of bollocks going, plagiarisingis basically what we are being thought to do and if you are weak at a subject then **** it. Cheat your arse off and hope for the best.

What an eloquent summation of our education system and how it is thought :rolleyes:

Reckoner91

I, personally, have no problem with being able to think of a story at the top of my head to fit any situation. The easiest thing to do is question number 7...remember from the Mocks people? It asked you to write a story that involves any of the pictures that was on the previous section (You know, all to do with competition).
Just know that the picture does NOT have to be the main plot point of the story you are writing. It can be something that happens for 2 seconds in the middle of your story, that's how much flexibility you have. Although I like to make it a main point to show that I understand the question, and have not prepared an essay. (Call me stuck-up, I know I am being a little, it's just English is one of the very few subjects I kick arse at)

stainluss

Reckoner91 wrote: »

I, personally, have no problem with being able to think of a story at the top of my head to fit any situation. The easiest thing to do is question number 7...remember from the Mocks people? It asked you to write a story that involves any of the pictures that was on the previous section (You know, all to do with competition).
Just know that the picture does NOT have to be the main plot point of the story you are writing. It can be something that happens for 2 seconds in the middle of your story, that's how much flexibility you have. Although I like to make it a main point to show that I understand the question, and have not prepared an essay. (Call me stuck-up, I know I am being a little, it's just English is one of the very few subjects I kick arse at)

Would you not lose marks under 'p' for not including much of it?
I mean if you just shtick one line about the picture in a prepared essay, surely you wouldnt do that well?

theowen

Reckoner91 wrote: »

I, personally, have no problem with being able to think of a story at the top of my head to fit any situation. The easiest thing to do is question number 7...remember from the Mocks people? It asked you to write a story that involves any of the pictures that was on the previous section (You know, all to do with competition).
Just know that the picture does NOT have to be the main plot point of the story you are writing. It can be something that happens for 2 seconds in the middle of your story, that's how much flexibility you have. Although I like to make it a main point to show that I understand the question, and have not prepared an essay. (Call me stuck-up, I know I am being a little, it's just English is one of the very few subjects I kick arse at)

Of course it does. It has to be a defining moment in the story, key scene whatever. Otherwise how would they mark you for P as said below?

implausible

Reckoner91 wrote: »

Just know that the picture does NOT have to be the main plot point of the story you are writing. It can be something that happens for 2 seconds in the middle of your story, that's how much flexibility you have.

I'm sorry Reckoner, but this is completely wrong and misleading to tell others.

In the past, students were getting away with this, just slotting the picture in, but the SEC have really tightened up on this. It's not good enough any more. The mock paper is hardly a good example to use.

Example: last year's Question 7: "Write a short story in which a photograph, or a set of photographs, plays a part in the plot." I lost track of the students who lost whole grades when they wrote a story that just mentioned, for example, the guy with the cat in the middle of their story. The question asked them for a story that had a photograph playing a part in the plot.

Reckoner91

alright maybe I was a bit too fast and easy with the whole "2 seconds" thing. When I take a step back and look at the scope, I realize that it just seemed to me how it was just 2 seconds that I included the photograph into my mock essay. Sure, the photograph does have to be a plot point, just not the main one.

You should spend a good 2 or 3 paragraph(s) emphasizing how much the photograph is relevant to the story. But you don't have to base your whole story around it, I don't and my teacher has no problem with it.

Thanks for making me realize I'm not as knowledgable as I think I am