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No time to write essays in English Paper 2??

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  • 27-01-2011 7:24pm
    #1
    ApeLove
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35 ✭


    I'm hoping/expected to get a high grade in English, I know all my information but being expected to write the poetry, comparative and text essays in about an hour each seems impossible?
    How short could my essays be with a view to still getting full marks? Surely 2 A4 pages is far too little?
    And what's better, to move on and not really finish any of the essays when I'm going over the time limit, or have 2 full essays but basically no third?
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    #2
    Chuchoter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    Same situation here. I write 4 pages for homework and my teacher says I'm writing too little. Can't imagine trying to write loads of 6 page essays in the actual exam :(


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    #3
    Wolfe Tone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,670 ✭✭✭✭Wolfe Tone


    I managed it fine, wrote around 8 pages I think, got a B1.


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    #4
    ApeLove
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35 ✭ApeLove


    Wolfe Tone wrote: »
    I managed it fine, wrote around 8 pages I think, got a B1.

    8 pages per essay, or the three combined? How did you manage it, if I push myself I can write a sloppy 3 page essay in an hour, that's it?


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    #5
    nothing
    Registered Users Posts: 1,697 ✭✭✭nothing


    I only wrote 3 pages in my LC, and got an A2. It's not about quantity, it's about quality.

    https://forumofgames.com/



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    #6
    Wolfe Tone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,670 ✭✭✭✭Wolfe Tone


    My story or whatever you want to call it was 8, the others around 5.


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    #7
    randylonghorn
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    nothing wrote: »
    It's not about quantity, it's about quality.
    This. ^^

    Plus remember that depending on the size of someone's writing, one person's 5 pages can easily be another person's 7 or 8 pages.

    All that said, it is a good idea to practise writing essays within a set time now ... several subjects including English and History are tight for time, that's the reality and it's the same for everyone, so *prepare* for it.


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    #8
    partyatmygaff
    Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Quality over quantity. A good writer needn't be verbose and long winded to produce quality work.

    For example, in a recent poetry essay I wrote a line or two short of three A4 pages. That essay achieved an A1. Other people wrote five or six pages and achieved at best an B2/B1.

    That said though, do what your capable of. You won't be penalised for a long essay and writing only three pages isn't necessarily always a good thing.


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    #9
    Chuchoter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    How do you know when you've written enough though? Does anyone know anywhere sample essays to read and see what they are looking for? I just got one of my essays back and after doing everything he said to do in my Christmas exam (connecting everything to my answer) now he's saying its not long enough and I'm not expanding on my points enough. How do you go through 4 and 5 themes in depth without veering wildly off the point?


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    #10
    BagheeraK
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭BagheeraK


    With regard to the only doing 2 essays, or 3 half done ones, I'd say leave a question if you've spent too long on it! Work out how much time you can afford to give each question depending on marks, and if you go over that time in the exam, leave it and move on, and come back in the end if you've time!


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    #11
    Dr. Ring
    Closed Accounts Posts: 123 ✭✭Dr. Ring


    ApeLove wrote: »
    I'm hoping/expected to get a high grade in English, I know all my information but being expected to write the poetry, comparative and text essays in about an hour each seems impossible?
    How short could my essays be with a view to still getting full marks? Surely 2 A4 pages is far too little?
    And what's better, to move on and not really finish any of the essays when I'm going over the time limit, or have 2 full essays but basically no third?


    Ok, so I got an A1 in Honours English last year and I viewed my exam. I had written 2 pages on King Lear but granted, I have very small writing. to be honest, quantity makes no difference because I still received 48/50 for an answer that was just under 2 A4 pages :)

    Why not plan your essays now and do them out. I'm sure your teacher will only be too glad to correct them for you and once you've improved on what they say having viewed your essays, learn it off. That's the only way you're going to be able to write as much as is required comfortably in the time you'll be given.


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    #12
    mulner92
    Registered Users Posts: 272 ✭✭mulner92


    As one poster said its quality over quantity. I'm not a fast writer but i was able to write enough for the english exam. I got an A2 and i was delighted. I wrote 3 pages each for king lear,comparative and adrienne rich questions. I was also helped by the fact the right stuff came up.


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    #13
    Bbbbolger
    Registered Users Posts: 448 ✭✭Bbbbolger


    crayolastereo wrote: »
    How do you go through 4 and 5 themes in depth without veering wildly off the point?

    Did the question specifically ask for that many themes? I dont think I've ever written an essay where I even attempted to explore and develop such a number of themes?


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    #14
    Chuchoter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    No my teacher just said I wasn't going into enough depth about the themes and I should have had 1 or 2 more, I wrote nearly a whole page on voicelessness/violence and parenting/love, I feel if I keep talking about various themes it just gets boring and off-topic.


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    #15
    ApeLove
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35 ✭ApeLove


    crayolastereo wrote: »
    No my teacher just said I wasn't going into enough depth about the themes and I should have had 1 or 2 more, I wrote nearly a whole page on voicelessness/violence and parenting/love, I feel if I keep talking about various themes it just gets boring and off-topic.

    I've never seen an essay where it would be necessary to cover so many themes, why don't you work on covering 3 very comprehensively instead of superficially covering 5 or whatever your teacher says?


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    #16
    Dr. Ring
    Closed Accounts Posts: 123 ✭✭Dr. Ring


    crayolastereo wrote: »
    No my teacher just said I wasn't going into enough depth about the themes and I should have had 1 or 2 more, I wrote nearly a whole page on voicelessness/violence and parenting/love, I feel if I keep talking about various themes it just gets boring and off-topic.

    Possible themes you should talk about should be ...
    Religion, War, Love/Relationships, Politics, Men v Women.

    If you were to cover these then you would have a very strong response.
    Note: I would advise you deal with one aspect per paragraph... i.e. Religion in par 1, War in par 2 ... etc.

    Remember: New point= New Paragraph


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    #17
    Aoifums
    Registered Users Posts: 1,126 ✭✭✭Aoifums


    crayolastereo wrote: »
    How do you know when you've written enough though? Does anyone know anywhere sample essays to read and see what they are looking for? I just got one of my essays back and after doing everything he said to do in my Christmas exam (connecting everything to my answer) now he's saying its not long enough and I'm not expanding on my points enough. How do you go through 4 and 5 themes in depth without veering wildly off the point?

    5 :eek: That's awful. Sorry, but the max I'd ever go for is 4. For my last (Boland) test I only covered three and it was a three page essay and I got an A2. I was aiming to cover four topics but I ran out of time.


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    #18
    partyatmygaff
    Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Three is the maximum i'd ever cover. There's no time for more than that and there's no need for more than three points.


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    #19
    Aoifums
    Registered Users Posts: 1,126 ✭✭✭Aoifums


    My teacher said four. But if I can get an A2 with three, there's no way I'm cramming four into it. I'll still know five or six but I'll take the easier way out :p


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    #20
    Chuchoter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,306 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    I think I'll stick with three and do them really well. If you use the same poem to illustrate two themes (ie 'The Pomegranate' for love and parenting) is that bad?


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    #21
    ConstantJoe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 360 ✭✭ConstantJoe


    What my history teacher recommended trying for the mocks, though it's still relevent to english, is before starting your essay quickly write down your essay plan before each one. You won't get any marks for it, but it shows the examiner where you're going in your essay, and where you planned to go, if you don't get it finished.


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