I’ve said in my other posts that the number one purpose of an HSC English essay is to respond to the question. Now it’s time to learn how to do that.
Our essays are complicated and big picture responses to a given question. While they need to be exploring large ideas and integrating evidence and explanation, the given question should always be at the forefront of our minds.
It’s the first thing the markers look for in your thesis and is a defining part of the HSC English Syllabus. Without an explicit and consistent response to the question, your essay cannot reach that Band 6 level.
Lucky for us, there’s a process for preparing ourselves for any question they throw our way:
A. Preparation
Before we enter the exam and while writing our exemplar essay, we can prepare ourselves for different question types and concepts.
Knowing the Rubric
Knowing the rubric for each HSC module can greatly improve your chances at understanding what the question is asking you. Generally, NESA sticks pretty close to the key words and ideas of the rubric (I say generally because in 2019 they asked “To what extent does the exploration of human experience in The Merchant of Venice invite you to reconsider your understanding of deception?”, which, btw, has nothing to do with the rubric).
So, let’s take a look at the Module A rubric for English Advanced.
In this module, students explore the ways in which the comparative study of texts can reveal resonances and dissonances between and within texts. Students consider the ways that a reimagining or reframing of an aspect of a text might mirror, align or collide with the details of another text. In their textual studies, they also explore common or disparate issues, values, assumptions or perspectives and how these are depicted. By comparing two texts students understand how composers (authors, poets, playwrights, directors, designers and so on) are influenced by other texts, contexts and values, and how this shapes meaning.
To see how NESA has used the rubric to make their questions, take the 2022 question:
To what extent do the perspectives explored in Wit collide with those in Donne’s poetry? - 2022
They’ve taken the rubric and morphed it into a question, making knowing the rubric essential to our question preparation.
Our Before Writing your English Essay page goes into depth on knowing the rubric so check it out for more tips and tricks.
List of Ideas
To prepare for any concept asked in your exam, prepare a list of relevant ideas that you can slot into your paragraphs (either as a point or as a full body paragraph).
Looking at Ishiguro’s ‘An Artist of the Floating World’ as an example, the examiners could ask you about the changing nature of art, the impact of change on identity, the role of memory in identity or any other number of concepts.
And so, brainstorming key ideas is a great way to familiarise yourself with different aspects of the rubric and text as well as prepare yourself for any question.
Here are a couple questions to get you started:
What struggles do the characters face?
Why do the characters behave the way they do?
What is the outcome of the characters’ behaviours?
What is the composer’s purpose?
Where does the text fit into the rubric? More on this is the upcoming Writing to the Rubric page
Is the chosen perspective and tense important?
Is the chosen form important?
What are the main symbols and motifs of the text?
Do different settings have different meanings?
We’ve already got a detailed post on your Essay Framework which dives into finding and arranging the key ideas that work best for your essay so check that out for more help, or see our upcoming study guides for detailed lists and examples of text-specific ideas.
Key Quotes and Must Includes
These are the things that you’ll probably include no matter what question you encounter. They could be quotes, techniques, symbols, characters, settings, perspectives, form etc.
Knowing these and the ideas they represent inside and out will put you in great stead for forming arguments and analysis on the spot.
B. Key Words
Now let’s take a look at the actual question we’re given.
Most questions you’ll get through Year 12 and your HSC will belong within a Concept Category or Form/Technique Category (sometimes a mixture of both), and there are specific words you can look for to know what category the question fits into and what you’re trying to answer.
Concept Category
The first will ask you to explore or critique a concept from the rubric or text. Take the 2019 Mod B question as an example:
‘An exploration of unreliability, ambiguity and contradiction.’ To what extent does this view align with your understanding of An Artist of the Floating World?
With your first look it’s obviously asking about the concepts of unreliability, ambiguity and contradiction. When the concepts are laid out this plainly, you MUST use them as key words throughout your essay.
Now let’s check out a more difficult example, the 2021 Mod B question:
‘Literature forces us to ask questions and look for answers. Even if those answers do not exist.’ To what extent is this true? In your response, make close reference to your prescribed text.
Looking at it now, there are no real stand-out key words to pick from. We have to dig a little deeper and form key words and phrases of our own so that we know how to link our points back to the question.
The number one question to ask: ‘what does this question want in relation to the text?’
Let’s break it down into two parts.
1. ‘Literature forces us to ask questions and look for answers.’
The first part of the question is making a statement, telling us that our text makes us ask questions and inspires us to find an answer. So what questions do we ask while reading An Artist of the Floating World?
Why does Ono omit narration about his wife and life during the war?
Why is the novel structured in such a fragmented way?
Why is the older generation admonished for their part in the war?
2. ‘Even if those answers do not exist.’
The second part builds a much clearer picture of what they want us to talk about. If you’ve studied the text and its main themes, you’ll know this refers to the text’s ambiguous ending and the idea that cultural change is cyclical and inevitable.
Now, we’ve got a direction. We’re going to be discussing the ways in which our text builds uncertainty (ask questions and look for answers) and how sometimes that cannot be resolved (non-existent answers).
To build a small collection of key words for yourself, think about words to do with these ideas and what could explicitly link us to the question eg. storytelling, texts, compel, push, questioning, uncertainty, search, resolution, subjective, purported…
Form/Technique Category
Other questions will want you to explore the form or specific techniques of your text more so than specific ideas
This does not mean you can disregard your ideas, just focus on the specific form or technique in your analysis and structure your points around that.
Our first example, 2023 Mod B question;
‘Evaluate how your personal and intellectual engagement with your prescribed text has been intensified by its construction.’ In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text.
Again, two parts to this.
1. ‘Personal and intellectual engagement’
This is so uselessly broad, I have a serious problem with NESA for this question. It pretty much tells you to look at the ideas you learnt about when reading your text. Don’t overthink it. What are the arguments and ideas that you feel most comfortable writing about?
2. ‘Intensified by its construction’
This is the important part. Here the question is not only asking you about how the text creates this engagement with the reader but how its form and structure add to that. Again it’s very broadly looking at ‘construction’ meaning language techniques, form, structure, perspective, tense etc.
Key words you can use for this surround form and techniques and will often posit that your composer is speaking directly to the audience.
Another example, 2020 Common Mod;
‘How effectively does your prescribed text tell stories to reveal both the personal and shared nature of human experiences?’
This one is a cross between concept and form/technique. On the one hand it pushes you to talk about the features of storytelling (the text’s form, structure, motifs etc.) and then it also ask you to explore the individual and collective human experiences (a module point).
Keywords for this one might include storytelling, construction, authorial, narrative, personal, individual, insular, shared, collective, universal etc.
C. Question Integration
After considering the question and what key words to use, the next step is actually integrating throughout your essay.
Thesis
This is by far the most important line of your essay, and where responding to the question is most key. Here we have to think about what our holistic argument is going to be and explicitly link it to the question.
For now, we’re thinking about the big picture. What is the question specifically asking? What argument do we want to make?
Example Question:
‘How has your study of an Artist of the Floating World altered and expanded your understanding of art and tradition?’
Example Thesis:
Through the authorial dismantling of imperialist absolutism, Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1986 ‘An Artist of the Floating World’ expands contemporary notions of art as a validation of the uncertainties surrounding tradition and transformation.
From that and our own study of the text, we know that we’re going to be arguing that art acts as a possible resolution to the problems arising from clinging to tradition. So we include the key words of the question and we’re off.
Topic Sentence
The topic sentences of each paragraph similarly have to relate to the question. Here, we’re looking more at the key ideas rather than holistic argument so you don’t have to answer the question, just provide evidence that the idea is relevant.
‘Artist’ critiques the collective search for truth within tradition and change, altering our preconceived understanding of cultural attitudes as a temporal constant.
You can see how we’ve taken the keywords from the question and integrated them into our first idea. For more info on how we got to this idea, check out our Essay Framework post.
In Content
Most students stop at the Topic Sentence when integrating the question into their essays. But to reach those top marks, you should be constantly referring to the question and using keywords throughout your paragraph content
In this motif’s representation of the uncertainty between old and new - and the fragility of this relationship within Ono depicted in “little wooden bridge” - it is cast as a symbol for both tradition and modernity, exposing a postmodern dissolution of absolutist certainty.
Here, we’re integrating keywords into our analysis and explicitly looking at our key idea for the paragraph. Remember to keep your expression concise and explicit so that the markers always understand how you’re answering the question.
Linking Sentence
The final part of integrating the question is at the end of each paragraph. Here we must explain again how our key idea links to the question and holistic argument.
Ultimately, Ishiguro illuminates the harmful tensions arising from the categorical embrace of certainty within tradition and modernity and challenges our understanding of fluid cultural changes.
D. Exam Techniques
In your HSC exams, you’ve got 5 or 10 minutes of reading time and 40-45 minutes of writing time for each question. Being able to effectively spend this time is super important when you’ve got so much to do with so little time.
Reading Time
Take your time to read the questions!
If you just run through the paper in your reading time without actually understanding what’s on the page, there is no chance of responding well to the question.
During this time try to pick out the keywords from the question and ask yourself what argument you could make and what ideas you could use.
If you’ve got time at the end, think about what your thesis could be and how you can link it to the question.
Writing Time
This is pretty self-explanatory. During your writing time, you should be constantly writing something. By this point you’ve either memorised your exemplar essay or you’ve got a detailed list of arguments and examples to pick from.
The more time you spend waiting for the perfect expression to come, the less time you have to write it out. To get good at writing fluently, practise writing out your essays under exam conditions.
While writing, always keep the question at the forefront of your mind and try to consider the bigger picture. Remember, the examiners are looking for how well you can answer the question by exploring complex ideas through simple expression.
E. That’s It
There’s how we respond to the question in our HSC exams. Preparing well for this part of the essay is super important as it’s the first priority for any marker and for all Band 6 students.
Key lessons to take away are;
Preparing yourself by knowing the rubric, preparing ideas and understanding your text/s
Pick out the question’s key words
Integrate these key words and synonyms throughout the essay
Use your time properly to get the best marks
Summit Study Hub is built by proven tutors and students so that you have all the resources and support you need to climb to the top. Our blog and study guides give you detailed insight into how to advance your marks. If your text hasn’t got its own page or guide, let us know and we’ll add it to our collection. Our professional tutors are also available for one-on-one tutoring to help boost your confidence and lift your marks to that Band 6 height. Book a free trial lesson with us to go the extra academic mile.
If you want to learn more about preparing yourself for essay writing, we’ve got pages on before writing your essay, as well as a framework for big picture thinking.
Good Luck and Happy Writing!
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