Exam Advice

When writing an essay:

• Read all your questions first, pick the ones that suit your material the best and circle them. If you do this first, the questions will have time to subconsciously ruminate and develop in your head whilst you do other things
• Next, pick the text question you are MOST comfortable with. Do a quick plan of ideas and paragraphs
• Planning is an essential part of the essay writing process.Make sure you get down all the important stuff and constantly refer back to it, remember this is all the good juicy info that will give your essay direction.
• Make sure you answer the question. Planning out a thesis statement really helps this

Thesis statement: is a short answer to the question/topic that outlines how you're approaching the question, the extent you agree with it and why.

• Eg: Films are primarily concerned with the issues of everyday people. To what extent do you agree with this statement? (2008 NCEA 3, film):

The creative direction of a film is not simply to tell a story, but primarily to address the issues made known in the world of the audience. Directors aim to create a world within a film that reflects our own as the morals presented are to teach the audience about how they themselves live. Filmic techniques and auteur style of the director determines how these issues are shown.
Now it's time to write your essay!

Introduction:

• should include your thesis statement, the author and name of the text (Film texts, novels, plays are all underlined. Poems and short stories are in 'single stroke speech marks').
• Author's name is not underlined. DO NOT refer to your author by their FIRST NAME at any point in your essay. You do not know them personally. LAST NAMES are good though.
  
• This is also a good place to define tricky terms in the question.
• How you are approaching your question
• Refer to the purpose of the text or genre itself. Eg: the purpose of confessional poetry is to have a cathartic experience of reinvention. The author purges themselves of negative emotions with the powerful and permeating "I".
  

Body:

• is in support of your thesis statement,
  
• in all paragraphs make sure you are developing your answer to the question,
  
• always summarise your info at the end of each paragraph with relation to the statement.
  
• Back up your argument with evidence (quotes, character action, dialogue, techniques, symbols, imagery etc).
  
• Refer to the purpose of the text itself and what it wants to teach the audience.
  
• 3-4 body paragraphs is standard.
  
• DO NOT go heavily into plot summaries. Chances are your marker has already read the text (assume they have) and so go more into how the ideas brought up in the plot are presented.

Conclusion:

• Is NOT a restatement of your introduction.
  
• It includes your thesis statement
  
• the discoveries that you've made in your body paragraphs that further support thesis.
• Ideas and opinions are summarised here.
  
• Again, make sure you are answering the question again.
  
• End with a nice punchy sentence.

Tips for excellence:

• Refer to outside text information (quotes from experts, historical or contextual evidence around the time it was written, something about the author that relates to the writing of the piece)
• Offer insight to the ideas (be sophisticated in your presentation eg: "the idea of rebellion" vs "the idea that rebellion is necessary to experiencing a full and complete discovery of one's independence")
• Refer to the text you're writing about as evidence towards your general answer to the question. The order of priorities follows: answer to question - genre of text assumption - text itself to back that assumption up - techniques that show this assumption about the text and genre is true.
• Have at least four quotes in your paragraphs. Quote-weaving is essential to achieving a higher mark and also very easy. Eg "the quote: "I saw a fairy" shows Ofelia has a vivid imagination" vs "Ofelia's imagination often manipulates the Fascist reality of Pan's Labyrinth [this blog doesn't let me use the underline tool!] and her own perception of the world. Her mind transforms a large and rather ugly-looking bug to think she just "saw a fairy""
• Always think "why". If you make a claim PROVE IT. Don't have too many ideas, but focus on the most important ones and develop them.
• Use the lingo. Technique terms are great: "hamartia" (great word! Word to describe the tragic flaw in a hero), "dramatic irony", "chiaroscuro", "set dressing", "shot composition", "allusion", "metaphorical catharsis", "character foil", "foreshadowing" etc. Shows you know what you're talking about
• Avoid simplistic and vague statements
• Be original. You have three hours dedicated to your own thought and discovery. Relish the idea that someone finally gets to read your uninterrupted thoughts and insight! There are no wrong answers to these texts, so long as you answer the question and back up your opinion.

Go out and good luck! You'll do so great :)