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Understanding of content ≠ Good Essays. HELP (1 Viewer)

mattskioner

New Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2015
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2017
Imma just say it: eco content is not too bad. IMO, there really aren't too many hard concepts to grasp. It's just the essays. I don't know if I have essayphobia or I straight up suck, but every time I sit down and look at the question, I just struggle to nail a basic structure, let alone write a full 800 words. Should I try and do a couple of essays a week, or is there some other method that works? I know it's not too late to still do well, so any help would be appreciated.
 

WildestDreams

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Sep 13, 2015
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I suggest you start writing an essay a week and giving it in to your teacher to check. That way, you can get feedback whilst improving on your essay format. But the basic idea is to break the essay question into different components and answer it paragraph by paragraph. Furthermore, to make a really good essay, statistics may also be needed to extensively show your understanding of the current economy. Although you can regurgitate the textbook, it may only land you at the highest, a B. I also suggest you read 'A State Ranker's Guide to Economics' in the Economics forum, there might be some cool advice on them.

Hope this helped!
 

SuperAltastic

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Hey,

As you pointed out already economics its self isn't that hard to grasp, but the essays are difficult to write and structure, here are some pointers that I can give that helped me through out my HSC.

1. Look at others essays who have done the HSC in the past and what they do well each time as well as their areas of improvement, the more exposure you have to reading others work the better you can understand the structure. The best way to do this is try and see if you can get your hands on the HSC workbook which is what I did and used those examples, they are often from state rankers and give a good indication of what your writing should be looking like.

2. The introduction, this part of your essay is absolutely CRUCIAL as it is the first impression for the marker in the HSC and when you think about it first impressions are quite important. So in my intro's I would ANSWER THE QUESTION STRAIGHT AWAY giving my view on the question and then defining key terms and then further elaborating on my view point.

3. The BODY this has to be the main component of your essay, it must be in-depth with continuous analysis. The best way I thought to have in depth analysis was to imagine the marker has only the most minimal knowledge of economics and as they read my essay anything that is not explained completely, backed up with evidence would fly straight past them. In your body it is essential that you continuously link each piece of evidence or analysis back to the question to ensure it is well answered.

Moreover you need to explain things from start to finish ie you could say that high unemployment -> low economic growth as a point, but to ensure you explain everything you should explain each step ie high unemployment -> leads to lower MPC as people have less money to spend -> which in turn lowers consumption -> which in turn lowers AD and economic growth.

4. Conclusion this must be concise enough to reiterate all your points and reaffirm your stance on the question.

I hope this helps.
 

iStudent

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Imma just say it: eco content is not too bad. IMO, there really aren't too many hard concepts to grasp. It's just the essays. I don't know if I have essayphobia or I straight up suck, but every time I sit down and look at the question, I just struggle to nail a basic structure, let alone write a full 800 words. Should I try and do a couple of essays a week, or is there some other method that works? I know it's not too late to still do well, so any help would be appreciated.
Don't bother writing a couple of essays a week. Quality > quantity. What's the point of writing 10 shabby essays, barely improving with each - when you can write a few band6/perfect ones - definitely spend time working on e.g. CAD and doing your research, consulting all the textbooks to make the essay as perfect as possible). There are loads of information out there - 800 should be easily attainable (if anything, you should aim to write 1-1.2k+)

For you, I'd advise writing essay PLANS. Not knowing what to write is a common struggle - as it was for me. Develop solid essay plans that you can take into the exam room and you'll do a lot better compared to going in without a direction. Try make your essay plans like 1.2k+ words long (augment your essay plan using Riley - a very good textbook).

To reinforce what others have stated - a very effective way to learn the structure is through past exemplars. Definitely get your hands on some of the previous essays so you have a guide on what to write.
 

SirKeynes

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Jul 9, 2017
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For you, I'd advise writing essay PLANS. Not knowing what to write is a common struggle - as it was for me.

^^This.

Make a plan with simple dot points that directly answer the question.

E.g one dot point for effects of depreciation will be "improved international competitiveness"

You can then refer to textbooks to see how they add volume to that particular dot point you have.
 

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