2023 HSC chat (13 Viewers)

[SadCeliac]

Dang can't believe that paper is so common now. Back in my day, that use to be the ultra rare Mega Charizard of the bio trials

isnt that because in your day you were two years off a syllabus change and that paper was out the year before you <3

 

[carrotsss]

To all you year 12 students. I wish you all the best and every success and I wanted to let you know I’m happy to help .
My name is Mr McAlpin and I am a qualified English and Modern History teacher . After retIring from teaching I set up files and resources for EVERY text in the English syllabus ( std, adv , ext ) in order to help students who might need resources etc . I have also marked HSC and been an external marker for HSC trials

I also mark essays of that helps . I do not expect any payment . I will give them to you and they are updated as often as I can.

Anyway I wanted you all to know, and let others know if you wish , that I’m happy to assist if it helps . Im also on the discord hsc site and facebook HSC discussion 2023

Anyway thought I would let you know and let you decide if you think I could .

Feel free to send message or ask more details . Happy to disclose my email if that helps

Anyway to you wonderful HSC 2023 students keep the focus , back yourself , work out but have free time and take care .


I wrote some tips for you that might help . Sorry it’s long my file wouldn’t load


Regards

Mr I McAlpin



SOME LITTLE TIPS FOR ENGLISH TRIALS AND HSC ENGLISH PAPERS

1/ TIME MANAGEMENT
Especially in paper one unseen comprehension take note of the marking scheme and make sure you don’t spend too much time on low mark questions
You might like to consider : you have 45 minutes to get 20 marks . That’s just over two minutes a mark . I suggest something like for 3 marks you write fir six minutes max ( ie 3 marks x 2 minutes a mark ) = 6,4 marks =8 minutes etc . That way you will have a little bit of time left over

Also regarding time you really only have 40 minutes to write once . By the time you finish writing 40 minutes first time it probably takes 30 seconds to change booklets , and turn to next question . You might grab a quick drink as well . Allow 39 minutes and then 38 etc .
For that reason I suggest you allow 10 minutes a paragraph ( 3 body paragraphs) which translates to 30 minutes leaving 10 minutes for intro/ conclusion. If you write more body paragraphs you will need to spend less time per paragraphs ( approx 8 mins ) 8 minutes x 4 = 32 minutes
Always remember an average finished essay will often get better marks than a brilliant unfinished one .

2/ READING TIME
It is likely ,with paper one , that you won’t finish reading all your unseen texts In your 10 minutes so you should read the longer text first and have a strategy for the texts that you don’t finish reading when you can start writing
Also I suggest you take a minute out of your writing time to make a few quick notes on the other questions so you don’t forget what you thought of during reading time . By that I mean jot down say three dot points for module b and mod c ( c of w) BEFORE you start Mod a .
You can answer the questions in any order but MAKE SURE they are in different booklets .

3/ LONG TITLES OR ABBREVIATING YOUR TEXT NAME .
Some schools might say otherwise so follow your school’s expectations regarding abbreviation of titles but NESA allows it . Make sure you put the FULL title in the introduction and conclusion and correctly label it . I would suggest a word rather than initials Eg Write “ Go Back To Where You Came From “ as “ Go Back” rather than “ GBTWYCF” because it actually takes longer to write initials than word(s).


4/ PREPARATION AND WRITING

Don’t focus on what you don’t know . No matter how little you think you know concentrate on what you do know . Eg whatever little bit you do know DO IT REALLY WELL .
Your paragraphs don’t need to be of equal length . It’s ok to have say 2 paragraphS with say 200 words approx and one with only around 150.
You all know something so use that. At least you will get some marks for what you know . You can’t get marks without writing something and remember you ARE BEING ASSESSED ON STRUCTURE so knowledge might not be brilliant but structure can increase your mark
5/ QUOTES
Of course you want more but note one quote per paragraph is better than three in one and none in the other paragraphs .Dont forget you can use an ellipsis .eg if you were quoting say Romeo and Juliet you could write : “ Romeo , Romeo ... thou Romeo” or something similar to explain . TRY AND PICK SHORT QUOTES SO YOU CAN DO YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER THEM .

6/ TECHNIQUES

Don’t be afraid to use the basics you learnt in primary school .eg alliteration , personification etc . It’s not the technique that matters so much as HOW it helps you interpret the meaning
Do not use techniques in the introduction unless you intend to refer to them in EVERY paragraph
Remember that HOW questions involve technique answers or reference to your understanding

7/ INTRODUCTION
THIS IS THE ANSWER YOU CAN TRY AND REMEMBER . Markers can usually decide your mark by reading your introduction because it: 1/ refers to the text name and author/ poet/ director etc 2/ identifies the question and your approach to it 3/ shows how you intend to prove it
It’s ok to say ‘ ...through skilful use of figurative language responders ...” or something g like that . 4 to 5 sentences should be enough and your intention that say you actually on.y have to alter about a line and a half . The rest is always the same

8/ PERSONAL RESPONSE ANSWERS
Having been told not to use first person responses in essays this is still a contentious issue .How do you respond to : HOW HAS YOUR READING OF ...SHAPED YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF...” Having discussed this with other hsc English teachers the general consensus is use I or WE in the intro and conclusion and responders ,audiences, readers etc in tne body paragraphs .
Eg intro ..Through my reading of x’s “ name of text” I have concluded that ....”
and in the body paragraphs . “ Furthermore as readers delve deeper into the text their reading is shaped by ....”

9/ CRAFT OF WRITING
Hard to predict . I suggest you have two or three ideas based aroynd the mod c texts you have studied and try and have a plan that you have a story that can be persuasive , discursive or imaginary with minimal changes . Look at what you have already written for mod c and try and write it in another format without changing the purpose .
Be aware of your audience . If not stated then it won’t matter .
With your reflection when you talk about any weaknesses or struggles make them positive . Eg I was uncertain which language techniques to use ( that tells the marker that you know a lot )

10 / EXAM
Decide whether you do your weakest one first and get it done or do your best one first . In doing so keep your time management in mind if you decide to go overtime and make sure you are aware of your time
Know how much you can WRITE BY HAND in ten minutes . It’s not how many pages it’s the quality of your answers

If you want a better word don’t waste time coming up with a better synonym just write as it is . It won’t make it better /less sophisticated
Best wishes everyone
WARMEST REGARDS
Mr McAlpin

Thank you so much

 

[raspberriesandpears]

smh forgot about the GOAT subject. honestly its been pre easy, im essentially done writing the reflection and major work just doing touch ups. takes the stress out of having another exam yk.

I wrote a critical response into the utility of dystopian fiction in revealing societal progress and concerns of eras. It is called
“OLD FEARS ARE NEW AGAIN”
How Dystopian Fiction Represents a Barometer of the Ages

This says what it's about from my reflection:
Accordingly, my major work, a critical analysis titled "“OLD FEARS ARE NEW AGAIN” How Dystopian Fiction Represents a Barometer of the Ages", is an evaluation of whether the concerns of yesteryear are still constant today through the analysis of four dystopian texts across two time periods (1930-1940 & 2000-present). Ultimately, I aimed to illustrate how dystopian literature is utilised by authors as the principal genre for discussing anxieties of the respective age and the effect this had on the audience. My piece therefore critically analyses the ways in which authors Aldous Huxley, Ayn Rand, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Neal Shusterman in their respective texts of Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley and Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem (1938), as well as, the novels Never Let Me Go (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro and Neal Shusterman’s Scythe (2016) appeal to the audience to understand the overarching issues of any specific time. These issues specifically relate to the scrutinisation of the overarching consequences of living under oppressive systems, the importance of individuality, and the futile pursuit of utopia in their relation to power. This thus enables my piece to act as an investigation into which social, cultural and political concerns persist across multiple time periods, hence applying in practice the idea that dystopian fiction is a barometer of the ages. The structure of the essay is filtered through the three subheadings pertaining to relevant societal ills: ‘The Futility of the Utopian Vision’ (1), The Issue of Oppressive Systems within Supposed Utopian Visions (2), The Treatment of the Important Individual within “Utopian” Society (3).

i'm a bit late to this discussion (not really you are all just chronically online) but this sounds so cool! it's good to see another person doing ee2
i'm doing a short story which i love

 

[vvert2023]

i'm a bit late to this discussion (not really you are all just chronically online) but this sounds so cool! it's good to see another person doing ee2
i'm doing a short story which i love

Nahhhh i'm not chronically online, im just procrastinating. and I love ee2, favourite subject tbh. also thanks.

what's your short story on?

Damn that sounds epic. I kinda regret not doing a critical response for mine now, I went the normie route and did a short fiction.

Cheers boss. Depends on ur strengths tbh. but critical responses do get better marks on avg im pre sure, less subjective for the marker in case they j hate ur concept.

 

[corpsepose]

ee1 in an hour and twenty, dear god pray for me

 

[corpsepose]

gl !

thank you waiting for godot makes me feel like vomiting

 

[carrotsss]

ee1 in an hour and twenty, dear god pray for me

gl

 

[vvert2023]

ee1 in an hour and twenty, dear god pray for me

get fucking keen son.

got mine too. goodluck shouldnt be too bad. lit worlds has to be split this year, can't be a 25 mark critical.

 

[raspberriesandpears]

Nahhhh i'm not chronically online, im just procrastinating. and I love ee2, favourite subject tbh. also thanks.

what's your short story on?

lmao i'm not saying you're chronically online necessary, it was just a comment about how you sent your message like, 12 hours ago and it's already 5 or 6 pages back so clearly someone is

i'm writing about the 1832 june rebellion (this little two day long french uprising that i know too much about) and using it as an allegory for hope and transcendental hope and all that good stuff
historical fiction tends to do well if it's researched enough so fingers crossed!

 

[raspberriesandpears]

also good luck for e1! mine's tomorrow. feeling okay for wou but a bit more worried about literary worlds because it's such a wildcard

 

[Interdice]

To all you year 12 students. I wish you all the best and every success and I wanted to let you know I’m happy to help .
My name is Mr McAlpin and I am a qualified English and Modern History teacher . After retIring from teaching I set up files and resources for EVERY text in the English syllabus ( std, adv , ext ) in order to help students who might need resources etc . I have also marked HSC and been an external marker for HSC trials

I also mark essays of that helps . I do not expect any payment . I will give them to you and they are updated as often as I can.

Anyway I wanted you all to know, and let others know if you wish , that I’m happy to assist if it helps . Im also on the discord hsc site and facebook HSC discussion 2023

Anyway thought I would let you know and let you decide if you think I could .

Feel free to send message or ask more details . Happy to disclose my email if that helps

Anyway to you wonderful HSC 2023 students keep the focus , back yourself , work out but have free time and take care .


I wrote some tips for you that might help . Sorry it’s long my file wouldn’t load


Regards

Mr I McAlpin



SOME LITTLE TIPS FOR ENGLISH TRIALS AND HSC ENGLISH PAPERS

1/ TIME MANAGEMENT
Especially in paper one unseen comprehension take note of the marking scheme and make sure you don’t spend too much time on low mark questions
You might like to consider : you have 45 minutes to get 20 marks . That’s just over two minutes a mark . I suggest something like for 3 marks you write fir six minutes max ( ie 3 marks x 2 minutes a mark ) = 6,4 marks =8 minutes etc . That way you will have a little bit of time left over

Also regarding time you really only have 40 minutes to write once . By the time you finish writing 40 minutes first time it probably takes 30 seconds to change booklets , and turn to next question . You might grab a quick drink as well . Allow 39 minutes and then 38 etc .
For that reason I suggest you allow 10 minutes a paragraph ( 3 body paragraphs) which translates to 30 minutes leaving 10 minutes for intro/ conclusion. If you write more body paragraphs you will need to spend less time per paragraphs ( approx 8 mins ) 8 minutes x 4 = 32 minutes
Always remember an average finished essay will often get better marks than a brilliant unfinished one .

2/ READING TIME
It is likely ,with paper one , that you won’t finish reading all your unseen texts In your 10 minutes so you should read the longer text first and have a strategy for the texts that you don’t finish reading when you can start writing
Also I suggest you take a minute out of your writing time to make a few quick notes on the other questions so you don’t forget what you thought of during reading time . By that I mean jot down say three dot points for module b and mod c ( c of w) BEFORE you start Mod a .
You can answer the questions in any order but MAKE SURE they are in different booklets .

3/ LONG TITLES OR ABBREVIATING YOUR TEXT NAME .
Some schools might say otherwise so follow your school’s expectations regarding abbreviation of titles but NESA allows it . Make sure you put the FULL title in the introduction and conclusion and correctly label it . I would suggest a word rather than initials Eg Write “ Go Back To Where You Came From “ as “ Go Back” rather than “ GBTWYCF” because it actually takes longer to write initials than word(s).


4/ PREPARATION AND WRITING

Don’t focus on what you don’t know . No matter how little you think you know concentrate on what you do know . Eg whatever little bit you do know DO IT REALLY WELL .
Your paragraphs don’t need to be of equal length . It’s ok to have say 2 paragraphS with say 200 words approx and one with only around 150.
You all know something so use that. At least you will get some marks for what you know . You can’t get marks without writing something and remember you ARE BEING ASSESSED ON STRUCTURE so knowledge might not be brilliant but structure can increase your mark
5/ QUOTES
Of course you want more but note one quote per paragraph is better than three in one and none in the other paragraphs .Dont forget you can use an ellipsis .eg if you were quoting say Romeo and Juliet you could write : “ Romeo , Romeo ... thou Romeo” or something similar to explain . TRY AND PICK SHORT QUOTES SO YOU CAN DO YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER THEM .

6/ TECHNIQUES

Don’t be afraid to use the basics you learnt in primary school .eg alliteration , personification etc . It’s not the technique that matters so much as HOW it helps you interpret the meaning
Do not use techniques in the introduction unless you intend to refer to them in EVERY paragraph
Remember that HOW questions involve technique answers or reference to your understanding

7/ INTRODUCTION
THIS IS THE ANSWER YOU CAN TRY AND REMEMBER . Markers can usually decide your mark by reading your introduction because it: 1/ refers to the text name and author/ poet/ director etc 2/ identifies the question and your approach to it 3/ shows how you intend to prove it
It’s ok to say ‘ ...through skilful use of figurative language responders ...” or something g like that . 4 to 5 sentences should be enough and your intention that say you actually on.y have to alter about a line and a half . The rest is always the same

8/ PERSONAL RESPONSE ANSWERS
Having been told not to use first person responses in essays this is still a contentious issue .How do you respond to : HOW HAS YOUR READING OF ...SHAPED YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF...” Having discussed this with other hsc English teachers the general consensus is use I or WE in the intro and conclusion and responders ,audiences, readers etc in tne body paragraphs .
Eg intro ..Through my reading of x’s “ name of text” I have concluded that ....”
and in the body paragraphs . “ Furthermore as readers delve deeper into the text their reading is shaped by ....”

9/ CRAFT OF WRITING
Hard to predict . I suggest you have two or three ideas based aroynd the mod c texts you have studied and try and have a plan that you have a story that can be persuasive , discursive or imaginary with minimal changes . Look at what you have already written for mod c and try and write it in another format without changing the purpose .
Be aware of your audience . If not stated then it won’t matter .
With your reflection when you talk about any weaknesses or struggles make them positive . Eg I was uncertain which language techniques to use ( that tells the marker that you know a lot )

10 / EXAM
Decide whether you do your weakest one first and get it done or do your best one first . In doing so keep your time management in mind if you decide to go overtime and make sure you are aware of your time
Know how much you can WRITE BY HAND in ten minutes . It’s not how many pages it’s the quality of your answers

If you want a better word don’t waste time coming up with a better synonym just write as it is . It won’t make it better /less sophisticated
Best wishes everyone
WARMEST REGARDS
Mr McAlpin

You're a saint I swear

 

[mmmmmmmmaaaaaaa]

I haven't even looked at last years bc im worried abt it, i heard it was one of the harder ones.

it was easy

 

[vvert2023]

lmao i'm not saying you're chronically online necessary, it was just a comment about how you sent your message like, 12 hours ago and it's already 5 or 6 pages back so clearly someone is

i'm writing about the 1832 june rebellion (this little two day long french uprising that i know too much about) and using it as an allegory for hope and transcendental hope and all that good stuff
historical fiction tends to do well if it's researched enough so fingers crossed!

plenty of ppl procrastinating thats who

never heard of that but that does close the door for subjectivity. you sound heaps good for it tho, good luck. allegories and trascendental hope is all big words, should go well lmao.

also good luck for e1! mine's tomorrow. feeling okay for wou but a bit more worried about literary worlds because it's such a wildcard

mine's today. you cssa?
yeah not keen for lit worlds but wou is sweet. doing the rejection of spirituality and traditional morals, im in no way religious, just a means to an end.

 

[ATAR + Life = 99.95]

Speaking about trials, this morning I just had my math trial hsc exam and I didn't realise it was in the morning until my friend texted me.
I thought it was this afternoon, so I slept in.
Anyway, I made it to the exam, but I was nearly two hours late! I ended up answering the multiple choice section as well as a couple of short answer questions.
Will they moderate my mark to take into account that I was late? I don't want it to affect my mark, because it wasn't my fault, because no one reminded me I had an exam this morning.

 

[mmmmmmmmaaaaaaa]

i dont think a 92 in ext 1 warrants an ego, so dw about that

you right

 

[synthesisFR]

Speaking about trials, this morning I just had my math trial hsc exam and I didn't realise it was in the morning until my friend texted me.
I thought it was this afternoon, so I slept in.
Anyway, I made it to the exam, but I was nearly two hours late! I ended up answering the multiple choice section as well as a couple of short answer questions.
Will they moderate my mark to take into account that I was late? I don't want it to affect my mark, because it wasn't my fault, because no one reminded me I had an exam this morning.

Yes they will increase it to 100 because it is their fault they didn’t even send a limo to pick u up? SMH

 

[ATAR + Life = 99.95]

What? I think you are joking, are you?
I just really don't want to get a bad mark, because then it might make my atar a bit lower, an I really want a good atar, because I am hoping to go to university.

 

[mmmmmmmmaaaaaaa]

What? I think you are joking, are you?
I just really don't want to get a bad mark, because then it might make my atar a bit lower, an I really want a good atar, because I am hoping to go to university.

it's your fault for not checking

 

[synthesisFR]

What? I think you are joking, are you?
I just really don't want to get a bad mark, because then it might make my atar a bit lower, an I really want a good atar, because I am hoping to go to university.

No they didn’t even remind you how is it your fault
Call ur deputy principle and get whoever is responsible fired or sun shi

 

[ATAR + Life = 99.95]

I am just a year 12 student. I didn't know they put so much responsibility on us to check when we have our own exams!
I might get my parents to complain to the nesa, and hopefully, they give me a better atar for not telling me, because it is there fault for not contacting me. They are so disorganised!