How should you respond to a quote-based essay prompt? This is one of the 3 most common essay questions VCE English/EAL students get in Year 11 and Year 12, but it is also the most confusing type of essay question! Many students don't know what to do with the quote provided because the quote is rarely a question, and the directive that sometimes follows seems unrelated...
Tag: English teacher
How to tackle ‘Discuss’ essay questions
How should you respond to a 'Discuss' essay prompt? This is one of the most common essay questions VCE English/EAL students get in Year 11 and Year 12 because it's quite confusing - discuss what?!?! Many students assume the question is asking them...
How to tackle ‘Do You Agree’ essay questions
How should you respond to a 'Do you Agree' essay prompt? This is one of the most common essay questions VCE English/EAL students get in Year 11 and Year 12 because it's deceptively simple. Many students assume they need to agree with the statement sentence that is provided, or they feel they have no choice...
We Have Always Lived In The Castle – Chapter 1 quotes
Here are 7 quotes from Chapter 1 that you could use to talk about the themes of unreliable narration, isolation and feminine power in Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle in your VCE English and EAL Text Response essay.
The 3 kinds of essay prompts in VCE English/EAL
In VCE English and EAL, there are 3 kinds of essay prompts for text response that examiners use to assess students. Students will need to know what is expected in each of these prompts in order to do well in their Year 11 and Year 12 SACs and exams. The first thing to remember is that these are...
Albanese’s victory speech as a crafting texts piece
Mentor texts are helpful in teaching students how themes (or 'Frameworks') can be explored through various genres of writing, but looking sample pieces are also really helpful too! I heard snippets of Anthony Albanese's victory speech after the election and I thought it ticked so many boxes as a crafting/creating texts piece - it's very clear in its purpose, it audience, and it's crafted to deliver a message in a very specific voice. So here I am, reacting to his speech as though Anthony Albanese's speech is a crafting/creating texts piece!
How to increase your analysis
Every English student has gotten this feedback on their text essay: 'explain more!' or 'expand on this!' But what if you don't know how? What if you feel like you've already said everything you can, and it's still not enough?
How to write a practice essay WITHOUT writing an essay
In an ideal world, we would have all the time and energy and motivation to write all the practice essays we need to. But sadly, this world doesn't exist. So what's the next best thing?
Why TEEL?
TEEL is a simple essay structure that many teachers and tutors use to help high school students learn how organise the flow of their thoughts and ideas. It is typically used for VCE text response essays (eg. essays about a book, movie, or other text), and many schools will...
The easiest way to analyse argument
If you struggle with argument analysis, here's the easiest way to improve your essay with the least amount of effort:
