Although we have written our HSC blog post on Module C, we have noticed that it has heaps of hits to our site and many students have contact us for more information and guidance.
So, we thought for the benefit of all students we would put together some tips for each text type to help you with your next assessment.
Discursive Ideas
- Remember not to limit yourself into thinking that you only have to explore the ideas for and against a topic. This isn’t really the aim of a discursive text. Rather you want to discuss the multiple ideas that exist concurrently with each other. You shouldn’t necessarily want to convinced the marker of a particular attitude or belief – only make them aware of the different attitudes that exist and validate each individually.
- The question might or might not give you an audience or context. Writing a discursive piece without these elements is tricky because you have no end point that you are aiming towards. So, we recommend setting these boundaries for yourself – so long as the question allows for it.
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- For example, you might be talking to a group of youths at a conference
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- You might be writing an article for a high end fashion magazine
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- Or even you might be writing to script for a podcast for a specific group of interested individuals.
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- Whatever it may be, make it clear so that you can stay focused on the question
- Let’s take an example – writing a discursive piece on being a twin. We aren’t convincing people to be a twin or to like/dislike twins. We are simply exploring the different elements and views about being a twin
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- For example, a twin might write about their experience of being a twin and what its been like for them or recount a particular event.
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- The parent of twins can provide an alternate view – what is been like for them to parent twins versus a single child.
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- Over the years the medical profession have taken an interest with twins and their physiological traits. They share a different view again on the twins.
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- As you can see from above, there is no side we are taking or argument we are trying to make, we are simply exploring different ideas about the one topic.
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- For the sake of completeness, let’s have a look at one of the prescribed texts for this module – Eight Days in a Corset by Hustvedt. What a fantastic read that was. Even if this isn’t part of your prescribed texts, we highly recommended a read for your own understanding.
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- Overall, the topic discussed in the text is about wearing a corset. The writer has an experience where they are on the set of a period film and as part of their character’s costume they have to wear a corset which is used as the inspiration for her piece of writing
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- One of the views taken in the text is the historical purpose of corsets and how they were used to show status and a woman’s role in society. It was known however that wearing a corset impacted negatively on health so the general trend was not to wear them.
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- However, the writer also explores a modern perspective of wearing the corset. She explores how women today wear it as a sign and expression of their sexuality and allows for an errotic expereince. Something that significantly contrasts historical values and frames the corset in a different view.
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- Therefore, a study of this text is a prime example of a discursive texts because it doesn’t stand to persuade you that corsets are good or bad or should be worn or not. It simply demonstrates two different views that exist concurrently with one another.
Imaginative
- These pieces call for originality, a breath of fresh air and something unexpected. To get your creative juices flowing and open your mind to new possibilities, we recommend starting with a new setting/environment. Naturally students automatically think that their piece needs to be set in 2019, Sydney. Why not try 1990 Melbourne? If you don’t know anything about that setting, what an opportunity to research and learn something new. How about setting it in 1950 London? Or take it back to when the pyramids were being built in Egypt. Or why not imagine for yourself a dystopian world like Orwell’s 1984 or Brave New World by Huxley. The possibilities are endless if you allow yourself to open up and not judge an idea before it has time to take flight.
- Always remember that spelling, grammar and punctuation is a massive element that will influence your mark. It’s often overlooked but we still read pieces that changes tense and uses different points of view which makes it difficult to read beyond.
- Have some sort of driving plot. Don’t recount a series of events. Students often fall into telling a story as if they would on the playground but you have to remember that this piece is for critical marking. Show that you have thought about and considered what is happening in your piece, what is driving it and where it will eventually finish. Also, read back of your story as we often come across pieces that lack cohesion and don’t chronologically make sense.
- Develop your characters so that the markers finish the story believing that they have met them in real life. They want to have a connection and feel like they could look up and start having a connection with them. If you story doesn’t particularly allow for this element, then make the reader feel like they are in the story. They want to feel so immersed that they momentarily taken away from reality and into your story.
- Always, always always read the question and respond to the stimulus in a creative, original and unique way. We once had a student whose stimulus was a poster so they made their character in the story see the exact same character. The feedback received was that the integration was too literal and the student didn’t adopt a creative approach. So, we recommend using the stimulus in a conceptual way. Think about the ideas or themes that can be drawn from the stimulus and then use that in your story. For example, if you are given an image of a landscape or environment, your first instinct is to create that as your setting. However, as this is the obvious choice, you won’t be rewarded for creativity or originality. This means that you should try and think about the ideas such as loneliness, barrness, warmth or any other ideas that resonate with the text that will allow you to develop a conceptual idea.
Persuasive
- Before you even start, make sure that you have an idea of exactly what it is you are trying to convince your reader about. Then, think about the the different points you are going to discuss to substantiate your argument and ensure that you present them in such a way that builds your perspective rather than throw random ideas together.
- Consider your audience and the way that this will affect your register and tone in respect to the topic you are trying to write persuasively about. You may write a piece that is convincing but if is not appropriately targeted at your audience it could mean that you have not hit all of the outcomes and will miss out on a being rewarded with a high mark.
- Critical to a persuasive are the three elements of ethos, pathos and logos. Logic, emotions and credibility. If you are able to adequately integrate all of these elements you will inevitably produce a tight argument that an opposing participant wouldn’t be able to pick holes.
- As always, originality is rewarded. Avoid picking an obvious topic that is controversial or one where the marker might have a bias opinion towards. Remember that your end goal is to achieve the best mark so you must play the game! Consider writing about topics that aren’t always spoken about in the media or those that form part of dominant discourse – but you still need to takes a particular stance or view that you are convincing about.
Informative Piece
- From our experience, this text type is not as common as the others. Perhaps because it is very straightforward and the amount of creativity and originality is somewhat limited.
- If you decided to go ahead with this type on the day (or you don’t have a choice) try and take an interesting point of view or inform the reader about something they have never considered in great detail.
- Try and leave the reader refreshed after being informed about your topic. We will keep adding to this blog as understandings are developed.
We hope the above helps and like always feel free to drop us a line if you need some extra assistance!