Tag Archives: 10 English

Language Devices

Posted in Year 10 English by

Hi lovely year 10s!

I hope you’re all working hard on your oral presentations!

Don’t forget that you have your Persuasive Devices test on Friday!

Here are the PowerPoints we went over in class, check them out!

Language Devices 1 Language Devices 2 Language Devices 3 Language Devices 4

Have a great weekend!

Guide to Writing Better Essays

Posted in Year 10 English by

    A Guide to…

Writing Better Essays

Year 10 is more than halfway through! We’re already halfway through term 3! Next year is one the most important years of schooling. It is in year 11 that you really experience something of what year 12 is like and when you set up your study habits for the rest of your scholarly career.

In year 10, we start this preparation process. You already write well but there are a few things which you all need to consider when writing this piece. Lord of the Flies is a long text and it is packed with meaning. Therefore, I’m expecting a high standard of work, filled with interesting interpretations and unique insights into Golding’s purpose and what Golding was showing through his writing.

Contention

This is arguably the most important part of your essay. Your contention is your reason for writing an essay and to write without one is to write a simplistic and unfocused piece. A contention is your opinion on the essay topic backed up by evidence from the text. It is not just the essay topic restated. A contention must be supported by how and why statements. You should decide what your opinion on the topic is and find evidence to support it.

Tips for writing a great contention:

  • Be interpretative- what was Golding trying to say through LOTF and the symbols/motifs/images/themes within?
  • Be unique- you don’t have to take the same approach as everyone else. Think outside the box.
  • Never, ever, ever say ‘I think…’ It is weak, both in intention and in writing. The reader of your piece does not care what you think and never will, even if you’re doing a PhD on the subject. You are conveying your opinion, yes, but you are doing so in a way which asserts that your opinion is correct and indisputable. ‘I think…’ and its variations sounds as if you are discussing the topic with friends, not in a scholarly essay. Use an authoritative voice. Instead of “I think Golding used Piggy to show the importance of reason and intelligence” write “Golding uses Piggy to emphasise the importance of reason and intelligence”.

Introduction
In your introduction it is vital to introduce your points in brief. Mention each of your points but don’t expand on them unless you think it is absolutely required for your contention. Feel free to start with a relevant quote which fits in beautifully with your contention but don’t just quote something and leave it unexplained.

Tips for writing a great introduction

  • Start broad and get more specific and precise.
  • Introduce your contention and explain, briefly highlighting each of your points, why it is correct and what evidence you have.
  • If you don’t mention it in your introduction I don’t want to see it. Some people write their introduction last so they can ensure all their points are covered.

Body Paragraphs
T.E.E.L

Your topic sentence is your contention and how it is going to be developed in that paragraph. Don’t just restate your contention or essay topic; make it relevant to the paragraph and the things you’ll be writing about in said paragraph.

Your explanations and evidence are vitally important. You’re past the point of just having one piece of evidence per paragraph. You need to include as much relevant information to support your points as possible. This includes using good quotes well (see your booklet) and using characters, symbols, motifs and images to your advantage. LOTF is packed with symbolism and meaning so use it to your advantage. Without including these pieces of evidence and explaining them well, you’re not going to develop your essay fully.

Linking sentences LINK to your contention and the essay topic. They DO NOT link to the next paragraph.

Conclusion
Make it interesting! Don’t just list your points again. That’s boring. Your conclusion is when you shape your points into a huge arrow which points two ways: first, to your contention and second to the wider significance of the essay question and the text as a whole. I want to see what Golding intended his audience to gain from reading his novel. I want to be reminded of how this links with your sophisticated writing. I want to see the uniqueness of your contention in practice. Impress me and leave me thinking that you deserve an A+!

You can all produce great work. You are all capable and high achieving students in various fields and regardless of what you think of your own abilities, I know you can write well and will write well in this essay.

🙂