How to improve: round up of lesson
In an opinion piece, you must base your analysis of around the “viewpoints” – what is the viewpoint we must “share”.
- Without a “viewpoint that we must share”, you are summarising and story-telling.
- You must show an ability to distinguish between background details and contextual factors and the message itself.
- The more specific you are with the viewpoints/call to action/meaning of the opinion text, the better your analysis. This is the only way to minimise generic sentences.
- Your ability to zero in on main points leads to a sharper discussion – it controls/determines the “techniques” and the “language features”.
- We need to work on clarity of expression, especially when the meaning is difficult.
- Do not include too many quotes in a sentence and make sure your quotes fit the grammatical construction of your sentence.
- Minimise generic sentences – sentences that lack a connection to the meaning of the text and the author’s purpose.
- You must always connect techniques such as evidence/personal/professional experience to a viewpoint – otherwise it is generic.
- Finally, adapt and mimic the writer’s formal style; learn to write like them. Use short, pointed sentences; nominals and active sentences.
- Use only one difficult technical term each sentence and evaluate its purpose.
Analytical vs Summary-style sentences
- If you are writing sentences like, the author ‘ asserts’ ‘states’ ‘highlights’ – then you are summarising and paraphrasing.
- See pages 21, 41, 43, 44
- See my write up of VCAA Responses so far .. .
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