Level 2 Written Text External

Intended Learning Outcomes

To analyse deeply a written text within the confines of a formal essay, integrating evidence
To use a text to understand the world around us more confidently

Section 1: Overview

What is this?

A 400ish word essay that applies your knowledge of the text under exam conditions

What does it look like?

Here's the standard,

the 2020 exam paper, the excellence exemplar, the merit exemplar, the achieved exemplar
The 2015 Assessment Report

LEARNING TASK

MAKE YOUR OWN COPY OF THIS LEARNING WORKBOOK
Read the standard, exam paper, exemplars and the assessment report
Write down in 20 words or less what is being asked of you in this assessment
Write down the reasons that an excellence gets an excellence, a merit a merit and an achieved an achieved.

Section 2: How to attack the question

Level Two questions are slightly different to Level One. At Level Two, you are asked to ANALYSE. Analyse means "to examine (something) methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it." Have a look at these YouTube tutorials to get a better understanding.

LEARNING TASK

Watch the videos above
Write down how Level Two essay questions are different to previous levels
Write down piece of advice that you would give to your best friend about how to understand an essay question

Section 3: Going deeper with your understanding

It's really important to think critically about your text prior to going into the exam. Thinking critically means to:

think about different viewpoints (your's, other readers', the author's, the characters'); including those that are missing
think about your own and the author's / characters' assumptions, metaphors, analogies and viewpoints

Critical thinking is about seeing multiple sides and coming to your own conclusions and recommendations

So it's time to go back to your texts and your notes and think more deeply about your text.

Start by using the questions in the infographic to the right before heading into the learning task.

*Warning - not all of the infographic questions will be applicable to your text

LEARNING TASK

Answer these critical thinking questions about your text:

What is the intention of the author? Why did they write this text? What are they trying to teach people and why?
What other viewpoints could this text be read from? How do they differ to your viewpoint or the author's viewpoint? Whose viewpoints are missing and why?
How has the author used text conventions / language techniques to help get their point across?
How are the characters symbols for larger ideas in the world around you?
How good a job has this author done at getting their point across?

Section 4: Collecting all of your tools for the exam

You will need to have in your mental toolbox going into the exam:

10-15 quotes that you have memorised (you could try using flashcards to learn them: either digitally or on good old fashioned paper)
A really good understanding of all your characters and their relationships (you might like to try mindmapping for this)
Your author's theme and how they help you to understand the world around you better (you might like to try sketchnotes for this)
A set of essay connectives and sentence starters that you have in your head to make your writing more exciting to read (you might to have read of this essay connective page from the University of Melbourne)

LEARNING TASK

Write down a plan for how you are going to organise yourself for the exam.

What resources do you need?
How are you going to study actively (rather than just read your notes that will put you to sleep and not help you remember stuff)? ** there are some hints above.

Section 5: Practice makes perfect

Practice is the key to success here. Use these questions in the exam papers below to practice. Share your work with your teacher BUT WHEN YOU DO BE SURE TO MARK YOUR OWN WORK AND TELL YOUR TEACHER WHAT YOU THINK YOU GOT AND WHY.

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