In one of my previous posts, I talked about writing text response essays and how challenging they can be. I used the example from the storybook that I read when I was a child called ‘The Little Engine that Could’. I still think back to that story when I feel overwhelmed and that I just can’t get everything done or that I can’t do it to the high standards that I hold for myself. Every time I write a blog post or record a video for TikTok or YouTube, I’m constantly telling myself I can’t do this, but then I do and for the most part I get a positive response (despite the embarrassment I feel when publishing and viewing those reels and videos).

Anyway, I know that many of you are at a point where you are writing your text response essays or will be soon. This post isn’t just for those of you studying for Units 3 and 4 but it applies to all year levels, but at Year 12 the sophistication and depth will be required for that added zest to your writing.

No matter what year level I’m teaching, I still teach the same skills to all of my students from Year 7 through to Year 12. I do have to lower my expectations of the sophistication of the analysis that Year 7’s are capable of, but the basics still apply to all years.

This post is going to focus on the way that you approach writing your text response essays, from the content that you need to know, through to the structure and key phrases to included and avoid. I have read many essays throughout my career, and I’m always impressed when that moment clicks for my students and they finally get how to write an analysis after years of struggling. I was one of those people who hated writing essays. To be completely honest with you, I couldn’t write a good essay or achieved an A grade until I was in Year 12, but with that determination that ‘The Little Engine that Could’ have I got there.

I’m not going to focus on one particular text for this post, but just give you a general overview with some advice on how to add depth to your writing

Know your text

You can’t write a good essay if you do not know the text that you’re analysing. You need to understand the following elements in the text, not just main characters and plot.

• Context – social and cultural values of the time that the text is set, but also when it was written/produced. What is the historical context and what is the author commenting on regarding those social and cultural values that are explored in the text
• Setting – the historical setting but also physical setting and how that impacts the conflict within the text, but also that of the characters
• Characters – not just the main characters, but what role do the minor characters play? Who do they represent in society at the time? What is the author conveying through the use of these characters?
• The structure of the text – What type of text is it? How is the construction of the text used to convey ideas? Is it in a chronological structure? Does it shift between tenses? What about the perspective? Who is telling the story and how does this impact the views and values being conveyed?
• Language – How is the author articulating their ideas through the voice they have create in their text? Is it the voice of the author or is the voice of the society? Does that change or shift within the text?
• Symbolism – What symbols has the author implemented in their text to create meaning? Is it through the mise-en-scene in a film, or the objects described and included in the text. Is there symbolism in the natural world that means that the attitudes of characters change?
• Themes and ideas – These are the central concerns that the author is conveying in their text. These will be the focus of your writing and you will develop arguments for the essay and the paragraphs concerning the big ideas and messages that the author is conveying about these themes in their text. These are pivotal to your understanding of the text.

How to structure an essay

There are different ways to structure an analytical essay but the main structure that allows you to succeed is by following the introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion structure. The following are some tips to write a strong essay:

• Your introduction needs to engage with the implications of the topic. What is the question asking you to analyse. It will always be thematic, and therefore you need to develop arguments that are based on the themes that connect to the big idea. Include these in your introduction. Don’t just list them, but develop sentences that explore how they are connected to the big ideas of the topic. Avoid characters as your focal point in your introduction and save them for your evidence in your body paragraphs.
• Body paragraphs should be centred on themes that are linking to the topic. Start them with a statement about the author or the text.
  • Use the TCEEEEL structure for your paragraphs.
  • Topic sentence
  • Clarifying sentence extending on the ideas presented in the topic sentence with some specific detail
  • Evidence and explanation – use two examples per paragraph
  • Use the what/how/why structure for your explanations within your body paragraphs. What is the example, how is the author conveying it through a specific moment and structural element, and why is this message being conveyed by the author about the ideas connected to the topic.
  • Conclusions should not be a summary of the points that you have discussed in your response, instead you should outline what the key messages are that the author has conveyed in their text concerning the big ideas presented in the topic.

Understand the topic your answering

You need to ensure that you are answering and exploring the ideas within the topic that you are responding to. Be it for the SAC or for the exam, the same applies. Always answer the topic that is given, not the topic that you want it to be. The 2024 examiner’s report which was recently released by VCAA outlined this very clearly, actually they say it every year. Assessors know when an essay has been memorised as they don’t engage with the whole topic and what is asked of them. You can download that report here https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/past-examinations/Pages/English.aspx

A ‘do you agree’ prompt, is very different to a ‘how’ prompt. I strongly urge you to download the external assessment report and read this. It is such a useful tool when it comes to succeeding and understanding what assessors are looking for when reading your essays.

There are different types of questions that you could be asked to respond to and also understanding the verbs within the topic is pivotal in being able to successfully respond to the question. The types of questions that you may be given are

• Propositional – Discuss, to what extent do you agree, or Do you agree?
• Quotation – A topic that begins with a quote and is then followed by a preposition. You need to consider how the quote addresses the key idea within the topic.
• Direct – This may be a ‘how’ question or a question such as ‘Sunset Boulevard exposes the harmful nature of celebrity.’

It is also important that you understand the terms used in the question. These are the terms that are identified by the examiners report that you should familiarise yourself with:

• Attempts
• Challenges
• Defends
• Demonstrates
• Determines
• Explores
• Portrays
• Re-enforces
• Reveals
• Shapes
• Shows
• Interplays

What not to do in your essays

I have a number of pet peeves when it comes to essay writing, but some of these are obvious don’ts when writing your essay

• Avoid using first person i.e. do not say ‘In this essay I will be talking about…’ or ‘I completely agree with the question’. The statements should be focused on argument.
• Integrate quotes seamlessly in your writing. Avoid saying ‘this quotes shows’ or ‘as stated in the quote’ or ‘as Oedipus says….’ You should ensure that the quote is a part of your sentence and that there is fluency in your writing. You do not need to use the whole quote and you can choose key words from the quote to emphasise your analysis. But, don’t just put in a word with quotation marks and call it a quote. It needs to have relevance.
• Avoid structuring arguments around characters. By developing the ideas around themes it gives you greater scope to discuss different characters and elements of the text
• Don’t forget to link the explanations and examples back to the topic through author statements – what is the author conveying?
• Avoid summarising what happens in the text, instead focus on a key moment and how that key moment explores the idea being discussed relating to the topic
• Conclusions are not a summary of what you have discussed. They need to resolve the topic and what the author is conveying concerning the key ideas of the question.
• Learn how to spell the author’s name correctly and the characters
• Always acknowledge the title of the text. You can either underline or use inverted commas, but it needs to be recognised as the title
• Also, use capital letters when referring to characters, the author and places (proper nouns)

Advice moving forward

• Construct a vocab list of analytical verbs to use when discussing author intent (and ensure that you use them correctly in your writing)
• Practice what/how/why statements that connect to various big ideas of the text will allow you to adapt them to various questions
• Complete plans for various topics as this will save you time during the SAC and exam. The more plans you do, the less time you will spend thinking about the best way to approach a question
• Write practice paragraphs and essays in timed conditions
• Use language that you understand and feel comfortable using correctly. I’ve seen some students try to extend on their vocab but it doesn’t make sense and doesn’t sound like them. You don’t need to sound like a thesaurus to sound sophisticated
• Write three strong paragraphs with two examples in each. This is better than 4 short paragraphs
• Read the assessor’s report – it is such a great resource!

I know that this is a really long post, but if you follow these tips, hopefully it will allow you to succeed in writing your text response essays and giving it that extra zest that it needs instead of just writing about the characters and providing a plot summary. These tips apply to any text response essay no matter what text you’re studying, but it also applies for those students in Years 10-12 and even the middle years.

If you have any tips that I’ve missed that work for you, or if you’re a teacher that wants to include some of your tips, feel free to comment and let me know.

As always, keep it zesty

Ronnie