Gwen Harwood

 Understand the topic! Read the criteria and notes carefully, underline or highlight key word etc.  Construct a detailed plan that arranges your ideas into related groups ad into a logical sequence.  Write a first draft that contains all of your main points including quotes and evidence from outside sources.  Ensure that all points are relevant to the matter under consideration.

 Eradicate all slang and jargon, DO NOT ABREVIATE!!! E.g.. “Isn’t” “don’t” aren’t” etc  Aim for simplicity of style. Before you use an unfamiliar term/ vocab, make sure that you understand how to use it!  Give your own views. Do not take over the opinions of others unless you have thought about them and applied them for yourself.

 You are not marked on presentation.  To enable you to gain maximum feedback on your work, you need to give your teacher room to comment. Please;  1. Use double spacing if typing your work  2. Leave a wide margin of no less than 3 cm  3. Write only on one side of the paper. Make sure that you proof-read, use citations appropriately and underline/ italicize Text title and individual poems!!

 Have a thorough and complete knowledge of the text! Read- re-read, annotate, diarise, summarise, analyse ALL poems that you are set to study.  Analyse the question  Collect evidence for your answer  Work out an argument  Decide on a structure for the argument, hence for the essay

 NEVER write an essay which is just a string of critical comments. Even when they are correctly acknowledged (so that they are not, strictly speaking, plagiarised), your mark will not be high.  You teacher is looking for YOUR OWN critical approach to the text/s, even when you use critical sources well, I am looking for the skill with which you use them!

 An essay MUST have an ARGUMENT and EVIDENCE  It must be obvious to the reader that the evidence is used to make a point and that the point is related to the question being answered.  Quotations without explanation is NOT evidence!!

 Textual evidence from the poem/s to support your argument  Information on the poem/s to support your argument on the use of the poetry form.  Information on Gwen Harwood, her poetry, and critical comment on the poems set for study.

 Take down everything you could possibly need for your bibliography!  If you don’t take notes systematically, you can waste a lot of time going back and searching for references later!  Write clearly when taking down notes... When you take down the writer’s exact words, make sure that you indicate where direct quotations begin and end.  Word limits- you may have to leave out some of your good points and some of your great quotations... Deal with it!

 The argument is the angle from which you approach the question.  Arguments are often VERY simple but are supported by STRONG evidence  The essay will not be the statement of the argument but the way that you justify it  If you find that you are ‘twisting’ the text to fit the argument, change the argument!!

 Generalisations: are USELESS without substantiation, if you cannot back it up, leave it out  Attempts to impress: Students sometimes try to adopt debating tactics in their essays by using expressions like, “obviously”, “it is a fact that”. Usually it isn’t obvious and is NOT a fact!

 Don’t just analyse the poem/s from line one to the end! Find another way to attack the topic.

 They have a positive direction or argument  They are well- expressed  They show that the student has made a determined effort to attack the topic  They are well-organised and have evidence of being taken through several drafts  They show ability to use the text/s as evidence in their arguments  The best essays combine intelligent argument with awareness of the critical discussion on the text/s

 GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!