1. WRITING TASK
FEEDBACK
August 2017

2. ATTITUDE
The QCS is not like other examinations where the agenda can often be to find out what a student does not know.
The QCS gives you an opportunity to showcase what you do know or at least what skills you have – see the CCEs.
Approach the QCS as something to be enjoyed rather than endured.

3. WT Marking - Who, Where and When?
* Teachers and retired teachers
from across Queensland – from
State and Independent schools (175 +)
* At Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School
* First full week of September School
Holidays each year
* Each script is marked at least three times

4. look for (i.e. criteria):-
What the WT Markers
look for (i.e. criteria):-

5. Responsiveness
- the extent to which a script conveys
the theme or concept of the test paper
e.g. Things Unknown; Who cares;
Seeing things; What feeds us.
Respond to the overall concept
Respond to a particular item (or items)

6. Try to think laterally, metaphorically, figuratively about the stimulus concept.

7. It is important to be aware that
simply repeating the concept e.g.
What feeds us several times is not demonstrating the criterion of Responsiveness.
Nor is it a good idea simply to put the concept in at the end.

8. Students need to avoid
quoting from the stimulus.
Quoting stimulus content does not help ‘responsiveness’.
It usually detracts from the overall cohesion and sequencing of the text.
Quoted extracts from the stimulus are not included in the word count.

9. It is best not to try to cover too many of the stimulus items.
It is best to focus on one or, at most, two stimulus items, plus the overall concept.

10. - how well a script remains focused on
Central idea
- how well a script remains focused on
(but also develops) its own unique
message over the length of the script.
i.e. Does the script contain an idea
that is worth reading and has that
has been maintained throughout?
The more specific your topic is,
the better.

11. It is best to build a text around something that may be already
familiar to you.
You will have more chance of developing an interesting central idea if you, as the writer, have a personal stake in it.

12. Students who choose to just ‘write about’ something on the stimulus sheet usually find it difficult to develop and maintain a central idea.

13. Writing about something which is familiar also makes it easier for you to write 600 words.
Much easier than simply ‘writing about the stimulus’.

14. An exact word for an idea might be better than a less effective phrase
Vocabulary
- use precise and well-chosen words which arrest attention and boost the power of the writing.
An exact word for an idea might be better than a less effective phrase
while, at other times, simple is best.

15. e.g. nocturnal might be better than ‘at night time’
but,
stroll or walk might be better than ‘perambulate’.

16. such as metaphor, personification
Making use of language devices
such as metaphor, personification
and even humour can be very effective.
e.g. Finding the lost plane was like
looking for a small needle in a very large hay stack.
The origin of the universe is a much more
important mystery than where Santa
makes his toys.

17. If you are writing about something which is already very familiar to you such as a political or social issue or a particular sport or activity you will tend to naturally use appropriate and more precise vocabulary e.g. “How to Use a Lathe”.

18. The best criterion for judging vocabulary: -
Are the words appropriate?

19. Grammar, spelling and punctuation are marked hierarchically, so that:-
grammar is more important than
punctuation, which, in turn, is more
important than spelling.

20. The correct grammatical construction of each sentence is very important.

21. A little piece of ‘inside’ information:
If your topic is interesting or you, as the writer, seem to be writing with real authority, then grammar spelling and punctuation errors may have less impact, especially spelling.

22. – the presentation of a clear, logical
Structure and sequencing
– the presentation of a clear, logical
structure with attention given to a
recognizable and appropriate
paragraph structure.

23. the development of three key points in support,
e.g. An argumentative essay would have:
a clear introduction,
the development of three key points in support,
rejection of an alternative viewpoint and a strong conclusion.

24. To be successful, the writing must demonstrate controlled structuring and deliberate sequencing of ideas.
You need to avoid –
gaps in logic,
clumsy time gaps (“five years later”)
poor paragraphing and
randomness in the arrangement of ideas.

25. Try to establish the context of your text i.e audience; purpose etc .
When telling a story try not to include unnecessary description or detail.

26. It also helps if you have a clear understanding of the genre you are using and maintain the conventions of that genre throughout the text.
e.g. a diary entry retains the structure and tone of a diary and doesn’t morph into a narrative or a discussion or …..

27. …. a narrative which begins in the present tense avoids the temptation to randomly mix present and past tense perspectives.

28. In regard to paragraphing:
Scripts do not necessarily get ‘marked down’ for lack of paragraphs but the lack of paragraphing is a signpost for other problems with a script.
Paragraphs which extend for a whole page or more tend to reveal a poor grasp of structure.

29. You should develop a clear idea of your paragraphing at the Planning stage.
Students should not expect their readers to do their paragraphing for them.

30. The candidates must select a central idea
Length
The candidates must select a central idea
and a form or style of writing
that will fit comfortably into the allowed
length i.e. 600 words.
The ‘margin of tolerance’ is
considered to be words.

31. Obviously, you understood that the time to become aware of Length should be addressed at the Planning Stage
- not half way through your final draft or in the last few minutes when you decide to count the words.

32. Your planning should give you some ideas about length
e.g. a good paragraph is usually between 80 and 120 words in length.
So, you would need 5 – 7 paragraphs for a script of around 600 words.

33. With the exception of Length,
all of the Criteria are marked on a scale of:
1+ to 6 –

34. So, how did we go -
The group average was in the middle of the 30 band – a very sound position at this stage.
Thirteen students received an overall grade of 3+ or better (out of 29).

35. What was good about this set of scripts:
some interesting, relevant and mature topics;
2. excellent command of length;
material;
3. a generally good command of basic
technical features including paragraphing.

36. The most common problems:
a few which did not incorporate the overall stimulus concept;
2) some scripts neglected to include a title;
a few run-of-the-mill GSP issues such as sentence fragments;
some chose too many stimulus items.

37. LENGTH
Only one script was outside the tolerance for length i.e 500 – 750 words.
This is a very good outcome.

38. A note about editing and presentation -
Editing is an extremely important aspect of the Writing Task process but it is best if most of the editing is done at the completion of Rough Draft (even if it is not a full rough draft).
Large scale editing of the final draft can leave the text looking untidy and incomplete.
It can also make it difficult to read.

39. If time is beginning to run out it may be best to stop writing your rough draft before it’s completed.
Edit what you have written – moving around paragraphs if necessary and,
leave yourself at least 45 minutes for the final draft so that it can be well presented, not giving the impression of being rushed. Freshwater CC responses revealed very good presentation.

40. At least three markers will read your text – and neat presentation can be an advantage. Remember, some of the markers may also be speed readers.
So, be prepared to spend some time between now and the QCS to practise your handwriting and
overall presentation.

41. Responsiveness
You need to be able to show “strong and sustained connectedness” to the stimulus material i.e. stimulus item and the overall stimulus concept.
This does not mean ‘reacting’ to it or simply ‘writing about’ it.

42. Here is what the QCAA says:
“Rather than looking at the test paper and asking,
‘What can I write about?’,
it may be better to ask,
‘What do I know a lot about that I can relate to something on this test paper?’”
(Restrospective 2016 QCS Test p 72 published by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority.)

43. Try not to respond too literally to particular stimulus items – which can happen if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to write about.
Here are some topics which have been used by other Colleges for
What feeds us:-

44. Long distance running The Oscars
Genetic Engineering Playing Celtic music
The ‘offside’ rule in football
David Grohl My Ballet Life
The novel: “The Help” Cheerleading
Christian Social Justice Travelling in Peru
Becoming a tennis player
…. but, wait, there’s more ……

45. Drag racing Climbing a mountain
Anaphylactic shock Hip hop music
Deep sea diving Snowboarding
Surfing in Hawaii Racing track cars
A qualifying swim
Behind the Scenes at MacDonald’s
… and so on ….

46. Note that,
most, if not all of these topics, could be used for other stimulus concepts.

47. Regarding the overall concept, It is not enough to just mention the overall concept a couple of times or throw it in at the at the end of the text.
e.g. Because playing music is what
feeds me, I enjoy it immensely.
Looking back now, I realise that trips like that are what feed us.

48. Nor does it mean that you should be continually mentioning it in your text.

49. The concept can be successfully incorporated by using a well-placed phrase or sentence e.g.
Failure can drive an athlete to achieve even greater success.
Snowboarding is my ‘get away from it all’ activity.

50. Just like food and water, equality is a life-giving necessity.
The guitarist was addicted beyond help.
The chance to see New York for the first time was my original inspiration for the trip.

51. Or this lovely one:
His music was like her art – medicine for an aching head, comfort for a broken heart, food for an empty stomach.

52. In other words:
Try to take the stimulus concept to the next level
i.e. think laterally,
think metaphorically,
think symbolically.

53. So .. what can
you write about?

54. It is suggested that you identify three or four topics of which you have some experience or knowledge and, then …
… try to find something on the stimulus paper which will allow you to build a text based on one of these topics.

55. Think about specific topics of interest – the more specific your topic is, the better.
e.g. ‘Cycling’ is better than ‘Sport’
‘Hawaii’ is better than ‘Travel’
‘The Cuban Crisis’ better than ‘The Cold War’

56. ‘My Favourite Indian Curry’ is better than ‘Cooking’
‘Taylor Swift’ is better than ‘Popular Music’
‘My Favourite Indian Curry’ is better than ‘Cooking’

57. Take a couple of minutes now to list some of your real-life experiences, hobbies or specialist knowledge which would be worth writing about …..

58. Think of ….
A favourite book or film
A sporting triumph
A travel experience
Someone you admire
Some well supported historical or scientific knowledge
A hobby or recreational activity

59. e.g. sky diving;
mountain climbing;
bush walking;
wind surfing;
diving;
Jonathon Thurston;
Jessica Watson;
Anna Meares;
a musical performance;
learning music as a child an endangered animal
your religious faith.

60. Perhaps, you might like to share your list with the person next to you…..

61. Now, think of how one of your topics or areas of interest could be adapted to fit in with each of these overall stimulus concepts:-

62. Gold

63. Getting There

64. Things Unknown

65. As you look over the Writing Task stimulus paper, you would be thinking of a topic you might like to write about.
You would then find something on the stimulus sheet that you could use as a starting point or a ‘trigger’ for a text built around your preferred topic.

66. A process for making your text responsive:-
Find the overall stimulus concept 
think about the concept in different ways i.e. metaphorically, symbolically etc. 
think about a favourite or familiar topic with the overall concept in mind 
find something in the stimulus material to trigger a text about this (whole picture; word; phrase).

67. It could be a whole stimulus item or even a combination of items.
It may only be a short phrase or even a single word.

68. Regarding the stimulus items -
It is best not to try to cover too many of the stimulus items.
It is best to focus on one or, at most, two stimulus items, plus the overall concept.
(Someone in the group tried to use ten items. Others used four. )

69. You need to avoid quoting
from the stimulus.
Quoting stimulus content does not help ‘responsiveness’.
It usually detracts from the overall cohesion and sequencing of the text.
Quoted extracts from the stimulus are not included in the word count.

70. The Stimulus is like the ‘starting block’.
Remember …
The Stimulus is like the ‘starting block’.
Your piece of writing is the ‘race’.
Just as the focus of the swimmer is not the
starting block, your focus is
not to write about the stimulus.
You, as the writer, use the stimulus as the
‘springboard’ for your own piece of writing.

71. GENRES Some preferred genres are: Expository (explaining a topic)
Argument (presenting a case)
Narrative (telling a story)
Speech (an address to a specific audience)
Feature Article ( a very good one)

72. Other genres include:
Review (of a book, film, game)
Diary (single entry only)
Drama script (very specialised)
A Science Experiment/Report
Biography (a life story)

73. Title It is important that you give your work a title.
Nine of you did not do this.
A title gives the reader the ‘heads up’ on what your topic is as well as helping to keep you, the writer, on task.

74. A well-chosen title can also give an early indication of the responsiveness of your text e.g.
Allow Yourself to Grow
Starved of Equality
Motivation for Dance

75. Remedies for Heartache
Don’t Wait to Make the Change
Something to Eat
Fuel for Life

76. Paragraphs
Paragraphs which extend for a whole page or more tend to reveal a poor grasp of structure.
Scripts do not necessarily get ‘marked down’ for lack of paragraphs but the lack of paragraphing is a signpost for other problems with a script.

77. Try to develop a clear idea of their paragraphing at the Planning stage.
Generally, paragraphing is another strength with this group.

78. Technical Issues:

79. Sentence Fragments
These are sentences without a verb or
main clause.
In the hands of competent writers,
sentence fragments can be very effective.
However, when used unintentionally
or incorrectly, they can be a hazard e.g.

80. Sick of the same old nine to five living, the same as my neighbour
Never stopping, always flowing from one destination to the next.
Meaning that no more green house gases would be emitted and that it would be an almost unlimited power supply.

81. Be on the look out especially for sentence fragments which begin with ‘Although’, ‘Though’ or ‘As’
Although, being in the right environment will help them accomplish this.
Though, as I opened the door, I noticed a crate of bottles.
As they have the ability to fight off bacteria and infections.

82. Avoid beginning sentences with ‘By’ e.g.
By staying positive can make people do great things.
By incorporating sport into their everyday routine can help them overcome complex tasks.

83. Most young writers are advised to maintain
Mixing of tenses
Most young writers are advised to maintain
a consistent use of the past tense
especially when writing narratives.
Avoid mixing tenses on a random basis.
e.g. If this new airport was open at the time
we were there, we could save so much
time getting home.

84. The sound grows louder until they found me.
I closed my eyes and think of my family back home.
The sound grows louder until they found me.

85. Note also the control of tense in these examples:
She had come every day for the last two years. 
She had come every day for the previous two years.
I decided I wasn’t going to play today.
I decided I wasn’t going to play that day.

86. I told them that I would not be coming over tonight. 
I told them that I would not be coming over that night.
We had been there three years ago. 
We had been there three years earlier.

87. new sentence required e.g.
Over use of the comma when a
new sentence required e.g.
My brother was terrified, he did the only thing
which came to his mind.
This didn’t come easy, many hardships brought
me to where I am now.
I just want you to hear me out, the team
needs you.
(Look for ‘P’ in your scripts.)

88. Watch for places where a full stop has been used unnecessarily and a sentence should have been allowed to continue (see *) –
At times it is slower and more calm. But at other times, it encounters sharp curves.
As usual he just nodded his head. Not saying a word.
It gives us an in-the-moment experience. Where we can push aside whatever is keeping us down.

89. Spelling
There are words which must always be spelt
correctly e.g. UNTIL or DEFINITELY
You are less likely to be penalised for the
incorrect spelling of highly unusual or
specialised words.
Know the difference between ITS and IT’S
Also, THEIR, THERE and THEY’RE

90. It’s plain to see that the cat has hurt its paw.
There seems to be no reason why they’re
concerned about their privacy.

91. Watch for lie, lay, laid, lain.
e.g.
I lie here on this comfortable bed
Yesterday, I also lay here.
At dinner time I laid the table.
The soldiers have lain in their trenches.

92. My new ‘favourite’ is
truly (not ‘truely’).

93. Look over your text and note any spelling issues which might have been circled.
Be sure not to repeat that mistake.

94. Numbers
Remember the convention whereby numbers up to, and including, one hundred are to be indicated with words rather than numerals i.e.
‘twenty-four’ rather than ‘24’
‘one out or three’
rather than ‘1 out of 3’.

95. Proof read your work to avoid things
like this:
His wife left him a had full custody of his children.
We should show kindness to the in need.

96. Words that should be spelt correctly on the QCS:-

97. control receive parallel
afraid until totally
recommend disapprove chaos
dialogue appalling weather
whether definitely mortgage
tragedy referred rumour
existence occurrence achieve
chief metres always
affect (vb) effect (n/vb) amateur

98. fascinate truly gauge
meant pursue pursuit
soldier desert dessert
received perceive stories
independent disappear tried
completely successful erupt
reminisce symbols miracle
guarantee separate illegal
past (noun, adj, prep) passed(v)

99. appliances buried negative
staring something decisions
banned opportunity employee
writing horrible paid
society villages recently
expensive families

100. Let’s look again at the time allocation for the
Writing Task:-

101. 10 Minutes Perusal  no writing allowed
but be sure to read over whole paper and
discover which stimulus item(s) relates
best to your own interests.
Be sure to take note of the overall concept and
think laterally or metaphorically.
First 15minutes  planning.
Brainstorm ideas and forming a
logical sequence of ideas.

102. Next 40 minutes  writing rough draft
on the loose sheets of paper provided.
It may not be necessary to write a ‘full’ draft.
“Rough” does not mean untidy or chaotic.
Next 10 minutes  editing.
This may include moving paragraphs around
to form a logical sequence, making vocabulary
choices and checking to see that sentences
are constructed grammatically.

103. `
Next 45 minutes  writing final or ‘polished’
draft. This should not merely be a neat re-writing
of the first draft.
Last 10 minutes  final reading and editing.
This may allow you to identify grammar,
spelling or punctuation issues.
DO NOT USE LIQUID PAPER at this time.
Make sure you have ticked the appropriate
outline(s) on the cover of your response book
to show which stimulus item(s) you have used.
Be sure that your work has a title.

104. It is of paramount importance that you approach the QCS with a positive mindset.
It should not be seen as a ‘dark’ experience which has been set up as a trap to catch you. The markers are on your side.
The QCS is your chance to ‘strut your stuff’; even to enjoy the experience within the guidelines that have been set by the College.

105. GOOD LUCK!