High school can feel like a never-ending balancing act, especially when it comes to mastering the art of writing extended responses. In English, one teacher emphasises context, another drills you on quotes, and a third is obsessed with flowery language that makes you sound super smart but also stops you from understanding your own work! It’s exhausting trying to combine all these approaches into a cohesive response that fits the rubric while still keeping your own distinct flavour. And this struggle isn’t just limited to English – it’s a recurring theme in almost every subject. Whether it’s selecting the right “working scientifically” terms in science to hit an arbitrary set of criteria, constructing the perfect mathematical proof without running out of time, or writing humanities essays that blend depth and factual evidence with clarity and analysis, it’s a lot to juggle.
So wouldn’t it be amazing if you could skip a lot of the stress and learn from others who’ve already navigated this minefield? That’s where exemplars and sample extended responses come in. But it’s important that you look at these tools from the right angle. Other people’s work isn’t a shortcut for you to copy and paste. It’s a powerful tool that can save you time, protect your ranks, and reduce the emotional rollercoaster that high school often becomes - if you use it as a source of inspiration and prompts for your thinking. Let’s dive into why exemplars can be much more useful than you think, and how to get the most out of them.
Exemplars (and Sample Extended Responses) are like the ultimate cheat sheet – not because they let you cut corners, but because they show you how the pieces fit together. A well-crafted exemplar lets you see exactly how someone else has interpreted the criteria, balanced different perspectives, and brought their own twist to the table. This can help you understand what teachers are really looking for and how to meet those expectations in your own work. It’s often hard to know if you’re starting out in the right place writing out a long response, and it can be really hard to change direction once you’ve committed to approaching the task from a certain angle (e.g., setting your tone or analysing the text through a particular lens).
Plus, exemplars aren’t cookie-cutter answers. Each one brings a slightly different spin to the same task – different ideas, structures, and voices. By analysing multiple exemplars, you can pick and choose the techniques that work for, and speak to, you (and the question you’re answering), whether it’s a clever use of evidence, a unique angle on a concept, or a way of phrasing things that just clicks. Nobody’s saying you should copy these exemplars and their analysis wholesale - the idea is that you come up with the macro-ideas (overarching ideas and theses structuring your response), and then you take the micro-ideas (phrases, quotes, perspectives, analytical language, and new points) from a variety of exemplars and integrate them seamlessly into your writing for a cohesive, balanced, and clear response that’s sure to please even the harshest marker!
A common mistake students make is treating extended responses like a creative free-for-all. But let’s be real – you’re not writing for a blog (like we are here); you’re writing to satisfy a rubric. Exemplars are invaluable because they model how to tick those all-important boxes:
By studying exemplars, you can demystify what “good” looks like and avoid wasting time on approaches that don’t align with the criteria.
Let’s face it – starting from scratch every time is inefficient and unnecessary. With exemplars, you don’t have to. They give you a starting point, a framework to build on, and examples of what works (and sometimes, what doesn’t). Of course, this doesn’t mean copying someone else’s work word for word – that’s a fast track to plagiarism, not success. Instead, use exemplars and sample responses as inspiration to refine your own approach, mention points you (or your teacher) never considered before, look at things from new angles, and meet the criteria in a more balanced and holistic way. (Gosh, we’re starting to sound like a marking criteria here…)
So, you’re now convinced that exemplars and sample responses are the way to go, but you’re not sure where to look for them. If you’ve ever tried to find sample responses online, you know how hit-or-miss it can be. Free essay sites are often filled with subpar work that barely scratches the surface of the task at hand, revolves around the wrong topics, or just misses the mark in clarity and sophistication. And let’s not even talk about the chaos of file-sharing platforms, where you can lose hours sifting through irrelevant or outdated material, uploading random stuff to unlock free downloads that turn out to be worthless, and possibly even breach legal and copyright terms of the original authors.
That’s why having a reliable source of high-quality exemplars is so important - Notes2u is here to change the game. We provide curated, top-tier exemplars that are not only relevant and accurate but also tailored to help you understand the why behind the answers. No more wasting time or risking your marks on questionable resources.
It’s not enough to just read exemplars – you need to actively engage with them. Here’s how to get the most out of them:
At Notes2u, we understand that learning isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey. That’s why we’re committed to providing resources that meet you where you are, whether you’re a perfectionist striving for those Band 6 marks, or someone just trying to get by and make sense of a tricky topic. Our exemplars are designed to help you save time, improve your skills, and approach high school challenges with confidence.
So stop wasting hours on low-quality resources and start using exemplars the smart way. Let others’ experiences guide you, inspire you, and, most importantly, help you create responses that are uniquely your own.
Click here to browse exemplars.