the marking is actually done really fairly. my english teacher marks for ex eng and she told us the process: they send an essay around for everyone to mark that they want people to give, for eg, an 18.. if someone gives it like 16.. they say mark easier.. if someone gives it 20, they say mark...
im not too sure if its different for english than other subjects, but alot of my teachers mark for other subjects and say they really aim to give marks more than take them away.. so sounds like itd be easier marking. just a guess
thats a fair argument and im not trying to say that hamlet in any case is easy, otherwise i doubt they would have set it for the advanced course, though for the question, i do think a text that consists of one entirety of one text is much easier to approach thana bunch of speeches or essays...
or that of the teacher who didnt go through it, and told us we only needed 2-3? or that even of the hsc markers who initially said the same thing? as a student, i did what i was told by my teachers and by the hsc markers..
i didnt have a prepared essay. i did what i was told and taught to do by not only teachers, but hsc markers giving seminars, which was learn 2-3 of the speeches in depth.. it is near impossible to learn all eight that have no link throughout them all what so ever.. having disconnected speeches...
haha youve got to be kidding? hamlet is one text. there is a story line that im sure if its anything like any of Shakespeare's other plays has central themes and messages in which he aims to convey through his writing.. i too studied shakespeare for conflicing perspectives and let me tell you...
the point of the exam is however to test your knowledge.. to give you a q that makes you look back on your knowledge of the info, not to have prepared essays which show no understanding. however i do disagree with the specification of certain speeches/poems as there is no way they can expect you...