Ancient History: The exam that got weird

If my memory serves me correctly, there's a certain rigidity to preparing for an HSC exam that students are subject to. Schoolkids are told that markers are looking for specific things, so an essay should be written in a very particular way.

But it's been 12 years since I last wrote an ancient history essay, so I can't remember what those markers would be looking for. Which is why I found myself comparing Hannibal to Paul McCartney and accusing vandals writing on the brothel walls in Pompeii of "slut-shaming".

"Carthage without Hannibal was like Wings without Paul McCartney," was what I wrote. I couldn't recollect much about the Punic Wars and I don't really listen to post-Beatles McCartney, but it seemed like a fitting analogy. Here's hoping my marker thinks so too.

Today's three-hour ancient history exam was in a word, weird. When I looked through the question paper I was freaking out at the blanks I was drawing at various questions. But by the time I got going I was surprised at what came back to me.

But not being confident about knowing specific details gave me the liberty to take a few strange risks. I referred to the Futurama character Hedonismbot, quoted a Socrates line that I heard in a Woody Allen movie on Monday and wrote a full paragraph about the computer game Civilization. Here's hoping my marker is open-minded.

I did wrap up the exam a little early, but that's only because the ribbon on my typewriter snapped. So I finished up an essay on Athenian leisure activities by hand and called it a day.

In the end, I found this essay easier than I imagined. But that's only because I had expected to remember nothing.

Next up, Extension English.

Read more:

Why I'm resitting my Year 12 exams

Maths: What bombing an HSC exam feels like

Modern History: The subject I never took

Advanced English: Writing about a movie I've never seen

English: How my first exam in 12 years went

Follow Nick Pearson's HSC adventure on Twitter at @nickpearson87.