I got a Band 6 in Advanced English without tutoring. I went from ranking in the 40s in Year 10 to 30s in the Preliminaries, finally 11th by the end of the HSC.
Honestly, you simply need to put in the work for English. Here's a list of things I did regularly to thrive in English:
- Organisation: plan ahead. Got an essay coming up in three weeks? Do the homework from your other subjects ahead of time to free up your schedule for English preparation.
- Read your texts. Properly understand them. Especially since they've introduced new core texts into the syllabus. There are people who can get away without reading the texts and using notes they find online (or provided by a tutor), but honestly, I think most people would benefit from actually sitting down and reading the texts.
- Research. This is something too few students do. Look up previous Band 6 English essays to get an idea of the structure and kind of expressions you should use. Research contexts regarding your texts which you can use in your arguments. You really need to spend time outside of the class and do individual research to really develop your arguments and understanding fully.
- Pay attention in class. Seriously, your English teachers often have access to certain resources not available to the general public.
- Practice. It's not enough to simply memorise your essay. You need to learn how to improvise and adapt on the spot. This is something that tutors can't help you with. You'll find often that you'll be thrown questions which don't fit your preparation. You need to learn not to panic in those situations, and how to adapt your prepared arguments and structure on the spot; this is main aspect which discriminates between excellent English students and average students. I recommend writing a practice response each day under timed conditions, to different essay questions.
(On this point, during our English trial, there was a Module B essay which forced us to use a poem that nobody bothered preparing for, including myself, because nobody expected the CSSA to be that much of an asshole as to use the one T.S. Eliot poem that didn't really link well with the others [though it was the most religious one so I guess we should have see that one coming]. I remember joking about "what if" we had that poem in the question while waiting for the exam to start. What irony. So I had to completely throw out everything I prepared beforehand and improvised on the spot regarding a poem I hadn't read for over half a year. Still managed a 17/20 though. Moral of the story: don't panic, and improvise. Always acknowledge the possibility that the question won't suit your preparation.)
- Regarding notes and sites for English students, I didn't use any (probably because most of my texts were new to the HSC). All I did was to read through all of my texts, found content which I could argue effectively with, and developed an approach which worked for me. Every English student has their own style of writing and arguing, hence don't rely too much on external resources. The interpretations of tutors and notes online may significantly differ from yours.
Remember to keep your response between 800 to 1000 words (unless if you write ridiculously fast without being illegible).
Good luck!
