How to study and survive English with a Band 6? (1 Viewer)

[MzRobinHood97]

Hey!
So I'm in Year 11 now and in less than a term, in year 12. In year 10, I was in the top 8 of my grade and I picked Advanced english and Extension English. Until this year, I never had written an essay ever, and unfortunately, I'm not very good at it. My ranks are suffering right now. They are in the B and C range but it's not a good rank. I really enjoy english but I just can't write essays that well. In Area of study, I get 13/15 but for Comparative I get around 11/20. IN fact, I have no idea how to really write an essay.. Not to mention, next year, the Area of Study is Discovery.

For anyone who's done the HSC or is completing it, how do you study for English and improve? Do you just practise essays? And if so, with what material? Do you have to read different books just to write essays for them? What materials do you use to practise. I'm a really dedicated to my studies and would do what it takes to get that band 6.

Any tips to improve? I have no idea what people mean by studying for English. Any help?

Thanks

 

[RivalryofTroll]

http://community.boredofstudies.org/7/english-advanced/321953/crobats-guide-hsc-english-advanced.html

Check out Crobat's guide to HSC English if you haven't done so already.

http://www.talent-100.com.au/downloads/Talent-100_HSC_Study_Guide.pdf

Some useful tips on pages 37 and 38 of this PDF (actual pg numbers 72-75).

I got a low band 6 for English and here's how I personally ''studied'' for it:
- For section 1 of Paper 1 - very straight forward, mini essay for the last part (i.e. the 5 marker). Just practise one or two of these before an exam (and perhaps, look at some model/sample answers to get an idea of how to score full marks).

- Prepared 'generic' (sometimes answering a 'broad' question) essays (along with the AoS creative) for each module (AoS, Mod A, Mod B and Mod C). Refined and edited them throughout the year (got teacher's feedback, got tutor's feedback and referred to essays from previous band 6 students for comparison of quality + looking at the standard expected).
AoS and Mod C required preparation of: 1 related text and 2 related texts.

- Prepare additional supplementary notes (essentially, more quotes and techniques in addition to the prepared essays with a focus on different areas, themes, etc. within the texts) on my prescribed texts (this is especially important for Module B where they can be very specific and you won't always be able to completely use your prepared essay... you'll need to know the text better as a whole).

- Last component of preparation is to look at various past essay questions (from the HSC, different school trials, Independent, CSSA, etc.) for the AoS and the 3 modules. If I have the time, I'll actually write up an essay to answer the question (essentially, 'moulding' my prepared essays and extra material to the specified question).
However, what I did more often was --> see if I can mentally adapt my essay to a bunch of questions. I.e. An approach to improving my ability to tackle different essay questions in exams and directly answer the given question.

- Essentially, you want to be prepared for both generic and very specific (i.e. difficult) essay questions that may appear on the exam day.

 

[Mdyeow]

Practice with the goal of improving two things: speed and accuracy.

Accuracy is the ability to understand what a question requires of you, and provide it with interest. This means anticipating some of the easier questions (as Troll has mentioned) but also being able to break down harder ones into their composite parts. For example, a question like "How do Texts A and B show how context influences the perception of heroism?" requires you to define what heroism is, identify the different ways it's perceived in each text (and is that by characters or author or both?), and talk about "how" in terms of the main literary techniques at play - all in the introductory paragraph of your essay.

Speed is how fast you can both come up with your answer and write it down. This is akin to training for a marathon - you have to get on the essay-writing track as much as possible. In my HSC year I was writing an essay a day in the month preceding my trials. And, ideally, you have someone who assesses your practice, tweaks it so your results improve, and makes sure those gains get locked in (I may be able to help with that, PM me).

Troll's resources linked above are very useful for the first bit. My book covers the first but also the second - of how to boost your in-game (and the HSC is a game) responses. Good luck.

 

[rumbleroar]

I'm in year 12 right now and I think the biggest part of doing well in English is understanding what the markers are looking for. Often, the best essays have a complex idea that is expressed succinctly with textual evidence to back it up. For me, I need to understand all the ideas and complexities in a text before writing about it. Often I like writing essay paragraphs for each text and refine them a lot. I also think reading exemplars and really good articles help develop expression and vocabulary, which may be necessary in an essay.

For extension, I would really recommend looking at your module and rubric with greater consideration of ideas. To do well in extension, its a lot to do with ideas and context, rather than textual analysis. My teacher said extension is 2/3 ideas, 1/3 technique so use that to your own discretion. Looking into theorists and having a strong conceptual understanding is critical for doing well in extension. Also, don't be disheartened if your extension marks are lower than advanced. They mark a lot harsher for extension because there's a higher calibre of thinking involved.

With creatives for both subjects, find an idea that really encapsulates the area you're looking into. It should always be idea first, then character and plot. The best creatives often have the plot as an allegory for a greater idea, adding a rich conceptual basis for your story.

BTW, what modules are you doing for extension in year 11 and 12? I can give you some advice if you're doing Navigating the Global next year

 

[strawberrye]

Below is an extract from my senior study guide which you may find helpful. For the full guide, feel free to click on: http://community.boredofstudies.org...how-excel-senior-year-studies-yr-11-12-a.html
My top tips for maximising your English potential:

1)write practice essays(but make sure you get a very harsh marker-whether it is your teacher, your tutor, or someone else)-there is no need to write excessively as quality exceed quantity in English and sometimes you need time to think over your ideas-to refine/extend them-so you don't waste so much time procrastinating when you write your essays

2) never write a second essay without getting comments for your first one, and I don't advise you to prepare a generic essay because unless you know the essay question before hand, generic essay will often leave you restricted in your options and even if it will get you marks in your assessment task, it will definitely not get you far in your trials and HSC...

3)never ever give up, use your holidays effectively to prepare-ask the teacher what text you will be studying in the coming year-and use the holidays to read over these texts-to reduce your stress during the year, for any modules requiring a related text, try to find it in the holidays, and try not to use a very popular text-it is much harder to stand out if you do used one.

4)learn to listen in class-whether it is other people's opinions or your teacher's insights, it will help you formulate your own unique understanding-don't rely on study guides too much-because everyone will be doing the same thing-but check with your teacher that your understanding is not super obscure

5) probably the most important is to use all resources available, your teacher, your tutor(if you have one), the internet, library, etc-and develop a personal passion and understanding into the subject-but don't excessively seek other people's opinion on your work-because you might develop a low self-esteem and start to doubt yourself-so always reflect on each piece of advice whether it is valid or not and keep faith-believe in yourself that you have the capacity to develop independent thinking-and just because it is different from other people-does not necessarily mean it is wrong-just be prepared to back it up with textual evidence

6)read all your texts for a minimum of 3 times-no skimming over-you really need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the whole text-not just deconstruct a few scenes and forget about the rest of the book).

7)For writing an excellent creative, you should decide what areas you want to explore, construct a 'perfect' story after various edit process, than try to adopt that story to as many creative writing question as possible-i.e. write plans and get someone to mark it for you, like your teacher, and when you come across questions that your story is difficult to mould to, then write another one to cover the rest of the questions, but to write good creative stories, you will need to practice and get feedback as well as read good examples.

8)Regularly practice answering English essay/comprehension/creative questions under EXAM CONDTIONS, without notes, and get a teacher/tutor/experienced English personnel to mark it for you-and learn from the comments.

Basically, to do well in English, it is just practice, feedback, practice, feedback-unfortunately there is no short cuts at all... this, coupled with perseverance, persistent optimism and consistent performance are the key ingredients to succeeding in English.

MY TOP FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE A BAND 6 IN ENGLISH EXTENSION ONE:

1)put in consistent effort throughout your course-and for the HSC course, put in 10 times the effort you have put for your preliminary-because it is going to be more demanding-to achieve this goal, you must study ahead, stay motivated, self learn-reread your text at least 3 times-understand them, do not give up writing practice essays and creative and getting a harsh marker to give you comments on how to improve

2)make your own notes, read extensively-do not just read extra texts because they are your related, read beyond the requirements-i.e. read and view a range of possible related texts-this will help you grasp the module concept as well as give you ideas for your creative-you should also make the effort to go to the state library or another resource centre-and look up journal articles, study guides etc-to help you develop a unique understanding of the module, but don't copy other people's works

3)ask teachers for resources, tips and any part of the module or requirement you don't understand-use them, they are your friend but more importantly, because English is quite subjective, they will be the ones marking your work-so build a strong relationship with them

4)Don't prepare a generic essay and memorise ONLY quotes and technique-this will not get you anywhere for English extension one-in exam, answer the question and nothing but the question-deconstruct your syllabus/rubric that your school give you to make sure you are answering its criteria.

5)Develop a sincere passion for the subject-perhaps you have already, but if you haven't, try to, because passion combined with continuous hard work will be what will get you a band 6-all the best of luck-any more questions, welcome to pm me

just on a side note, don't get too reliant on your teacher if they are busy, in English extension one-you must take more responsibility for your own learning-you must develop the initiative to do extra work/readings-and it is mostly self-learning-so you must develop more self-discipline compared to other subjects

 

[Dachsy]

I'm not a 'pro' at English, but I did receive top bands in both advanced and extension, so here are some scattered thoughts:
I think it's a good idea to develop some of your own original ideas on top of the ones that are discussed in class. I personally used keywords from the rubric as a starting point and developed my points from there. If possible, I recommend re-reading the texts again so you can generate more ideas. Get some excess ideas floating inside your head to select and match to questions. Admittedly, I was not exactly the most productive student in English in that I read some of the texts once (I am an awfully slow at reading and at the time I thought that I could have used the hours spent on studying for other subjects)...but I made sure that I did refer back to various parts interspersed in the text. I would then brainstorm about the social commentary/implications of human nature and how that links to the areas addressed in the rubric. It's ideal to write a couple of differing practise essays so you can be somewhat prepared for diverse types of questions they ask (I made some questions up based on the rubric and did some from past papers). Seeing that there's a new syllabus, I guess you could try making some questions and look at past questions from other topics to get general idea of HSC-style questions). Try to get some feedback from your teacher. I would throw in some of the points I wasn't too sure about in the practise essays to see if they would get approved. If you teacher is one of those teachers who don't really leave comments, maybe talk to him/her about the essay in person? For English Extension, try to find a related text that encompasses many of the criteria addressed in the rubric.The relateds should really be treated with just as much attention as the prescribed texts. They show the markers how much you know about concepts explored in the unit so pretty much find some strong links to the prescribed text and the module. I think it's useful to do some extra reading from theorists to refine your ideas. And constantly refine/rethink your points throughout the year. I'm pretty sure it was my relateds which saved my HSC English Extension mark as I didn't finish my rather weak, embarrassing and unfinished creative. I thought I was doomed, but I ended up getting a HSC mark that was in the E4 range so I guess that it was either compensated by my relateds which worked really well with the text or I had super nice markers.

Hm how are you structuring your essays right now? And did the marker leave comments in the essay that received 11/20? For that essay, ask your teacher about what areas needed improving and what cost you the marks. Maybe it was just that you didn't write enough or you wrote a solid essay but didn't answer the question. Seeing that you got 13/15 for AOS you can't be too bad at essay writing.

 

[MzRobinHood97]

Thanks to ALL Of you guys who answered my questions. That was extremely useful and EXTREMELY appreciated. I have a few more questions.

1. What is a HSC rubric?
2. How do you practise essay questions? With what material/or evidence?
3. Where can you get good essay questions?
4. Is vocabulary a good element to your essays?
5. Is it good to analyse essays and then use their structure?
6. How can you write a strong thesis?

Thanks guys

 

[Dachsy]

1. What is a HSC rubric?

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/english-prescriptions-09-14.pdf

Check pg 23

AREA OF STUDY: Belonging
This Area of Study requires students to explore the ways in which the concept of belonging is
considered and expressed in and through texts. Through close language study, and by experimenting
with different language choices, students will examine how perceptions of belonging, or not
belonging, vary.
Perceptions of belonging are shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts. A sense
of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the
larger world. Within this Area of Study, students may consider aspects of belonging in terms of
experiences and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding.
Texts explore many aspects of belonging, including the potential of the individual to enrich or
challenge a community or group. They may reflect the way attitudes to belonging are modified over
time. Texts may also reflect choices not to belong, or barriers which prevent belonging.
Perceptions and ideas of belonging in texts can be constructed through a variety of language modes,
forms, features and structures. In engaging with the text, a responder may experience and understand
the possibilities presented by a sense of belonging to, or exclusion from, the text and the world it
represents. This engagement may be influenced by the different ways perspectives are given voice in
or are absent from a text.
In their responses and compositions students examine, question, reflect and speculate on the concept
of belonging. They explore:
• how the concept of belonging is conveyed through the representations of people, relationships,
ideas, places, events, and societies that they encounter in their prescribed texts and texts of their
own choosing
• the underlying assumptions which shape those representations
• how the composer’s choice of language modes, forms, features and structures shapes, and is
shaped by, a sense of belonging or of not belonging
• the ways in which they perceive the world through texts
• the ways in which this study may broaden and deepen their understanding of themselves and the
world
• the connections between and among texts in their representations of the concept of belonging

^ That block of text is the rubric for the Area of Study, Belonging. Each module has their own block of text indicating what areas you're supposed to know. It's useful reading each rubric as the BOS draws from to create the HSC questions. For instance, they asked about 'attitudes' and 'choice' last year and those key terms were from the rubric. One year, they asked about 'time' and even that was mentioned in the rubric.

2. How do you practise essay questions? With what material/or evidence?

Well sometimes I just do essays under the time limit. Otherwise I would just make mind-maps/essay plans on what i'm going to do. My school provided me with a few questions and I kinda made some up. I also managed to get my hands onto some of the past trial papers from other schools. So that was quite useful.

3. Where can you get good essay questions?
^ See above

4. Is vocabulary a good element to your essays?
Hm it depends. Some teachers think that academic jargon is pretentious. But in my sister's school, they encouraged people to use complex words. I personally think it's ok to use somewhat elaborate vocabulary given that you don't go too overboard and what is written is clear and concise...but really, I don't know.

5. Is it good to analyse essays and then use their structure?

Yh maybe look at exemplar ones to see what the standards are. I think it's good to use a structure that works best for you - be it the one where you write a single paragraph for each text (in a comparative essay) or the other (where you integrate the two into a paragraph).

6. How can you write a strong thesis?

I'm not a proficient thesis writer, but just try to make your thesis an overarching statement of what you paragraph is trying to say. Don't make it too long and specific though.

 

[MzRobinHood97]

Thanks guys for all your answers.. They all really helped and hope it helped everyone else