Literature/English Crisis

[SXR19]

I'm currently in yr11 doing only Literature.
But my love of reading and discussing topics did not cover how 'bad' I did in SACs.
I didn't fail any of my SACs but I only ever got ok scores (30-35 out of 50). No matter how hard I try, how well I organised an essay
and no matter how many notes my Literature tutor gave me, I still haven't manage to obtain consecutive 40s.
I don't understand what I'm doing wrong and I personally find it unfair that I get such ok scores despite my great contribution to class discussions and understanding of texts. I may even consider doing a different English subject.
I wish to receive advice on this.

Thanks!

[Coffee]

It's one thing to understand the text and discuss it and another to actually apply that knowledge to paper under exam conditions. Do you feel confident when going into a SAC? Or are you struggling? If so, why? It's important you identify where you're going wrong. You can talk to your tutor for a second opinion but it's more important you talk to your teacher as she's the one handing out the grades. What feedback have you received thus far?

As for doing a different English subject; I think if you love reading, discussing books, and are a strong English student, there's no reason you wouldn't be a good fit for literature. First and foremost, you need to work out where you're going wrong and then decide because what you're doing wrong might be a very minor thing. In saying that, is there any reason you aren't doing English as well? If you're good at English it would be worth taking both.

[SXR19]

I had spoken to my Lit teacher about this ages ago and she said its due to my organisation skills and not enough textual evidence, but even with that all in place, I don't see much difference in my SAC scores.

PS I normally don't get really nervous during SACs so I couldn't really blame it on nerves

[Coffee]

I had spoken to my Lit teacher about this ages ago and she said its due to my organisation skills and not enough textual evidence, but even with that all in place, I don't see much difference in my SAC scores.

PS I normally don't get really nervous during SACs so I couldn't really blame it on nerves

If you haven't already I would go to your lit teacher and ask specifically what she means and specifically what you need to do in order to bump up those scores. Your SAC generally will be cross marked so it might be worth talking to another lit teacher as well. They'll most likely agree with the score you were given but they might be able to explain what you need to do and where you're going wrong better. If all else fails, speak to your tutor; they might be able to work out what your teacher means. Or post up one your essays in the English Work Submission and Marking. I'm sure someone will come along who might be able to help you out

[heids]

Can't stress enough what Coffee said, TALK TO YOUR TEACHER.  By that I mean, full-on book a longish one-on-one session with her, don't just chat in passing. Make it clear that you're serious and you need to know exactly what you're doing wrong, ideally with short examples of what you're doing wrong and how to do it right (i.e. you don't want the answer 'you're not profound enough' because that won't get you anywhere).  If she told you some problems a while ago which you've fixed up, then there must be other problems too.

She gives out the scores, so she knows what you need to change.

[EmilyRoseLamb]

Literature truly is an art.
For my entire school life, I'd been a straight A+ English student and adored writing, so naturally I made a b-line for Literature when choosing my VCE subjects. On my first year 11 Lit SAC I got a B+, for an assessment that I felt so very confident about. Obviously dissatisfied with my result, I approached my teacher who then offered to help me out when preparing for SAC's, saying that if you have never written in that kind of environment before it can be quite stressful. So, with some guidance, I got an A on the following SAC, and A+ on the exam.

My point is, focus on improving elements such as your vocab and how you use it. In some circumstances I've been told to 'tone down' the vocab and in others to include more complex language; it's such a fine line between formal and verbose. I think the trick to doing well in Lit is being very precise in your arguments-refer to your evidence very quickly and create a complex yet succinct contention. Another valuable tip would be to memorise as much as your practice SAC as you can, as that is the work you'll often get feedback for from your teacher, then try to apply that structure to the passages you are presented with-practice, practice, practice. If you love writing and reading then there is no reason why you won't do well! Just make sure you have that communication going with your teacher, because if they know you're a dedicated student with hopes of success in the subject then they will be more than willing to help you. I know it's obvious, but having a chat with some other students about how they approach SAC's could also prove valuable. Good luck