Struggling in EL

[zsteve]

I've been kind of struggling in English Language (as in, trying to get above average and a 40+) at Distance Ed this year (without the 1/2). I don't think it's because I haven't worked hard enough (1.5 hours/day consistently, and even more recently), but rather that I'm missing something perhaps?
When I ask my teacher "how can I improve", she advises me to "keep an eye open for language ... go that extra mile [to pay attention to language around us]".
Presumably everyone else does this, but exactly how do you do this? Could anyone give me some tips/advice? I've been working on my Cuttings Journal consistently, but somehow it hasn't given me the necessary acuity at the subject.

Would be very grateful for any advice

[dmitridr]

Hi mate,

I am sorry to hear you're struggling with English Language! Before I give you advice, please let me know which part of the curriculum you're struggling with? Short answer, analytical commentary or essay?

Here are some of my key success tips for the subject:

From my personal experience, consistent and applied study will always get you the results you deserve. Every night you should be devoting some time to English Language study, even if you believe other subjects are more important.

Broaden your vocabulary! Learn new words and try to use them wherever possible. For example, the use of the word ‘lexeme’ has greater standing in English Language than ‘word’. Ideally, the broader your vocabulary, the higher the chance of you achieving exam success!

Don’t get fooled by thinking that English Language is easier than normal English – you still need to write cohesive, coherent and well thought-out essays.

Having a wide breadth of quotes for all topics is very important – unique and contemporary quotes will make you stand out in your essays. 

Understanding all the subsystems and the metalanguage of each subsystem will ensure you do well in the SACs and exam. You should ideally learn how to describe what is happening in a text with the use of metalinguistic terms.

Practice under timed conditions! Many past English Language students have complained about the time pressure, especially under exam conditions.

EXPOSURE IS KEY! Expose yourself to A+ responses; read these pieces and highlight key phrases in these texts. Soon enough, you’ll be subconsciously writing like an A+ response! Attend workshops, ready study guides and ask for sample responses from your teacher.

Even if you are not passionate about English Language, try to find something that you enjoy about it – it just makes it so much easier to study if you have a likeable reason to do so. For example, you may enjoy writing, so weave that enjoyment for writing into your essays.