How would I go missing Unit 1?

[Base]

Well, I'm currently in year 11 and doing quite bad in English. I did extremely well in year 10, but this year I dunno whats happening...
I average terrible scores. However, I am doing well in Maths and Science though. I was thinking of changing to English Language.

So my question is, if I miss out on Unit 1 do you guys think I will still be able to do well with only units 2,3,4?
Any links/resources for me to catch up on unit 1?

Thanks all

[jackson1234]

Dont worry, you can still pick it up in Unit 2/3. However Unit 2 does not really play any role in English language 3/4, but i guess you can have a feel of whats it like and get settled down quicker than entering in year 12.

[meepcat]

Unit 2 helps with Unit 3, in that you explore language in a globalised context. This helps when considering language use in Australian Society, as it provides an understanding of the prestige status of English across time, particular in regards to its role as a lingua franca.

That being said, 2012 will be new Year 12 content, where the focus has changed to language variation for social purposes and language variation and identity. The theory looks much the same, but the order in which it's taught is different and some of the concepts look to be new and/or refined. 

In regards to your initial question, you can definitely enter Unit 2 English Language without doing Unit 1, and it's best to do English Language in Year 11 (even 1 of the 2 units) before trying Year 12.  While people say you don't "need" Units 1 & 2, the practice of metalanguage you receive in the Year 11 course plays an important role in your success at Year 12. 

If you're a very passionate and keen student, entering at Unit 3 is fine, but be prepared to catch up to the rest of the class in regards to metalanguage.  If you're just trying to escape mainstream English because your results aren't good, I'd be hesitant to recommend EL at all - you'll work three times harder in EL over mainstream English as the expectations are quite different and for many students quite unfamiliar. If the subject content appeals to you, it's better to enter EL sooner rather than later.

Just my 2c, hope that helps.

[vexx]

unit 1/2 is not required at all for 3/4.. for example, people on this forum getting high 40s in EL without the year 11, as well as me getting rank 1 in my class despite being one of the only ones without year 11 knowledge.. you will be fine, just maybe do some subsystems work over summer before you start 3/4 unless you do enough of it in unit 2.

[lukew]

If you'd like to know what's covered in Unit 1, look up the subsystems of language, sentence types/structure, children acquiring language, analysing monologues and that's about it.
Again, to repeat what others have said, Unit 1 is really just an intro to what English Language is, I've found it really easy as the concepts are simple and use terminology enforced by common sense.

[steve030]

You can definatley pick it up in 3/4, just make sure you enjoy the subject, or you will hate it.

[zool3]

i picked up english language in unit 2. i hated it because it was mostly history and i had a teacher who was really boring. But I chose to continue it and it's really fun! But the work is different compared to mainstream English. I was never good at English always averaged a C to B, and with Englang im on a solid B+ so i guess thats alright!

[Keine]

Personally, I agree with "picking up 3/4 only if there is something in EL that appeals to you"

There are a few people who assumed EL would be easier than mainstream English despite the
heavier workload, so they chose to continue despite hating it- and I can safely assume that they are
doing quite poorly

If EL is relatively difficult for you to understand (try reading your Unit one partition of your textbook)
then it'd be better to go with English

That being said, it's kind of deceptive since I didn't genuinely enjoy English Language for units one and two and was constantly getting mid sixties, but since starting unit three, I have been genuinely enjoying EL due to change of content and now rank somewhere amongst the top few of my cohort

It's true that you'd do better in a subject if you genuinely enjoy it, right?

[Base]

Thanks for the advice . I'll probably pick this up next semester then.

[mariec]

I didn't do 1/2 at all, just 3/4 and found it quite easy. But be aware that EL essays are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to English essays. It's less about discussion of the topic and more about analysis of language. Also, if you're not doing well at regular English, I wouldn't recommend doing EL -- it's "the specialist maths of English." (a lot harder)