Eng Lang vs English

[zsteve]

Hi All,
I am considering English language as a subject for next year, as opposed to English.
I have had people recommend me English Language, and also others recommend me to do English.
Personally, I feel that I would enjoy English Language better than English, but I have been warned that English Language is harder than English.
So I am most concerned right now about any adverse effects of doing EL instead of EN, namely that:
- English language is hard, and is hard to get a good study score in
- If I take English Language, I will have to do that subject at a 3/4 level via Distance, so I won't have a "real" teacher to work with...
- I have had one person say that doing Eng Lang has less competition (true) and hence is easier to get a good ranking in
On the other hand, some people have told me that English has more competition (ofc!) and hence the scoring divisions are larger (i.e. more people will get 40+) and is thus easier to get a good ranking in.
Are either of these statements correct, or are both uncertain at this point?

Either way, I know for sure that, doing English next year, I will be bored to death with character/poetry analysis (yuck!).
However, I hasten to say that I do not shy from doing English on account of not being good at it.

I would greatly appreciate some input on the worries I have put forth in this post, and information in general for EL 3/4

[psyxwar]

Hi All,
I am considering English language as a subject for next year, as opposed to English.
I have had people recommend me English Language, and also others recommend me to do English.
Personally, I feel that I would enjoy English Language better than English, but I have been warned that English Language is harder than English.
So I am most concerned right now about any adverse effects of doing EL instead of EN, namely that:
- English language is hard, and is hard to get a good study score in
sure, though so is English
- If I take English Language, I will have to do that subject at a 3/4 level via Distance, so I won't have a "real" teacher to work with...
yeah this could be an issue. A lot of learning comes from class discussions, though if you eork hard enough it's not a huge issue
- I have had one person say that doing Eng Lang has less competition (true) and hence is easier to get a good ranking in
less competition as in less people or the cohort is weaker? From looking at the scaling, EL has a stronger cohort than english (EL scales up, english scales down). EL has less people doing it though by far, which means less resources and all that. I dont think EL is easier to get a good ranking in than English based on the competition, which I'm sure is fierce at the top end. That said if you have had a look through the textbook and find you like it more than English, that could mean its a better fit for you/ something you could score better in than english
On the other hand, some people have told me that English has more competition (ofc!) and hence the scoring divisions are larger (i.e. more people will get 40+) and is thus easier to get a good ranking in.
Are either of these statements correct, or are both uncertain at this point?
honestly, both statements are relatively irrelevant. All that matters is how interested you are in the subject, how much work you are willing to put in and how good you are at it.
Either way, I know for sure that, doing English next year, I will be bored to death with character/poetry analysis (yuck!).
However, I hasten to say that I do not shy from doing English on account of not being good at it.

I would greatly appreciate some input on the worries I have put forth in this post, and information in general for EL 3/4

[aqple]

I do both English language and English and I personally enjoy the English language course more. I find it's a more challenging and rewarding subject. I wouldn't necessarily say it's harder than English - it's been a lot easier for me to improve in Englang as opposed to English...but that might have something to do with not working as hard in English because I find it a tad boring at times. Englang might be harder for those who have trouble being analytic and perhaps memorising things.

And don't worry about the whole ranking thing, it doesn't mean anything. Just pick the subject you think you'll do better in. If you don't like character/poetry analysis, I think you'd lean towards Englang. Although I don't know about the whole Distance Ed thing... I mean, one of the reasons why I've enjoyed Englang this year is because of my teacher. But if you're prepared to put in the extra work and effort, you'll do great.

[dmitridr]

A lot of the fears are often hearsay, so I'd be careful with who you take advice from.

Personally, I loved English Language and it was by far my best subject when I was at school. I'd advise reading over the study design first for English Language and seeing if the content would actually interest you.

In English Language, you still need to write essays. Many of my friends thought that English Language didn't require the need to write essays... but this was simply a misconception.

It's a very interesting subject... rather than analyse a text, English Language is more of a science in that you dissect the actual language itself and look at why people say certain words, how they say it and what are some meanings behind it. For example, you look at Australian English and how our language reflects certain values such as informality, mateship and a laid-back nature. You also get to look at swear, slang and other linguistic features and how their given purposes.

Honestly, I feel that English Language has actually helped me in real life, and I am sure if you do study it, you will find that to be the same case too.

Best of luck next year!