How to study for English?

[JackSonSmith]

I know this probably sounds like a ridiculous question, but what are some ways to study/prepare for English SACs and the exam?

Bonus question: What are some ''mistakes'' students make when writing text response essays?

[fwdslxsh]

Hey there.

The best way to actually do better is to write practice essays (obvious enough) and incorporate the feedback given <= there's a distinct difference between a student who's written 20 practice essays in one go without feedback, and writing 3 in different intervals with your teacher's feedback in mind. So make sure you get your essays corrected before starting the next one. That being said, I'm not saying you should write 50 essays a week, there are many other ways to prepare!

Here are some others:
1. Consolidate your ideas
I can't stress this enough. It is imperative for you to develop a comprehensive understanding of your text. What you should keep in mind: What are the themes? What are the implications? What's the underlying message that the author is trying to convey? Read your text to grasp the general gist of it, then read it again to solidify an understanding of the implications of said text. Create quote banks, character analysis, thematic analysis - anything that you think will be beneficial for this.. perhaps mind maps?

2. Read other people's essays
There are many fantastic essays on here (Refer to the 'English Resources and Sample High Scoring Responses' topic). So to improve your writing before the SAC, make sure you read some of these essays for 'inspiration', as your flaws may be their strengths. For example, your biggest struggle with essay writing might be your tendency to incorporate 'floating quotes', but other people may incorporate quotes in such a seamless manner. Be wary of plagiarism. Try to develop your own style / approach.

3. Vocabulary
Self-explanatory. Don't overdo with thesaurus.com and use words you deem 'sophisticated' to replace your own in your essay; sometimes the simplest words gets the point across more effectively than using an over-the-top word like Brobdingnagian. Really.

4. Predict the SAC Prompts
Pay attention to class discussions. Your teacher wouldn't (i hope not) give you a SAC Prompt topic that she/he hasn't hinted/discussed about in class. They'll mention the themes of the text - perhaps emphasise on some. Keep note on that, and you'll find that you can hone in on certain recurring theme, rather than spend hours nit picking each one. That being said, for your exam, a general rule is they won't repeat prompts they've already chosen in the previous years; so if a recurring theme is Vengeance, but VCAA hasn't prepared a prompt dedicated to that notion, then it's sensible to prepare for that.   

5. Devise plans for your prompts
Your teacher will give you a vast array of prompts for practice (or you can find your own online) but because you have to keep in mind of your other subjects (make sure you dedicate your time wisely), you can't write essays on all of them. So, write detailed plans on the others; devise topic sentences, dot point how you would substantiate these points and throw in some quotes.

Oh, and obviously don't leave studying until the last minute. Very silly reason for doing poorly on your SAC/Exam.

Good luck!

[nat_1577]

Well, a good way to start would be reading past essays to get an idea for the structure/language being used. Also try to increase your vocab - look up words in the dictionary and try to find more interesting synonyms.

For each specific area in english:

Language Analysis:
- write heaps of practice essays
- go over persuasive techniques
- use the DEER method to begin with if you're unsure - Device, Example, Explanation, Reader Response
- get your teacher to look over your essays; do this a couple of times before a sac

Text Response:
- again, heaps of practice essays, and get your teacher to look over them
- a good way of studying for english is topic tracking - work out the important themes of the text, find where they are reflected, and analyse those sections. You can find a lot of great quotes/structural elements to use in your essays that way. Start by working out the important themes of the text, and then look carefully for moments that really encapsulate these notions. Take note of these sections and analyse them; highlight good quotes, pick out structural components that you can use to talk about the author's writing technique; by the end of year 12 I had a set of examples I knew really well and could use in basically every essay I wrote.
- make sure you have at least 3 quotes in each paragraph, and try to incorporate a structural component in each paragraph

Context:
If you're doing expository (which is all I can really help with), then...
- again - PRACTICE ESSAYS! and annoy the hell out of your teacher by showing up to his/her office multiple times before your sac to have your essays read over
- pick out a few examples from the text that reflect a wide range of prompts
- do research to find events/literature/films,ect. that reflect your topic (encountering conflict, imaginary landscapes, ect.)
- and now the most important - write one really great piece that you're happy with, and try to re-write the same piece for a different prompt - make changes where you can so that it fits with that prompt, but try use the same examples. By doing this, you'll easily be able to respond to a number of prompts, and it'll save you a lot of stress during the exam It's also a good idea to have this looked over by a teacher - if they are happy with the ideas/examples you've used, then you know you're in a good place for the sac/exam.

[JackSonSmith]

- make sure you have at least 3 quotes in each paragraph, and try to incorporate a structural component in each paragraph

What do you mean by 'structural component'?

[nat_1577]

What do you mean by 'structural component'?

So basically, some mention of how the author has constructed the text to reflect certain ideas - the use of metaphors, personification, language choices, symbols, ect. My teacher repeatedly stressed that they were important if you wanted to write an A+ essay - examiners really looked for that sort of stuff in the exam.

So, if you're trying to support a premise of the text, you could use these mentions of the author's writing style/literary choices to further strengthen your point. For instance, the weather is often used to represent the emotions of a character - if you're trying to support a point about the struggles a character endures, you could say that the stormy weather represents their inner turmoil, and therefore accentuates the extent of their struggles. I could give you some examples of structural components I've mentioned in my essays if you like.