How to get a 40 in English in 3 weeks???

[magnum]

Ok, this is the situation:

English is guaranteed in our top 4 subjects, whether we like it or not.
HOWEVER, being the most boring subject to study for :buck2: (in my opinion), many of us of hate it.

So, Im sure many of us here on this forum, myself included, have unfortunately "sacrificed" studying for english during the year to concentrate on pretty much everything else    (whether it be the mid-years, UMAT, spesh/methods/chem/physics SACs - we studied for ANYTHING BUT english lol)

So, to help everyone one out, I was hoping we could make this a thread to help those who have left serious study for english to the last couple of weeks, and need some sort of strategy or plan to boost their study score in a minimum amount of time.

So, basically, the question Im putting out there is....


How can you get a 40 in English in 3 weeks??

[EvangelionZeta]

Write a ****load of essays.  Like, one a day, more on weekends.  Get the marked. 

That's basically it.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

damn, I haven't done any yet >_>

Does anyone else feel that studying for English just doesn't feel as satisfying (i.e not as clear in terms of progress) as other subjects? dunno how to get over it.

[EvangelionZeta]

Hence why I think essay writing is the most important.  Unlike maths and science, you can't really get things "right" and "wrong" with English - I've always felt that have to be more practical in regards to studying, and that basically equates to practicing your essay skills and trying to improve constantly.

[QuantumJG]

Ok, this is the situation:

English is guaranteed in our top 4 subjects, whether we like it or not.
HOWEVER, being the most boring subject to study for :buck2: (in my opinion), many of us of hate it.

So, Im sure many of us here on this forum, myself included, have unfortunately "sacrificed" studying for english during the year to concentrate on pretty much everything else    (whether it be the mid-years, UMAT, spesh/methods/chem/physics SACs - we studied for ANYTHING BUT english lol)

So, to help everyone one out, I was hoping we could make this a thread to help those who have left serious study for english to the last couple of weeks, and need some sort of strategy or plan to boost their study score in a minimum amount of time.

So, basically, the question Im putting out there is....


How can you get a 40 in English in 3 weeks??

lol this is basically me!

[mba]

*Write as many practice essays as you can. Make sure you do some unseen and in timed conditions as this is how you will be doing the exam.
*Make sure you know your books, their characters, themes etc. back to front.
*Have a good word bank that is sophisticated and verbose so you can show the markers that you have a fluent and developed vocabulary.

Good luck trying to get 40 in 3 weeks, unless you are extremely talented in the field of English you will struggle to be able to develop the required succinct and sophisticated writing style in this time.

[NE2000]

Do you recommend actually making a 'word bank' or do you think continually writing and looking back on the essays you have written and trying to replace words that you feel are repeated or not particularly sophisticated with newer words is sufficient?

[mba]

What ever works for you, I like to have lists of word that I repeat a lot with their alternatives. Going through your essays and picking out words that you continually repeat is a good idea. Personally the main aim is to be able to present the marker with an interesting text response that maintains their attention. Strong word use is just one aspect to this.

There is no point using “sophisticated” wording though if it does not fit into your writing style. You must implement the vocabulary into a succinct response that flows logically, presenting insightful ideas relating to the text and the prompt.

I have recommended this before, William Strunk’s “Elements of Style” is a great book that can assist you with your writing. Don't let its small size fool you.

S

[mba]

Sorry I forgot to add that reading in general is thought to increase your vocabulary also. Not just books, other essays, newspapers etc.

[xXNovaxX]

But reading over YEARS is what improves...supposedly your vocab. In 2-3 weeks it won't work. Unless you intend memorising

[mba]

Of course it is not going to work over 2 to 3 weeks. That's why I stated at first that this person is going to struggle. Vocabulary skills are not improved over night, they take years of practice and experience (e.g.: your whole high school career) to put in place. The second post was general advice to NE2000 in response to his question.

Regards, S.

[dior1]

I haven't writen any prac essays yet, i've been concentrating on other subjects! :S
Once my lote oral is over with, and my 3 sacs this week, i'll start with some essays..but i dread them so much!

[Gloamglozer]

So, basically, the question Im putting out there is....


How can you get a 40 in English in 3 weeks??

Captain Shinny to the rescue, I suppose lol.

[ninwa]

How can you get a 40 in English in 3 weeks??

This is what I did about 4 days before the exam because I'm a slacker and for the love of god do not leave your studying til 4 days before the exam -

- Read my books thoroughly, making notes in them of my own thoughts. Then read them again + my notes and added to those notes. Then read them again. And again. Basically I knew my books back to front by the exam. (NB: probably not a good thing to do if you are a slow reader)
- Read through all my SAC essays + teacher's comments.
- Took the list of essay topics we had and made an essay plan for about 5 topics each book.

Didn't actually write any practice essays because I felt it was a waste of time and my time was better spent doing plans instead. But that was just my study style.

I would NOT recommend making "word lists" this late in the year, purely because in the exam you might feel compelled to use at least some of the more "sophisticated" words, which, if you haven't used them in previous essays, often ends up making your expression sound forced and awkward.

Clear, succinct, simple language which conveys your arguments and ideas forcefully is ALWAYS better than flowery prose with superfluous "fancy" words.


... I wish I had the likes of shinny on VN when I did English :[

[magnum]

thanks for the advice ninwa and EvangelionZeta, appreciate it 

Of course it is not going to work over 2 to 3 weeks. That's why I stated at first that this person is going to struggle. Vocabulary skills are not improved over night, they take years of practice and experience (e.g.: your whole high school career) to put in place. The second post was general advice to NE2000 in response to his question.

Regards, S.

OUCH!!!     lol dw sutti there is ALWAYS hope:

"Never say Never"   8-)