writing faster in english

[dream chaser]

Hi Guys,

English is definitely my weakest subject and my weakness in English especially is not been able to write quickly during SACS. Normally, I never finish any of the SACS on time, so they are incomplete and I am concerned by this, especially heading to Year 12 next year. I would really appreciate it if some people can give me some tips to improve writing quicker, so when I have an English SAC, I will be able to finish on time and the writing will be of good quality. I also feel that in English, it takes me a lot of time to think of something to write. Please give me some suggestions to improve this as well thanks. Normally, when I practice to do essays, whether they are language analysis' or text responses, I sometimes take like 4 to 5 hours just to complete one.

I would really much appreciate all the suggestions

Thanks 

[Poet]

Hi Guys,

English is definitely my weakest subject and my weakness in English especially is not been able to write quickly during SACS. Normally, I never finish any of the SACS on time, so they are incomplete and I am concerned by this, especially heading to Year 12 next year. I would really appreciate it if some people can give me some tips to improve writing quicker, so when I have an English SAC, I will be able to finish on time and the writing will be of good quality. I also feel that in English, it takes me a lot of time to think of something to write. Please give me some suggestions to improve this as well thanks. Normally, when I practice to do essays, whether they are language analysis' or text responses, I sometimes take like 4 to 5 hours just to complete one.

I would really much appreciate all the suggestions

Thanks  :D ;D :)

Hey, dream chaser!

I struggle with this, too. And I know this sucks, but my first piece of advice is to practice. The more you do it, the faster you’ll get, the easier it will be to work through the process. Try by sitting yourself down for a set amount of time, say 3 hours(?), with the goal of writing an essay in that time. Then narrow it down by 15 minutes. Than 15 minutes again. Keep narrowing the time down until you train yourself to think faster, plan faster and subsequently write faster.

Another thing that might help you is to write practice exams, but with one change: try to write without worrying about perfection. If you’re like me, you think over every word individually, how it works in the sentence, and you get stuck on particular thoughts. After that, there’s not much of a chance that you’ll get it all done in time. Try just free-flow writing. Find a topic, make a rough argument for each paragraph, and just go for it. Don’t get stuck on the arguments. Then once you’re done, look over what you’ve written and refine it. This will, again, help you’re thought process.

Hope this is of some value to you. Happy writing! ^-^

[Lear]

You need to identify what exactly is making you write slow.
Most people don’t have the problem of being literally slow writers in that their hands are just not fast enough.
What are you spending the most time on? Trying to understand the prompt? Figuring out a contention? Figuring out how to construct a logical support of your contention? Trying to recall quotes? Putting your thoughts into words? Are you simply blanking out?

[scout]

Hi Guys,

English is definitely my weakest subject and my weakness in English especially is not been able to write quickly during SACS. Normally, I never finish any of the SACS on time, so they are incomplete and I am concerned by this, especially heading to Year 12 next year. I would really appreciate it if some people can give me some tips to improve writing quicker, so when I have an English SAC, I will be able to finish on time and the writing will be of good quality. I also feel that in English, it takes me a lot of time to think of something to write. Please give me some suggestions to improve this as well thanks. Normally, when I practice to do essays, whether they are language analysis' or text responses, I sometimes take like 4 to 5 hours just to complete one.

I would really much appreciate all the suggestions

Thanks 

Hi dream chaser,

It's good that you can identify your area of weakness - it means you're already halfway towards improving!

There are two possible causes of slow writing:
(i) you don't know what it is you want to say
(ii) you know what you want to say, but you don't know how to express it.

Think carefully about which of the above applies to you.

If it's (i) then it means you need to get a better grasp of what you're writing about. E.g. AA - do you understand the opinion piece? Do you know what to look for in an opinion piece (i.e. what argument/language techniques)? Text response - have you fleshed out the ideas/themes of a text as much as you can? etc. Possible solution: 1. plan, plan, plan before you write. I was once told: if you plan well enough, you can write in 30 mins. I know this is hard in assessments, but practise it before the exam so that you get faster at it until you get to the point where you can plan mentally. 2. Memorise. Sometimes you can recycle themes/ideas/techniques - this could save you some time (and stress!) in assessments. It could be worth trying.

If it's (ii) then I still recommend you to 1. plan, plan, plan, because often if you don't know what exactly you want to say, you won't find the right words to use, and you'll get writer's block. Also, planning gives you structure which in turn gives you cohesion which in turn forces you to use connectives and the like... see what I did? 2. Consider memorising some useful vocab/phrases. You can often reuse words (esp. analytical words, e.g. 'illustrate' or thematic and abstract words, e.g. 'ingrain') in AA or even in text response.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me 

All the best!
Scout

[dream chaser]

You need to identify what exactly is making you write slow.
Most people don’t have the problem of being literally slow writers in that their hands are just not fast enough.
What are you spending the most time on? Trying to understand the prompt? Figuring out a contention? Figuring out how to construct a logical support of your contention? Trying to recall quotes? Putting your thoughts into words? Are you simply blanking out?

Thank you for replying. I feel that the effect it has on the reader and the hardest thing to write about.

[dream chaser]

You need to identify what exactly is making you write slow.
Most people don’t have the problem of being literally slow writers in that their hands are just not fast enough.
What are you spending the most time on? Trying to understand the prompt? Figuring out a contention? Figuring out how to construct a logical support of your contention? Trying to recall quotes? Putting your thoughts into words? Are you simply blanking out?

Thanks for replying. I feel the effect it has on the reader as the thing which slows me down the most.

[dream chaser]

Hey, dream chaser!

I struggle with this, too. And I know this sucks, but my first piece of advice is to practice. The more you do it, the faster you’ll get, the easier it will be to work through the process. Try by sitting yourself down for a set amount of time, say 3 hours(?), with the goal of writing an essay in that time. Then narrow it down by 15 minutes. Than 15 minutes again. Keep narrowing the time down until you train yourself to think faster, plan faster and subsequently write faster.

Another thing that might help you is to write practice exams, but with one change: try to write without worrying about perfection. If you’re like me, you think over every word individually, how it works in the sentence, and you get stuck on particular thoughts. After that, there’s not much of a chance that you’ll get it all done in time. Try just free-flow writing. Find a topic, make a rough argument for each paragraph, and just go for it. Don’t get stuck on the arguments. Then once you’re done, look over what you’ve written and refine it. This will, again, help you’re thought process.

Hope this is of some value to you. Happy writing!

Thanks for replying. I'll make sure I'll utilize your suggestions. Much appreciated. Also, what do you mean to write a practice exam?

[dream chaser]

Hi dream chaser,

It's good that you can identify your area of weakness - it means you're already halfway towards improving!

There are two possible causes of slow writing:
(i) you don't know what it is you want to say
(ii) you know what you want to say, but you don't know how to express it.

Think carefully about which of the above applies to you.

If it's (i) then it means you need to get a better grasp of what you're writing about. E.g. AA - do you understand the opinion piece? Do you know what to look for in an opinion piece (i.e. what argument/language techniques)? Text response - have you fleshed out the ideas/themes of a text as much as you can? etc. Possible solution: 1. plan, plan, plan before you write. I was once told: if you plan well enough, you can write in 30 mins. I know this is hard in assessments, but practise it before the exam so that you get faster at it until you get to the point where you can plan mentally. 2. Memorise. Sometimes you can recycle themes/ideas/techniques - this could save you some time (and stress!) in assessments. It could be worth trying.

If it's (ii) then I still recommend you to 1. plan, plan, plan, because often if you don't know what exactly you want to say, you won't find the right words to use, and you'll get writer's block. Also, planning gives you structure which in turn gives you cohesion which in turn forces you to use connectives and the like... see what I did? 2. Consider memorising some useful vocab/phrases. You can often reuse words (esp. analytical words, e.g. 'illustrate' or thematic and abstract words, e.g. 'ingrain') in AA or even in text response.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me 

All the best!
Scout

Thanks for replying. I feel it's both(i) and (ii). Especially with Language Analysis, in particular the effect it has on the reader. Sometimes I know what the effect is but do not know how to express it and there are other times in which I do not know what the effect it has on the reader is at all.

[dream chaser]

My main aim for English in year 12 is just to pass with, which is to get 25 in it. How hard is it to get that? Do you reckon it is achievable with the issues I currently have in English baring in mind I am currently in year 11? Like what are the minimum scores for each SAC and the three components in the final exam I need to get to achieve 25?

[Poet]

Thanks for replying. I'll make sure I'll utilize your suggestions. Much appreciated. Also, what do you mean to write a practice exam?

In year twelve, the English exam consists of three essays in three hours - one text response, one language analysis and one comparative essay. To narrow down the time it takes to write an essay, you'll need to ultimately aim for one hour per piece. This includes both planning and writing.

My main aim for English in year 12 is just to pass with, which is to get 25 in it. How hard is it to get that? Do you reckon it is achievable with the issues I currently have in English baring in mind I am currently in year 11? Like what are the minimum scores for each SAC and the three components in the final exam I need to get to achieve 25?

Passing English isn't particularly difficult, but you will have to work at it. The issues you currently face shouldn't affect you in year 12 if you're willing to take on and dedicate yourself to the advice you're given.
The passing grades depend on your school, mainly, but it would probably be 45-50%. A 30 study score in English is actually the median, meaning that you just have to do as well as 50% of English students. According to VCAA's estimation for a main subject area (see 'what is a study score'), all you have to do to achieve a final 25 is to get into the top 78%, which should not be difficult if you keep practising. It's difficult for us to give you an estimated exam score, as this relies on your overall state ranking. Best of luck.