45+ in English

[Shryuu]

What would it take?
and how would you study it throughout the year?
I'm willing to put in a lot of effort and time but I'm not quite sure as to what to do when I go home to study?

[saaaaaam]

Sometimes the difference between the low 40s and high 40s is purely your SAC marks. So try to get the highest you can in your SACs.

As for study - do what the teacher sets. Google your texts, go to libraries and find all the information on them you can. Read a quick biography of the author. If it's set in a different era than research that. Just make sure you know your texts inside and out.

Otherwise practise writing the different essay types and get feedback on them.

Also - when you go into the exam have a plan of attack. Going in I knew I was going to complete the exam in this order: language analysis, context, text response.

Good luck!

[werdna]

A few things:

1. Do a sufficient amount of essays progressively throughout the year and get them marked.
English is a language and so you've got to put all your learnt material into action - in the form of a piece of prose. Essay writing not only draws together the grammar, linguistics, punctuation and spelling you've come to learn over the years; it also gathers together your ideas and views on specific novels/films in a literary sense. An essay puts all of this into action - and it's therefore critical that you practice, practice, practice! Keep writing essays progressively until you reach a point of satisfaction. But also make sure you proofread these essays straight after writing, or even better, one or two days later. Get your teacher to mark it as well. Another suggestion; join the VN essay-writing initiative that I set up here. This is the place you can go to for essay help and advice.

2. If you don't like reading books, get into the habit of reading the newspaper frequently instead.
If you're not confident reading The Age, at least have a crack at the Herald Sun on a frequent basis. Whilst the Herald Sun resembles a gossip magazine in so many ways, there are still some parts of the daily newspapers that can really boost your understanding of current events on a national and international scale. This could be of good use come oral presentation time - or even better, for a more definitive grasp on your context study. Also have a read of the opinion pieces and editorials every now and again - have a look at how writers use 'persuasive techniques' and how you yourself are impacted by what they write and what you read. So, in essence, reading newspapers can really benefit you in all 3 aspects of the English course.

3. Write your own study guide on all your texts.
I personally only did one study guide for English this year (for the new text which had hardly any resources).. and I found that the commercial study guides for the non-new texts were absolutely useless (to me anyway). For this year, I'll definitely be writing study guides for all my texts. Whilst the writing of a study guide may take a considerable amount of time, the actual writing component of your study guide may actually be more helpful than the reading of your study guide. Your own personalised study guide would suit your own needs, but it would also, more importantly, contain your own perceptive views on the text - and its characters, plot, themes, ideas and so on. And this is exactly what is needed come SAC and exam time! You cannot, and I stress, you cannot rely on commercially-written study guides for English. Put in the effort to write your own guide and you will be rewarded!

4. Realise that you need to question absolutely everything in VCE English - ask 'why?' at all times!
Why did the writer use the derogatory terms 'idiotic' and 'ineffectual' in his opinion piece? Why did Susie act the way she did in front of Anna? Why does our identity change in a different setting? Why is the reader positioned to feel receptive towards the editor's stance? Why did the film director use photomontages and vignettes in their film, and in what way were the characters therefore perceived? Asking 'why' is so important! When you're having trouble, stop for just a moment and ask 'why' things are the way they are in that editorial, in that film scene, in that sentence, and so on. By asking 'why', you will inadvertently develop your own perceptive view of everything you study!

5. The last one - learn to manage your time!
I know I'm being a hypocrite, talking about time management.. but I learnt it the hard way - you really have to learn to manage your time! Do practice exams in conditions that resemble examination conditions as closely as possible. When writing practice pieces, do them under time constraints. I made a huge mistake with time management - all year, I only made time for single essays at any one time. These essays were achievable under the 1-hour time limit. But I didn't do three essays in one hit - a real practice exam - which was really my downfall. So yeah, manage your time properly!

The difference between a 48 and a 49 or similar is very, very minimal as I've heard - it all comes down to one or two marks. These one or two marks can be lost or gained through your spelling, expression, content, expression and so on. Keep in mind that every word and sentence you write has a purpose! I also don't think anyone should actually doubt the difficulty of getting a 45+ score in English.. the whole state is doing it, and so you've got to make your essays stand out.

[Predator]

To add from saaaaaam, there isn't that much more that can be done.

Just make sure you know your themes and quotes of the text well. Know about 2-3 quotes for each theme so that if your stuck for what to write in a paragraph you will have quotes to give you something to think about and talk about for a few sentences.

For language analysis make sure you know how to analyse an image well along with your persuasive techniques so that you can complete it in your mind in the reading time and then in the writing time you are basically ready to go.

With context make sure you know what writing style you are going for whether it be expository or persuasive or imaginative. If you are unsure write one of each and ask your teacher which is the better option for you and will play to your writing strengths.

Good luck.

[saaaaaam]

For language analysis make sure you know how to analyse an image well along with your persuasive techniques so that you can complete it in your mind in the reading time and then in the writing time you are basically ready to go.

Yes! Definitely use reading time wisely. With most of mine I read through the LA article, made a quick plan for text response, then mentally analysed the article so that when writing time started I only had to spend a few minutes making annotations. 

[flash36]

I know SAC marks are important, but the exam is the key; do as many practice exams as possible, and the full three hour ones too! There is no substitute for this kind of practice in my opinion; I thought I'd struggle on the exam after getting good SAC marks so I did about 15 practice exams, helped me out so much.

But in terms of text response and context, know your texts inside and out; quotes, key events/scenes, themes, interations, everything. Then you'll be able to tackle any question you get.

[taiga]

Need some luck too.

Don't do shit on sacs either; mate of mine got 10 10 9.5 and only got 46 coz of sacs when in reality that should be a 50, or a 49 at lowest

[werdna]

I know SAC marks are important, but the exam is the key; do as many practice exams as possible, and the full three hour ones too! There is no substitute for this kind of practice in my opinion; I thought I'd struggle on the exam after getting good SAC marks so I did about 15 practice exams, helped me out so much.

This.

Time management is so important for English (and all other subjects). All throughout the year, I did about 3 essays a week - but I did these separately, on different days, not in one hit like the exam. In the weeks leading up to the exam, I continued to do just single 1-hour essays, thinking that I'd be fine doing 3 essays in 3 hours. BUT, whilst you may think that because the writing frequency is the same and therefore think that you don't need to practise doing a full exam, this is a really big misconception as I found out. Don't think that the end-of-year exam is the equivalent to doing 3 standalone essays.. it's a whole lot more, with added pressure and time constraints.

[shinny]

I know SAC marks are important, but the exam is the key; do as many practice exams as possible, and the full three hour ones too! There is no substitute for this kind of practice in my opinion; I thought I'd struggle on the exam after getting good SAC marks so I did about 15 practice exams, helped me out so much.

This.

Time management is so important for English (and all other subjects). All throughout the year, I did about 3 essays a week - but I did these separately, on different days, not in one hit like the exam. In the weeks leading up to the exam, I continued to do just single 1-hour essays, thinking that I'd be fine doing 3 essays in 3 hours. BUT, whilst you may think that because the writing frequency is the same and therefore think that you don't need to practise doing a full exam, this is a really big misconception as I found out. Don't think that the end-of-year exam is the equivalent to doing 3 standalone essays.. it's a whole lot more, with added pressure and time constraints.

That being said, I still did 2 or 3 English trial exams properly but the feeling in those no where near matches the pressure that comes in the real thing. Most important thing to remember is that after you do your trial exams, treat the real thing as if it was just one of them. The pressure in the real thing made me change my game plan a little and I ended up allocating my time slightly incorrectly and this costed me a bit. This applies to every exam really. Don't change your game plan and get overly ambitious just because it's the real thing. Had a similar thing happen in spesh where I was so caught up in aiming for full marks that I sacrificed most of my time trying to get a single question right, at the expense of many other questions that I just simply ran out of time to do or double check. I had to learn this valuable lesson during my exam period, and it's probably the reason why my study scores increase pretty much in order of when I did the exam (English was the first exam, then spesh, BM last etc). Exam technique is crucial to doing well in VCE, and while it can be difficult to emulate the pressure in the real thing, I guess try to keep these things in mind and don't make the same mistakes that I and many others have made.

[lishan515]

I think the main main thing with the english exam is time - as already mentioned above.
My approach was:
1. 5 mins of reading time reading the topics- picking my context/text response essay and getting settled
2. 10 mins of reading time reading the issues part. Read it at least 4 times - 1st read for meaning and generally  noting anything significant - then the further reads to mentally analysis
3. 5-10 mins of the first hour noting the things I had thought in the issues part
4. next 45-50 mins writing issues essay - finished with 5 mins to spare
5. text response - 5 mins planning (potentially 10) writing - finished with 5 to spare
6. issues - again 5 mins planning 50 mins writing - 5 mins spare
7. Finished 10ish minutes-ish ahead of time - had time to read my essays over and generally do minor adjustments
Time management meant that despite my low-high  A+ sac marks, I managed to get a 50 for English

[Chavi]

It's pretty simple:
1) Go to an elite private school where your Sac marks will be scaled up
2) Wake up on the right side of the bed the morning of the English exam

[Shryuu]

thanks for the reply guys, they're really helpful


could people please comment more on how what you can do more throughout the year to increase your odds of doing well? i know al ot of it is luck, the sort of topics in the exam, how you're feeling on the day, but how can you improve how 'good' you are at english?

[Chavi]

thanks for the reply guys, they're really helpful


could people please comment more on how what you can do more throughout the year to increase your odds of doing well? i know al ot of it is luck, the sort of topics in the exam, how you're feeling on the day, but how can you improve how 'good' you are at english?

There is a common misconception amongst VCE students that you have to be "good at English" to succeed in VCE English. Whilst strong language skills do help, there is little correlation between a high English Study Score, and English ability.

If you want 45+, all you have to do is write to the study design and tick off all the boxes on the marking sheet. ie. Please the examiners. No eloquence, sophistication or thought is required. NONE. Just write to the study design.

[werdna]

thanks for the reply guys, they're really helpful


could people please comment more on how what you can do more throughout the year to increase your odds of doing well? i know al ot of it is luck, the sort of topics in the exam, how you're feeling on the day, but how can you improve how 'good' you are at english?

I guess just really critically analyse and delve into your texts. Develop your own unique interpretations of everything that occurs in a text, and compile this into a study guide if possible. Know your texts back to front - and that means understanding the themes, characters, motifs, symbols, plot, and so on. Understand how the writer/director creates meaning, and question the literal choices that have been made in the texts. Create a quote database, along with a character 'wordbank' of adjectives that describe characters and their motives. You will use these quotes and words in your essays. Once you do all this groundwork, you should be able to write plenty of essays. Get these essays marked and follow on from the advice you get. Try to do a vast range of essay topics, as there are actually types of essay topics that you'll need to be familiar with. If you do the right groundwork before writing any essays, you should be able to tackle any essay topics thrown at you, even in the exam.

If you want 45+, all you have to do is write to the study design and tick off all the boxes on the marking sheet. ie. Please the examiners. No eloquence, sophistication or thought is required. NONE. Just write to the study design.

This. It's only VCE English. This is what the examiners want.

[EvangelionZeta]

I know SAC marks are important, but the exam is the key; do as many practice exams as possible, and the full three hour ones too! There is no substitute for this kind of practice in my opinion; I thought I'd struggle on the exam after getting good SAC marks so I did about 15 practice exams, helped me out so much.

This.

Time management is so important for English (and all other subjects). All throughout the year, I did about 3 essays a week - but I did these separately, on different days, not in one hit like the exam. In the weeks leading up to the exam, I continued to do just single 1-hour essays, thinking that I'd be fine doing 3 essays in 3 hours. BUT, whilst you may think that because the writing frequency is the same and therefore think that you don't need to practise doing a full exam, this is a really big misconception as I found out. Don't think that the end-of-year exam is the equivalent to doing 3 standalone essays.. it's a whole lot more, with added pressure and time constraints.

That being said, I still did 2 or 3 English trial exams properly but the feeling in those no where near matches the pressure that comes in the real thing. Most important thing to remember is that after you do your trial exams, treat the real thing as if it was just one of them. The pressure in the real thing made me change my game plan a little and I ended up allocating my time slightly incorrectly and this costed me a bit. This applies to every exam really. Don't change your game plan and get overly ambitious just because it's the real thing. Had a similar thing happen in spesh where I was so caught up in aiming for full marks that I sacrificed most of my time trying to get a single question right, at the expense of many other questions that I just simply ran out of time to do or double check. I had to learn this valuable lesson during my exam period, and it's probably the reason why my study scores increase pretty much in order of when I did the exam (English was the first exam, then spesh, BM last etc). Exam technique is crucial to doing well in VCE, and while it can be difficult to emulate the pressure in the real thing, I guess try to keep these things in mind and don't make the same mistakes that I and many others have made.

To be honest, I disagree with this slightly.  I found that in all of my humanities subjects (Lit and Classics too, not just English), I wrote at least a whole paragraph more than anything I had been able to do on a practice exam.  Sometimes pressure can be a good thing; it gives you an adrenaline rush and lets you speed things up a bit.  I guess I agree with Shinny in the sense that you shouldn't just EXPECT to be able to do things differently on the exam (or that you shouldn't just randomly do something radically different on the exam), but really, it's something that can happen to your benefit.  

It's pretty simple:
1) Go to an elite private school where your Sac marks will be scaled up
2) Wake up on the right side of the bed the morning of the English exam

Even kids at elite private schools have to work hard to get decent SAC rankings...  If anything, it just becomes more competitive, because all the decently scaled SAC rankings get taken more easily...

@Shryuu's latest post, seriously, just work consistently, and make sure that you have everything under control before exam time.  Do all of your teacher's homework, get ALL of your essays marked (and really pay close attention to what you're doing wrong, because that's where you learn the most), and make sure you can write essays to the best of your ability before you start doing them to time in the exam revision period.  Also, this will sound cliche, but don't work TOO hard - you don't want to burn out in English, because it's the kind of subject where "freshness" cna really count.

If you want 45+, all you have to do is write to the study design and tick off all the boxes on the marking sheet. ie. Please the examiners. No eloquence, sophistication or thought is required. NONE. Just write to the study design.

This to an extent.  Eloquence and sophistication is rewarded to a degree, but yes, getting the top marks in VCE English is about ticking the boxes and minimalising mistakes (and they say that you can't study for it in the same way you do as maths...).  I know as a fact that some of the kids who got 44 or even 42 at my school were much better writers than some of the kids who got, say, 50 or 49 - it's really just playing towards the system.