What does it take to get +40 in english?

[Rebecca.tutoring]

Figure out what works for you - there's nothing in particular that is "required" for you to do in order to get over 40...some people just waltz into the exam on no study and crack out a 48, others write 3 essays a week for a year and get 25. You need to just make your work, work for you...whatever study you do, make it meaningful and worthwhile.
Listen to people's advice - you'll be getting a lot of it this year - but take it with a grain of salt and remember that nobody can ever tell you "what it takes" because that depends on YOU.

The best thing is just to identify your strengths and not waste time improving things that you're already good at, or that bore you. If you can write essays in your sleep, you won't need to worry about doing 1000s of prac essays throughout the year. If you know your texts inside out, you won't need to bother writing chapter summaries and quote lists. It's early days yet and you'll find that if you just take things as they come, SAC by SAC and week by week, nothing will be that hard and there will be very few things you haven't done before. You've been doing Eng since prep (I'm assuming?)...Year 12 is just business as usual!

I got a 50, just by doing my homework and studying for SACs throughout the year, then putting in more work in the leadup to exams. Other people always gave me the impression that you couldn't get marks like that without putting in 5-6 hours every night, and pretty much dedicating your life to VCE. It's not necessarily true though! You need to be efficient and learn not to waste time.

Personal tip for success: learn to enjoy eng because it's one of those subjects that you can study without it feeling like work - find some enthusiastic friends if you don't like English, and get some discussions going over coffee about the books you're studying, or debate the ins and outs of your context. It sounds nerdy but really, it's a lot less nerdy than sitting at your desk by yourself...I learnt more over pizza than I did in the classroom, and trust me, it was more enjoyable.

Shameless plug: I can tutor you and help you on your way....