- Use the best resource you have - your teacher - wisely. Ask for extra essay topics and analyses when you run out, and see if he or she has any secondary materials (such as different English textbooks, study guides, etc.) Also ask your teacher how you can improve your work and follow up any corrections and aim to fix them.
- Read up as much as you can on your selected novels and your Context to gain a thorough, multi-layered perspective and understanding of them.
- Do a close reading of your texts so you can pick up complex ideas that the ordinary student overlooks. Eg, what are some aspects of the characterisation that the author has deliberately included in creating this character? How does this invite us to respond? Teachers are impressed when students are able to distinguish these intricacies and it immediately adds depth and dimension to your response.
- While some disagree, I think that it is vital to write practice essays frequently GIVEN that your content and ideas are sound and have been checked. It familiarises you with topics and also increases your writing and thinking speed. Avoid merely regurgitating past essays though as it probably would not completely relate and link back to your topic.
- Try to maintain a high ranking. Though I only got a low-mid A+ for SACs, my GA1 and GA2 got dragged up majorly by my exam mark since I was ranked first. Just for the record, I got 48.