Hey there!
So I'm entirely a math person. I do extension 2 maths, and it is my life-blood. However, I am still decently good at the english language and all that, so I chose to take on advanced (hesitantly ). My goal for the HSC is to achieve a band 5 in english, and out of all my goals I feel that that would be the most rewarding achievement to get.
However, my internals are pretty shaky at the moment. I got 17/20 for an essay last year, which is right where I wanted to be, but it was only a quarter of the full assessment; the rest was a presentation, which I got 15/20 on. Overall, my mark was below 80 (i believe 78?). I was also not first internally. I have just received my second assessment, of which I got 16/20 - which is technically right on the cusp of a band 5, but doesn't give me that security I'm looking for. It was the top mark for the class (others got it too). I believe it was marked more honestly than the last assessment.
English is the biggest crux for the HSC. All of my other subjects I do fine in, and a small increase in my marks for them does very little to my overall score (especially MX1/2). However, English can bump my expected atar up a whole point by a small increase of 5. I'm really trying to find motivation in the subject, as I do not like it in the first place, and essentially my question is:
How do I stay motivated in English Advanced?
Hey, diggity!
Firstly, congrats on your marks so far! Although you may be a little concerned with not being able to reach your goal and insecure about it, those are still fantastic results! You've got plenty of time to maximise your performance with a new term and to do even better for Advanced
Staying motivated requires you to
find something to enjoy about the subject and to drive you through the course. Since you're more of a maths person, it's evident that you must like something a lot about maths. In order to motivate yourself for English, find something to like about the course! Perhaps there's something cool in the text's execution or an aspect of the composer's biography that you find fascinating (and reflected well in their text). When you find that special something about the subject, it'll increase your attention and commitment to it
A lot of students don't enjoy English and that's because they aren't actively searching for a reason to. Having that reason to like the subject is more than enough to keep you interested in the content and to apply the relevant skills you need to show that you are. We have an awesome
Accountability and Motivation thread here on the forum where you can keep track of your progress and document your immersion in the subject
I also find
feedback as a great source of motivation for improvement in the subject. Rather than focusing on what marks and grades you receive, my best advice would be to draw your attention to the feedback your teachers have given you. Their advice is your best resource for maximising your performance in the long run. Revise the module and your submitted assessment with their feedback in mind; see where areas of improvement are needed and if you have any questions or unsure on how to approach it, ask them for clarification! This will help you know what to do next and to keep you moving forward with a goal for the next assessment. Setting these goals will guide your study and actively involve you more in the course.
I hope that helps! If you have any further questions, do ask in this thread
Good luck!
Angelina