What are your methods of studying for English?

[dcesaona]

Hi ! So with the break coming up I want to get on top of english once and for all and find a SOLID way to study for it. So far my attempts at studying for it have been wishy washy and very unreliable (even though I'm ranking 2nd I'm only just scraping it). All I have been doing is memorising generic essays and although they seem to work I would like to know how others are studying for english. SO, what are your methods? What works for you? Do you have study notes, flashcards, etc?

Thanks for the help! 

[owidjaja]

Hi ! So with the break coming up I want to get on top of english once and for all and find a SOLID way to study for it. So far my attempts at studying for it have been wishy washy and very unreliable (even though I'm ranking 2nd I'm only just scraping it). All I have been doing is memorising generic essays and although they seem to work I would like to know how others are studying for english. SO, what are your methods? What works for you? Do you have study notes, flashcards, etc?

Thanks for the help! 

Hey there,
I highly would suggest study notes- I would spend at least a few hours on the weekend summarising what I've learnt throughout the week. Over the holidays, I would research the context of the composer and include that at the beginning of my study notes so I get an idea what kind of issues the composer may be exploring in their texts. Then I would set up a table with the columns: technique, quote analysis. I would separate these tables by chapters (if it's a novel) or acts and scenes (if it's a play). For films, I would describe what happened in the scene before including my analysis. Tables just make my life easy since it makes my notes look tidier.

As for exam prep, I would do essay plans, as well as memorising a bunch of quotes that encapsulate key ideas- the reason why I don't do generic essays is because sometimes your quotes don't suit the question. Plus, to some teachers, regurgitated essays may seem like you're answering your own question, rather than the given question. I would also have prepared a malleable thesis in advance so I can figure out how to relate it to the question during my reading time.

Remember, these are the methods that I found useful to me, so it may not work out with you!

Hope this helps

[Mada438]

Hi ! So with the break coming up I want to get on top of english once and for all and find a SOLID way to study for it. So far my attempts at studying for it have been wishy washy and very unreliable (even though I'm ranking 2nd I'm only just scraping it). All I have been doing is memorising generic essays and although they seem to work I would like to know how others are studying for english. SO, what are your methods? What works for you? Do you have study notes, flashcards, etc?

Thanks for the help! 

Hey!
So you should start making TEE tables for all your texts and finding as many techniques/quotes in them as you can to make sure you have a wide variety. I have one for all of my texts with various techniques and quotes on them. Then start trying to memorise as many as you can so you are prepared for any sort of essay question.
On the topic of essay questions, practice papers/ questions. You say that you're memorising generic essays? then practice shaping these to different questions and get feedback from your teacher. Make sure you are gaining experience with using these essays in a variety of situations.
If memorising essays never suits you, then try desgining rubric statements for all your modules that can be splattered into any essay, regardless of the question, then gather some concepts and practice shaping them to suit different questions as well.
These are things i do

[kauac]

Hi...

In addition to what these guys have said about memorising quotes/techniques/effects and doing practice responses, I like to make wordbanks. Sometimes I feel like I use the same words/phrases over and over again in my essays, so I find it helpful to get some fresh vocab every now and then. But if you try this method, make sure you don't just click the synonym button ( a recipe for disaster  ), but check whether the meaning and context of the words are relevant to what you are trying to say.

I am also in the process of collating a book of techniques that I can add to, whenever I come across a new one. It's pretty neat for last minute studying for paper one unseen texts, and also just generally analysing prescribed and related texts as well. 

[dcesaona]

Thanks guys!  I think I will make tables for my study notes and then just leave everything else to practice papers. I have gathered that practice exams are essential for english!!!

[JTrudeau]

Adding my two cents, I was never a very English-y person, so it was hard for me to come up with original/thorough analysis on the spot. I memorised my body paragraphs and text introduction sentences, but would come up with a thesis during the exam. So I knew my analysis was good, but it gives enough flexibility so you're answering the question.

Creative writing was trickier, but I wrote about something that really interested me. I had watched Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time a few months, so I based my creative pieces on the 17th century Age of Sail : D You have to do a lot more research than if you wrote based on your own experiences, but it doesn't seem like work because you care about the topic.

Good luck! x

[hi.itsjessi]

So I may or may not be a little late in contributing to this thread, however, hopefully this will be of some help! I'm sitting the HSC this year too, so don't worry, we're in this together, I GOT YOU. English and similar subjects (Visual Arts, Drama) have always been my strong point, but like anyone, ya still have to study for it!

Basically, what I did (and what I'm doing currently) is that I'm pre-writing all of my essays / creative texts as anyone would. But here's the thing that really saved me in my half yearly. Don't memorise your essay word for word, memorise your key points, your general thesis, your quotes and your overall flow of the essay (unless you already know the essay question of course!). The reason I say this is because you want to be able to mould your essay into whatever it is your markers chuck at you- what happens if your essay doesn't suit the question at all? You either brainfart, wing it or you reiterate the essay you've memorised. You may have an amazing essay but at the end of the day, if it doesn't fit the question, MANY MARKS WILL BE LOST. Again, memorise bits and pieces but don't cram it all into your head. Same goes with creative, it's all about adaptability and being able to mould your responses! What I normally do after this point is take a look at some essay questions from the previous years and depending on how I feel, I either try to rewrite my essay and shape it to fit the question or I write in dot points how I would approach the question using the essay that was pre-prepared.

With short answers... the only thing you can really do is practice, so past papers all the way! Because I'm lazy, I normally just dot point on a separate page some techniques, a quick analysis and what I would say to answer the question, then ofc, just check if you're on the right track

Hope this helps and good luck!