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How I Conquered English: A Student's Path from Struggling to Thriving

Vanessa

By Vanessa, English Tutor at DT Education


During my junior years in secondary school, I didn’t hold a strong interest in English. From Years 7 to 9, I found it dry and just something I had to endure because it was a compulsory subject. However, towards the second half of Year 9 and onwards, English had a stronger appeal to me – this was mainly due to my teachers and tutors, but also due to the content I was learning. Because of this, I progressively saw improvements in my results. Over time, I accumulated some techniques that helped me develop my English skills and made me feel more confident during VCE. The two main tips I have for students is to thoroughly study their texts and to practice writing.


“The two main tips I have for students is to thoroughly study their texts and to practice writing.”

I highly recommend actually reading the prescribed text for text responses and to study it comprehensively. I definitely understand that some texts can be dull and lacklustre, however, understanding the text is extremely important for assessments and for your own individual learning, as it can increase your vocabulary, and it also means that you aren’t lost when you go through the book in class. To further enhance my knowledge of the text, I annotated as I was reading, and I recommend using colour-coded tabs and highlighters to mark different themes. Additionally, I often sought out second-hand copies from older students as they would likely have the previous owner’s annotations, and this helped me develop a different perspective and a further understanding of the themes or the plot. Furthermore, I also recommend reading summaries and analyses of the book to gain a further understanding of the book, and these can be accessed online. Ultimately, critically reading the prescribed material will prepare you for the text response and ensures that your written piece is adequately reflects your thorough understanding of the piece.


“I also recommend reading summaries and analyses of the book to gain a further understanding of the book.”

 

I also encourage students to practice their writing as often as they can. Practicing is extremely important and is a key to improvement. Whether it’s practicing writing an essay, short response, or planning, all this practice will have a significant and positive impact on your performance. I found that after writing several practice essays and plans, particularly in VCE, it had prepared me for my SACs (School Assessed Coursework) and my final exams in Year 12. Not only did it prepare me for writing and planning under exam conditions, but these practice pieces also helped me gain a further understanding of the text and allowed me to approach the text from different perspectives, as well as helped me break down the topic question methodically. In addition, when it came to argument analyses, practice pieces allowed me to familiarise myself with language techniques. In essence, practicing your writing can drastically enhance your performance as it will ultimately prime you for

writing in exam conditions.


“Practicing your writing can drastically enhance your performance.”

Although English is not as straightforward as other subjects, this shouldn’t discourage you from trying your best. Personally, I found that after incorporating these techniques of thoroughly reading and annotating the text, and also frequently practicing my writing, had enabled me to create a routine and placed me in a flow where I became more comfortable with the subject. Although I don’t expect everybody to ‘like’ English, I do think that once you get the ball rolling with these techniques, you will see a boost in your confidence and eventually your performance!

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