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How do I ace English? (1 Viewer)

Quartermaster

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Oct 20, 2013
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Hi there
Now I'm doing Advanced English and I have a few problems

My vocabulary and grammar skills are terrible, so is my vocabulary, my vocabulary is just terrible

What can I do to improve my punctuation and grammar skills as well as my vocabulary so I have that band 6 vocabulary and then of course write a killer band 6 essay for English (and probably even my other subjects)

The band 6 essays I read (only read a bit) are just amazing, their vocabulary is just amazing, I really do want to write a band 6 essay!

Thanks
 

rumbleroar

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vocabulary -
would really recommend reading more, as that expands your vocabulary, how you use your language, observing literature structures, etc. Romantic novels (i.e. Frankenstein) are often laden with rich vocabulary, so I recommend those types of novels if you're going for vocab. Sometimes, romantic novels get really dense, so that's a word of warning.

grammar -
understanding syntax and sentence structure. There's not a lot I can help you with there, except practice. Try section 1 comprehension q's for practice. I'm sure if you ask someone on BoS to mark stuff for you, they're willing. Just browse the threads :)

It takes a while to develop your skills to write a b6 essay. The crux of writing a killer essay (in short):
- sustained ideas, arguments, most often explored in depth
- sophistication with words/sentence/everything in general lol (comes with practice)
- sufficient and relevant evidence to support your points

If you want to really write a b6 essay, really recommend reading NF essays on the internet and stuff, because they provide a good example of the sophistication you need to achieve. you can also notice vocab here and there as well. Just make sure you read good essays, not crap stuff. Haha. (It's also a good skill to pick up on what distinguishes a b6 essay from other essays)
 

LoveHateSchool

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I think the best thing to improve marks in English is a constant cycle of writing, gain feedback, critically applying and being reassessed. Many skills in life are practice oriented, and English is one of these.

Reading will help in bounds for vocabulary and often offers creative nourishment for your own writing.

Knowing how to dissect a Q (highlighting key concepts and verbs out of the question) and even just planning how you'd respond and what evidence you use is very important.

A b6 essay may start as a b4 essay, but can improve as you broaden your English skills and constantly polish and polish! Don't be disheartened by feedback, treat it as rubies.
 

study1234

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No matter how poor your 'English skills' may seem, you can always improve. I would recommend preparing your essays/creatives beforehand, and spend a lot of time working on and editing them. Make sure you get lots of feedback from teachers/tutors/peers, so you can constantly improve your work. Good luck! :)
 

strawberrye

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Check out this thread that I made:
http://community.boredofstudies.org...el-senior-year-studies-yr-11-12-a-317056.html

It has some sections on how you can excel in English Advanced. Essentially, it is understanding, practice, feedback, practice, feedback-a cyclic process. Your determination to write a band 6 essay is a good step forward, but depending on what band level you are currently writing at, try to aim for progressive steps towards a band 6. For example, it is highly unrealistic to expect a student to jump from a band 4 to a band 6 in a few terms, but it is possible to progress from a band 4 to a band 5, and when they achieved that, from a band 5 to a band 6-which is much more manageable steps.

If you are doing Advanced English currently for your HSC, I would recommend you to check out my thread: http://community.boredofstudies.org...2014-january-school-holidays-only-317183.html

(I have made a similar one in Advanced English-where I share tips regularly on improving English studies and skills which haven't been included in the senior study guide I have compiled)

And you are more than welcome to send me your essay to see what areas you need to improve in and what things you are doing right and should continue to be doing-as long as you send it within this January holidays, I will mark it for FREE. So please feel FREE to get some FREE help:)Hope this helps, don't panic, just have a never-giving up attitude, consistent effort and practice, and you will maximize your chance of achieving your goal. Best wishes:)
 

Confound

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Look, I will honest with you, find 15/15 and 20/20 essays from other people or/and the internet and memorise them. Do not create your own essays or creative stories. You will not succeed through that route unless you are a genius or a best selling author. I made that mistake of trying to create my own sht and it cost me 18 rank spots which destroyed my atar. It was it until the actual hsc that I copied someone else's essays and creative writing and ended up with an 89 external mark. But my internal was 76, due to me trying to play the hsc game the ethical way.

Memorisation of essays is the easiest and stress free way to succeed (given that you are able to slightly modify the prepared essays in order to appropriately answer the question)
 

xGhanem

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Look, I will honest with you, find 15/15 and 20/20 essays from other people or/and the internet and memorise them. Do not create your own essays or creative stories. You will not succeed through that route unless you are a genius or a best selling author. I made that mistake of trying to create my own sht and it cost me 18 rank spots which destroyed my atar. It was it until the actual hsc that I copied someone else's essays and creative writing and ended up with an 89 external mark. But my internal was 76, due to me trying to play the hsc game the ethical way.

Memorisation of essays is the easiest and stress free way to succeed (given that you are able to slightly modify the prepared essays in order to appropriately answer the question)
omg lmao.
 

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