how can i boost my english marks? (1 Viewer)

[livingdeadgirl]

well after umm just passing my english asssessment which was a speech on king lear, and a very hard at that. but if a chic in my grade could get full marks then i need serious help.

i'm doing change in self. king lear. gwen harwood poetry, emma and clueless, frontline.
i wanna start my reform with king lear. i;ve grabbed some questions from trials and half yearlys and the actual hsc exams.

do i just attempt to answer the questions and just show my teachers? so that they can give me some help?

i'm also starting to read the dictionary. reading a fair bit more too

share ur tips or remedies!

 

[imsooverskool]

ok well seeing as im not that great at english i dont know how this will help u...

well you have the right idea in gettin prac essays and past exams because thats the only way u will improve; through practice, practice and more practice (at least thats what my teacher tells me). Also, remeber in assessments, its something we are told all the time but it never seems to happen- DONT LEAVE THEM UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE . I should practice what i preach ay? Also with english make sure that u understand the text or area of study really really well. Especially with lear make sure you have a complete grasp of the plot, charaterisation... etc blah blah.

hope i could be some help-although i doubt it very much!

 

[McLake]

Originally posted by livingdeadgirl
do i just attempt to answer the questions and just show my teachers? so that they can give me some help?

I think that is a great idea. Make sure they give you useful feedback however ...

 

[livingdeadgirl]

thanku thanku

i was thinking of english tutouring at one stage
but it seems to me that i cannot find a decent tutour
any sugguestions?

but english is so hard to improve on, maths give it a few excercises and it realli shows where as english tends to be a lil more complex
heaheha

 

[jm1234567890]

if get english tutor
get one which is one on one
group tutoring is the most useless concept in the world

cost about $30-$40 per hour

english tutor help alot

my mark go from ~50 to ~80

 

[snakeoils]

it can also be good to REALLY look at the syllabus, and highlight key points... so then you know what you should be looking for, and what to keep in the back of your mind when you're reading a text

 

[malayz_angel]

Yeah it's good to look at the syllabus and make short summaries about each point. Also you can try write a modern-day version of King Lear to see how much of the story you actually understand and then you will know which things you have to brush up on.

*By the way I haven't tried either of these methods. I just came up with them but I might try them later

 

[the wigged one]

with lear, the hard part comes in trying to grasp all the parts of the module, not just the play itself, e.g., the diff readings, productions, values, etc., and then tying them all in together. if you can do that well, you'll get the marks easily, coz not too many people in the state can do that.

i think with the new syllabus, its about understanding how the text fits in with teh module itself.

 

[Huy]

hi,

i'm not "the best" at english or anything, but i am coming equal 1st in my form (i'm usually 3rd/4th, it'll balance out over time)

i'll just give you a couple of words of advice?

firstly, i think you should have a read over your rubrick,
find out what outcomes are being tested for each assessment,

*know* what they mean!
if you're having problems, ask a friend or teacher.
you'll find that most outcomes are connected to other outcomes, so they'll be grouped.

some maybe referring to *what* is being said in the text,
others are about techniques (or *how*)

while the more sophisticated ones refer to values and the *why* e.g. why is a text valued? what makes it an enduring text, and so on.


finally, read your text (that is, king lear) at least twice, or three times if you're struggling.

i know it's a bore, but it'll sink in.
i've done module C already (frontline; elective: telling the truth) and i got full marks for the last assessment (15% task)

but i digress,

knowing your text front to back,
knowing all of your techniques that are being used,
what is being said in the text,
HOW it is said (i can't stress the techniques enough)
and why (if the question is asking about values).

to improve your marks,
class discussion and participation also helps,
i may not practice what i preach, but i know this will boost your marks (i'm always quiet in class and i mutter answers under my breath, ehhe!)


to sum up?
know your text, know your rubrick/syllabus outcomes, know what they are asking of you for each assessment task, as someone said earlier, DON'T leave them until the eleventh hour, and continue reading over notes, reading a variety of notes (e.g. boredofstudies notes as an extra, don't rely on these notes solely, rather, have your own set of notes too).


i hope this helps you

 

[livingdeadgirl]

hey

thanks for the reply.
i guess it was just a kik in the backside realli.

u know how its so easy to study maths?? u do excercises and u know things back to front, wat kinda questions are being asked and the style of question.

but english. man its totally different. but thanks for the advice.
i guess u just gotta see english in a positive light. change study habits and not concentrate so much on one subject.
people even say its hard to try and improve something that ur bad at.

i suck at english. heaheah for my assessment tasks the last two i got like 8 out of 15.

but i know what ur trying to say.

 

[livingdeadgirl]

but when u do know a text back to front, it must be easy to find a related text right?

RIght?

 

[Huy]

find texts that have similar conventions or ones from the same genre, that should help you out

ones with the same ideas, values, etc
it depends on your prescribed text though,

but yes, if you know your text back to front,
you should be able to make links with other texts,
describe the relationship between texts, etc.

(it's one of the outcomes)

 

[livingdeadgirl]

arghhh right
read the outcomes.

errkk
u make it sound so easy.
how many hours do u spend a night studying english compared to ur other subjects? out of curiosity

 

[Huy]

hehe

well, i do the work
that's all i can say?

if you know what you're on about,
it should be relatively easy

--but i know it's easier said than done

do the work,
read ahead
make notes
memorise notes
revise notes

... read heaps?


it all depends really,
if i've got english homework, i spent about an hour or so on it
but if i've got an assessment? i generally do it the night before
(i had a portfolio due today, i did it last night)

the same goes for every other subject,
put in the effort and you'll be rewarded

 

[livingdeadgirl]

Originally posted by Huy


put in the effort and you'll be rewarded [/B]

i think i will stick to that

 

[Huy]

i had to quote our (former) deputy principal,
he would used to say:

"you get what you deserve"
which, for me, reminds me of cool runnings (the flick),
"GET BACK TO WORK!!!"

 

[astron]

Interestingly, I'm the one coming equal first with huy

My advice centres on one word: TECHNIQUES

This is possible the most important part. Make sure that you always discuss the techniques used by an author.

What you will find is once you discuss the techniques used, it leads on to the message being put forward.

Perhaps the other second major thing is to SYNTHESISE.

In laymans terms, that basically means you need a common thread amoungst your focus and related texts. It is the thing that makes them similar. So in King Lear, a good way to link texts is to talk about the different adaptations as being a reflection on the society they were composed in.

Both these two writing techniques should help make your responses more sophisticated, which is what they are looking for in the higher bands (ie. A and B)

Hope that helps

 

[Huy]

Originally posted by astron
Interestingly, I'm the one coming equal first with huy

My advice centres on one word: TECHNIQUES

This is possible the most important part. Make sure that you always discuss the techniques used by an author.

What you will find is once you discuss the techniques used, it leads on to the message being put forward.

Perhaps the other second major thing is to SYNTHESISE.

In laymans terms, that basically means you need a common thread amoungst your focus and related texts. It is the thing that makes them similar. So in King Lear, a good way to link texts is to talk about the different adaptations as being a reflection on the society they were composed in.

Both these two writing techniques should help make your responses more sophisticated, which is what they are looking for in the higher bands (ie. A and B)

Hope that helps

hehe I'm going to nitpick now
(yes ... I'm out to 'try' and beat you )

'How' meaning is made is so crucial
I think you've been studying for Extension too much
For plays, you'd need to know about all the different readings and interpretations.

Bands, or ranges?
Band 6, A range?

Basically, everything should be coherent. It should flow. I don't know, but I like to establish a sort of 'rhythm' with essays and techniques, starting off with an introduction, a brief background into the text, leading up to the techniques and wrapping it all up with a concluding statement (per paragraph, per text) and a couple of quotes.

That's another important tip, QUOTE!
You've got to backup everything that you've said with evidentiary quotes. (Or would that be: 'textual evidence')

*HOW* meaning is made. Memorise a couple of techniques, revise your glossary of terms, and also learn a few quotes that will help support your explanation

Edit
I've forgotten to add one more thing, as Astron has mentioned: SYNTHESISE, also known as textual integrity. After every text discussed, or after every paragraph, depending on what the question is, it's a good idea to make links between either the characters, or the texts.

That should be it
Techniques, quotes, integration, but more importantly, conclude on a *STRONG* statement. It gives it bite

 

[livingdeadgirl]

so astron ur the person that huy is trying to kill EH?

friendly rivalry, an't it beautiful heaheaheaheha


thankz for the tips

its been good help

 

[Huy]

LOL! More or less.

You could say that ...
We attend the same school,
We're in the same classes (also extension eng, not surprisingly)

(Must ... kill ... i mean, *beat* ... Astron )