It’s here! Preparing for the exam.

Nine months ago, I started this blog with the intention of helping Year 12 students get through VCE English during their final year of schooling, because after all it is the subject that counts towards your ATAR no matter what (unless you’re studying Literature or Language, but same/same, you know what I mean).

My first ever post was about how to approach the year, strategies to prepare for SACs and how to tackle those stressful times. That post had quite a few hits and my own self doubt about whether it was a good idea to put myself and my writing out there was gone. Not only were you finding the posts useful but I had an unexpected audience of teachers who were reading my posts and sharing them with their students. For someone like me who often feels like she has imposter syndrome, it actually was the confidence boost that I didn’t know I needed.

And now, here we are in September and about to start exam preparation for what we have talked about all year. I can’t believe that it is that time of year again. It felt so far away when I pressed publish for the first time in January and all of a sudden here we are in September thinking about the exam on October 25.

This post hopefully will give you the advice that you need to approach your English studies, but also how to prepare for exams in general and some advice.

What to do now?

Most of you have finished your final outcome and are now preparing for revision and the prac exam. But how do you prepare for that? There is a lot of information and resources that you need to sift through and you need to figure out where and how to start. So this is my advice of what to do to start with.

Reflect on what you know and what you don’t know. You would have just finished your comparative analysis so you would be most confident with that, however, don’t neglect it when studying for the prac exam. Also reflect on what do you remember for the text response and argument analysis?
Organise all of your notes. This will be a time consuming task if you haven’t been doing this during the year. Have a file/folder for each area of study and organise that into study guides, notes, PowerPoints, practice essays, plans. This will make it easier to reference your material when you study for each section.
Revise each area of study. What was your strength and why? What were your weaknesses? How can you improve this?
Choose the text that you will be writing on for section A. Many teachers would be encouraging students to focus on a particular text but you have two choices. Go for the one that your teacher has gone through in the most depth and that you feel you know well.
Find a pen! Some of you have a favourite pen to write with and the one that allows you to write quickly. It has to be blue or black. Practise writing with a few and figure out which one works best for you. Buy a couple of them. You don’t want to be running out of ink during the exam.
Listen to your teacher’s advice. They would have gone through revision tips and suggestions of what to do during the September break to prepare. Follow through with their advice and adopt their suggestions.

How do I study for English?

I’m a massive preacher of the plan. I believe that students do better when they have planned a number of essays to different topics rather than spending hours writing essay after essay. If the ideas are wrong to begin with then the essay will be a waste of time. That is why the planning is essential to your prep. You will also use the plans to read through just before the big exam which is quicker than reading a whole bunch of essays.

The preparation starts during the holidays, your teachers won’t be available for immediate feedback, so you need to think of the best ways to utilise your time. My tip is to organise, revise, plan.

I’m stressed about the practice exam!

Don’t be. The prac exam is a very useful tool for your big exam prep. It’s an opportunity for you to reflect and figure out what you need to do moving forward. Ask yourself the following questions:

Have I used the 15 minutes reading time effectively and how can I use it to its full potential?
What is my strongest area of study?
What is my weakest area of study?
Have I allocated my time appropriately for each section?
How can I manage my time better?
What do I know?
What don’t I know?

After you have reflected you should now have a clear direction of what you need to focus on moving forward as you prepare for the big one.

What does the exam look like and what are the assessors looking for?

The exam consists of three sections.

Section A – Text Response
Section B – Comparative Analysis
Section C – Argument Analysis

Section A and B will be texts that you have studied in depth in class with your teacher. These you should know well. You will have two prompts to choose from for each one of these sections and you need to select one.

Section C however, is a little different to the SAC. It still requires you to analyse arguments in a persuasive text, but you are not required to compare. The last three years there has only been one text to write about for the analysis but sometimes VCAA throw in another one for a bit of fun. If this happens (it might, it might not) you need to analyse this text and explain how it complements the first text, not compares to it. The marking criteria (which can be found here https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/exams/english/english-crit-descriptors-w.pdf does not mention comparison at all. Therefore, all you need to do is say how the text also presents an argument and how it connects to the first text. Is it a response, a cartoon, a letter etc. Then analyse it. I find the block style essay for this is the most effective one to practice as it allows you to write your essay focusing on the analysis of the primary text then adding on the last part saying how the complementing text also presents its argument. (You can revise how to write the analysis – ignoring the comparative part – in my previous posts for argument analysis – how to write the essay and ‘Why can’t I just list the persuasive techniques?)

Remember that everyone who sits the English exam will be completing this exam. You are all on an even playing field and section C is the same for everyone. The prompts for sections A and B will be accessible for everyone who has studied those texts so having an understanding of all of the themes and ideas within the texts will prepare you effectively for any question that you may get.

One document that you should familiarise yourself with are the exam descriptors (found in the link above). They are broader than the marking criteria that your teachers used for your SACs, but they are also very specific too. One common idea that comes across in Sections A and B is the connection to the topic. It is absolutely necessary that you engage with the prompt from the onset in both of the essays. Assessors will know if you have memorised an essay or are trying to fit a square into a round hole with an essay you have previously written because you haven’t fully immersed yourself into the ideas that are presented in the prompt. Again, that’s why planning is vital. The planning allows you to think about a variety of questions and how to approach them will give you the advantage that you need going into the exam.

Another key word that comes up in the marking criteria for section C is your ability to discuss the visual. Don’t forget the visual. Whatever it may be such as a photograph, diagram, table etc, make the connection to where it links with the argument within the text. You also need to ensure that you have understood the audience and intention of the text. This is where the background information is so important. Do not forget to read it and don’t ignore it. The background information helps you to identity the form, purpose, context and audience of the text. This is the detail that you need to help your write the introduction and refer to the intent towards the specific audience throughout.

Three hours is sooooo long! What if I get hungry?

Three hours goes quickly. You don’t have time to think about food or eating. Just make sure that you have had a nutritious breakfast beforehand, have your bottle of water with you and have lunch plans ready for when you finish the exam.

You do need to plan your three hours and 15 minutes reading time though and practice this in your preparation for the exam. The following is my advice for what to do during the 15 minutes and how to organise your three hours.

Don’t just sit there and think about lunch in the 15 minutes, but use the time effectively. You are not allowed to write or plan or highlight etc. during that time, but you can use it to think about what you will write and also read the content that is Section C.
First you should find the prompts for your text in Section A and B and make a decision. Think about each one, but it’s likely that you’ll have a preference to one more than the other from the start. You’ll get that feeling.
When you have chosen the prompts consider a plan for each in your head. How will you break down each paragraph, what types of examples. Spend about 5 minutes thinking about this.
Read the material for Section C. Once to get an idea of what it is about and the second time to break down the text/s into arguments and analyse.
When the 15 minutes is over, write down quick dot point plans for Sections A and B so you remember what you were thinking about during the 15 minutes. Come back to this later when you start writing the essay.
Annotate and highlight the material for Section C (no more than 5 minutes). Remember to clearly indicate where the visual will be discussed.
Write your Section C, Argument Analysis essay. This should take you roughly 40 minutes. By this stage you should be quiet confident about writing this form of essay that you won’t spend too long on it.
Start writing your essay for Section A or B. You choose which one you are most confident with as it means that you will write faster. Look back at your quick plan, make additions and adjustments and then start writing. Give yourself about 55 minutes for this.
Write your final essay. You should have at least one hour left at this point. If you get to the third hour and haven’t completed two essays, then you need to quickly finish the second essay and move on to the third.
Hopefully you have about 5 minutes left to quickly glaze over your writing and check for any glaring mistakes.
Breathe and once that paper is collected go outside and celebrate.
Word of advice, don’t dwell over the exam once you’ve finished. It’s done, there’s no point discussing how other students responded. Don’t overthink it and just enjoy the moment of finishing the first exam and focus on the rest.

Ronnie’s words of wisdom

I hated exams. I spent most of my university career selecting subjects that didn’t require me to sit an exam. Apart from a compulsory IT subject that needed me to pass the exam to pass the unit (which I didn’t pass BTW), I avoided exams like the plague. When I studied for my Dip. Ed. in secondary education, I had to complete a couple of exams, but I still managed to find a unit where it was a take home exam. So, when it comes to exams and avoiding them, I’m your girl. However, they were unavoidable in Year 12. I had to do them. I studied hard because I had to. I didn’t get a high ATAR, (it was called the TEE in WA when I completed my studies), but I got enough to get into the course I wanted to and look at me now. Kicking goals!

We all have our own goals and aspirations, and you should strive to achieve them. Know what you want and work for them. Your ATAR only matters to get into the course that you want to do. Nobody asks what your score was once you’re at uni and it doesn’t distinguish you from anyone else once you’re studying your chosen course.

I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom to help you tackle the next few weeks as you countdown for the exams:

Balance your studies. Put together a study timetable to ensure that you have organised your time effectively to study for each subject.
Exercise or do an activity that gives your brain a break. I like to bake or clean. I don’t start watching Netflix though, because then I can find myself going into a deep dark place of binge watching.
Eat well and don’t drink too much coffee.
Get up at the same time each day and plan your daily routine. Don’t stay up too late. You need to sleep well if you want your brain to function properly.
Form a study group with friends and work with them. It’s amazing how positive it can be when you work together.
Use SWOTVAC time effectively. Some study better at home, others study better at school. Find your place that works best for you.
Communicate with your teachers. They want to help you and want to see you succeed. After the September break, Year 12 students become their priority and they will do what they can to help you.
Don’t write a million essays at once. Wait to get feedback on one exam/essay before writing the next so you can use the feedback to improve (this is relevant for all of your subjects)
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, tell someone. Your parents and teachers will help you try to manage your stress and feelings of overwhelm.
Read through my previous blog posts to help revise for the English exam (self promotion at its best here)
Don’t discuss any of your exams with people. This makes you unsure of your own answers. What is done is done. Just move on and let fate take control.
Do your best. Your ATAR does not define you.

I have loved writing these posts this year and will continue to do so for the new study design moving into 2024, and I really hope that you were able to get something from the blog to help you with your English studies this year.

I’d also love some feedback on how I can make the blog better. I have some ideas moving forward that I plan to work on but as my audience I would love some ideas from you.

Thank you for your support, and good luck for the exams. As always, listen to your teacher and the advice they have given you.

Remember to keep it zesty and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Ronnie