English

As we round out another term in English we turn our attention to Year 12 who are busily preparing for the HSC. Students’ experience of the HSC Trials (students are pictured commencing their English examination below) should hold in good stead for the ‘real deal’. The HSC Trials were an invaluable opportunity for feedback and students should take this feedback on board and revise content aiming to draft timed responses frequently in the lead up to the examination period. A link to the HSC timetable can be found here.

Current understandings of what works best for effective learning should be at the forefront of your child’s study routines for the duration of the HSC - Tuesday 15 October to Friday 8 November - and, beyond rereading or re-viewing their prescribed texts, students should employ at least the six strategies for effective learning promoted here to increase the likelihood of recalling the content. 

The work of The Learning Scientists is highly regarded and the strategies are transferable across all subject areas. Here is a summary of the strategies:

Finally, it is worth remembering that performance in the HSC examinations is critical for achieving the highest result in a subject. The final moderated mark in each subject is a calculation based on the examination result (in other words, the school mark is replaced with a moderated mark). A fuller explanation can be found here. 

Needless to say, from this moment on, rehearsing for the HSC by responding in timed conditions is the most important thing to do. The first two HSC examinations are the English Paper 1 and English Paper 2 and 4 of the 5 sections require an extended response in 40-45 minutes. 

At the risk of oversimplifying, here is a graphic breaking the three key elements of a successful English essay down to its component parts. Students in Year 12 would be familiar with this image and aware that they should be drafting, drafting, drafting.

Best of luck!

Mr Damian Quinn  |  English KLA Leader