English study tips

Monaghan_98

Hey, I'm doing the LC this year and I'm freaking out about HL English. Does anyone have any tips on how to study for P1 and P2 ?

Permabear

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Monaghan_98

Permabear wrote: »

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The general ambiguity of both papers frightens me tbh. I'm worried about getting a topic in paper 1 on the Composition section that doesn't suit my interests! (For example in my mock the speech topic was about the 'Personal cost of elite sports' and quite frankly I hadn't a clue about the topic!)
For paper 2 I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to write a good essay on either the poetry or single text section, and write it in the time allotted! In the mocks I took a complete breakdown because I couldn't think of anything to write on either Hamlet or poetry and I ended up writing well below what is expected on each respective topic. I think I need to change my studying tactics to be better prepared tbh.

carefulnowted

I found the essays on the mock paper overly restrictive to be honest, and from looking at past LC papers the titles tend to be far more open and allow way more scope for different takes on the topic. I know the essays can be daunting, but there always be one you can write about. Try to determine what type of essay you like to write most is (personal essays, articles, debates etc) and just practise them lots over the next few months.

For paper 2, I think everyone struggles with timing. If it's a massive issue for you, you need to start timing yourself doing homework questions/essays. Set an alarm for 1 hour and just do the best essay you can in that time. At first you'll be struggling hugely but as time goes on you'll be able to keep calm and have proper structure/address all your points etc. i think a mix of timed essays and really well-researched and structured non-timed essays is good.

Permabear

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randylonghorn

Monaghan_98 wrote: »

(For example in my mock the speech topic was about the 'Personal cost of elite sports' and quite frankly I hadn't a clue about the topic!).

Don't put all your eggs in one basket, i.e. don't go into the exam determined to do the speech as it may not suit you.

That said, I agree with the poster above who said that topics in the LC are usually less restrictive than the one you quote.

Monaghan_98 wrote: »

For paper 2 I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to write a good essay on either the poetry or single text section, and write it in the time allotted!

1. When you have revised a topic, think about potential questions (as well as those relevant ones which have appeared on past papers) and write down bullet points outlining how you would answer those questions. Index cards are handy for this, as they can be stored away safely together, but whatever works for you. If you put the question on one side and the points on the other, you can also use them to check whether you remember the relevant points in a week / in a month, etc.

2. Get out your pad, pen and a stopwatch, and practice answering questions in the time allotted.

3. When you go into the exam, take a couple of minutes to (a) calmly READ THE QUESTION PROPERLY and make sure you understand it, and (b) jot down the bullet points you will use to answer it at the top of the page. If you have practiced doing this, each bullet point should only be a key word or two to jog your memory and keep you on track, so it's not going to take more than a minute or so.