How To Ace HSC English: Practical Tips From a 2nd in NSW & 99.95 ATAR Achiever

I know that Advanced English is one of the most, if not the most challenging subject of the HSC having gone through it myself not too long ago.

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There are no syllabus dot points to memorise that will lead you down a linear path to success. It can be scary to think that so much of your ATAR rides on this compulsory subject, where the marking standards can seem utterly confusing or cryptic at best.

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Coming to terms with the reality that the majority of top achievers are comparably good at subjects like maths and the sciences, the reality is - English is one of the most important subjects of Year 12. In my own HSC experience, and the spent tutoring since, I've seen it be the main differentiator between students at the higher end of the bell curve (in the realms of 99.0+ ATAR).

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I'm not saying this to stress you out (believe me, I've been in your shoes and the last thing I want to do is just reiterate tired clichés about the HSC!), but it's incredibly important for students to realise early on that maximising your mark in English is the single best strategy to maximising your ATAR.

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In this blog post, I want to impart to you my top English tips, which were in hindsight, critical strategies that helped me achieve the 2nd in NSW in English Extension 1 and 20/20 for the majority of term assessments throughout Year 11 and 12.

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My hope is that these tips will be highly actionable for anybody currently going through the same process - no fluff!

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Also, if you're looking for a game-changing writing resource beyond these tips, you can get our 20/20 paragraph writing guide sent straight to your inbox at this link.

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Okay, now let's begin!

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1. There is a "right" and "wrong" way to read your HSC texts

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You definitely need to read your texts - this goes without saying, but what I want to emphasise is that the methodology behind reading your texts is more important than actually perusing the words themselves.

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One of the biggest challenges of Year 12 is that you'll be time-poor, dealing with ticking time bombs of approaching assessment tasks in all your subjects, not just English. The best study strategies are the ones that will help you buy back time.

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Reading a text passively is going to be a burden on your time, with very little return. How much detail about a text do you actually recall a week after skimming over the words?

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Probably very little.

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Going through your texts should be an active process. If you implement this strategy the first time you go over your text, you'll make life so much easier for your future self.

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The first time you read your text, put in the extra effort to highlight quotable lines and jot down some initial notes in the margins about your impressions. These don't have to be sophisticated or even fully formed thoughts. The goal is to create a kind of "map" of your thinking.

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Also, keep your module in mind. When reading for the Common Module, think - what is this passage revealing about the human experience? What broad ideas, points, and arguments are already starting to germinate?

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The first time you come to read any text, you read it with fresh eyes. Use that fact to your advantage. If the first time you've thought about your text deeply is in the classroom, you'll definitely be influenced by your teacher's reading and the ideas of your peers in the classroom. This can often result in your thoughts becoming hegemonized and unoriginal. That's the last thing we want in a subject where unique insight stands out.

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Your personal annotations will be gold when you have to return to these texts - but this time, to write.

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To give you a clearer picture on how this strategy worked for me: when my teacher at school would set a practice paragraph, instead of flipping my novel open to a sea of unmarked words, which would've been really intimidating, I could return to my initial annotations, skimming only the most "quotable" parts of the text to formulate my points.

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This also meant I didn't have to solely rely on the default quotes that had already been emphasized in class. The quotes that would naturally crop up in EVERY student's essay. This strategy is not only incredibly time-saving but will make your quote selections and analysis all the more original.

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2. Good expression is key when writing an HSC essay

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Once you have decent ideas, good expression is the key to elevating your essay to the upper A-range. Achieving that is much easier said than done. In fact, it was one of the things I found most challenging about English, as well as what I see my students struggle most with now.

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Have you ever experienced the feeling of being stuck and not being able to find the right words for your paragraph? You glance at the time and you've spent one hour eking out 100 words. You might push through just to finish, and what you get is a poorly worded block of text without logical flow.

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At this point, step back.

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I found it useful to read my paragraph from an outsider's perspective, asking myself line by line, "Does this make sense?"

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Each sentence should logically flow on from the previous. Think of it like building a chain. Each link needs to be joined onto the previous, or the chain will break. If the cause-and-effect logic linking each sentence isn't clear to you, there's no way it will make sense to your marker.

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Lack of clarity in your writing -> A confused marker -> A lower mark

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Sometimes, it can be useful to strip away the bells and whistles and just try to express your point in plain English. Try not to overcomplicate your expression in a bid to sound more sophisticated.

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Sophistication should come from your insights. Good expression is clear expression.

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My holy grail tool when essay writing was OneLook Thesaurus. I would always have it open in my browser while working in a separate WordDoc. It's an amazingly comprehensive thesaurus tool that gives you an endless stream of elegant ways to express your ideas through synonyms.

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If you've done the logic check on your paragraph, you’re now ready to start elevating your expression. Work on eliminating basic or vague sounding terms for more nuanced synonyms with the help of this website.

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Nine times out of ten, it can also get you unstuck during the writing process if you're a writer with perfectionist tendencies, who just CANNOT move on until you find the right word to continue with your argument.

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3. Organize your English study notes for success

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We've been talking about the nitty-gritty of reading and writing processes so far. This one's a tip about the study process itself.

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In my experience, when you have an organized note-taking system in place, you're FAR more likely to actually spend time reviewing your notes and potentially unearth golden nuggets of ideas you may have otherwise lost.

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Note organisation can also be a big game-changer during assessment time. I used OneNote to keep all my paragraph scaffolds easily accessible.

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As soon as I opened up the application, I could go to the relevant subject tab and make instant tweaks to my essays. I also compiled unseen questions and my practice responses here, which I could refer to in an instant.

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In our everyday environments with so many distractions, it's easy to lapse into procrastination. It happens to the best of us. When your notes are well-organized, you take away a lot of the friction and frustration standing between yourself and productive work. Do your future self a favour by creating the best study environment possible.

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Here's an extra tidbit. I was also able to embed my revision calendar into my note-taking app.

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Keeping everything study-related in one place gave me clarity on exactly what I needed to do when it was crunch time.

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More organization = Less friction + More productive study.

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I've been preaching hard about OneNote so far, but by no means is it the only option out there, or necessarily the best option for you. Notion and Evernote are also popular choices. I recommend testing out a couple of options and running with the one with the interface you like best.

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No need to overthink about the choice. The functionality of all these apps is essentially the same! The best note-taking app is the one that’s easiest to use because you'd be most likely to embed it into your study habits.

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4. A good pen is a student's best friend

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No truer maxim. This might seem like a descent into the somewhat trivial, but improving your writing instrument can be an instant way to improve the speed and legibility of your writing.

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One of the most frustrating comments you can get on your exam paper in Year 12 is, "handwriting unclear." Or the dreaded - "handwriting at times illegible."

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Handwriting struggles were one of the biggest themes throughout my Year 12. I can understand how frustrating this is if you've lapsed into this issue too.

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No matter how good your ideas are, you can’t score the marks you deserve if your marker can't read the words you've set down on the page. And so, it's imperative that you make addressing this issue a priority.

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I know it's easier said than done. Paper 1 and 2 of English Advanced are both monster undertakings. Paper 2 especially. There is no way a student can complete three essays within two hours without writing quickly non-stop. It becomes hard to maintain legibility.

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I can't recommend enough investing in the tools that will make this challenge a bit easier. When I discovered the joy of rollerball pens, I was able to write instantly more quickly, effortlessly, and legibly. My hand also tired less, improving my writing endurance. The key to finding a perfect pen involves balancing easy ink flow with pen weight.

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I'll link my personal recommendations here, but I definitely think it's worth taking the time to find the one that feels best for you!

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Uniball Jetstream Pen

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Pilot Rollerball Pen

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That wraps up my list! I really hope these study tips prove helpful to you.

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When I was going through Year 12, I found what moved the needle most was studying the proven frameworks used by past students who achieved the kind of success I aspired to. And so, I invite you to check out our 20/20 paragraph writing guide here to help fast track your essay writing success.

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Happy studying!

Jess

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