how would u improve english marks? (2 Viewers)

[Timothy.Siu]

i'm doing advanced english at the moment, i'm not doing too badly but i just wanna do better but my english skills are really really bad, in basically every aspect. The only way i do well in exams is basically if i memorize watever i'm doing but i cant even write something good to memorize. Is this a good way to do english? or is there some better way if i wanna do really really well

wat about creative writings? how do u do well in them? any method?

 

[marcquelle]

lots and losts of practice essays for you teacher even if not on your topic anything is better then nothing.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[Timothy.Siu]

lots and losts of practice essays for you teacher even if not on your topic anything is better then nothing.

Practice makes perfect.

yeah i guess so, i better start doing them

 

[beve]

i'm doing advanced english at the moment, i'm not doing too badly but i just wanna do better but my english skills are really really bad, in basically every aspect. The only way i do well in exams is basically if i memorize watever i'm doing but i cant even write something good to memorize. Is this a good way to do english? or is there some better way if i wanna do really really well

wat about creative writings? how do u do well in them? any method?

alright; to do well in essay writing; you dont necessarily have to write practice essays upon practice essays; because odds are in the exam you're going to get thrown a topic that is a little different from the angle what you were taking in your practices. when your teacher talks about the essay question (in thier typically vague terms) make sure to listen to any hints towards the topic. it will relate to however you have been studying in class so the clues are all there for you.

to prepare; make a list of points that you want to talk about, and quote your texts. 3 or 4 quotes per text and you're laughing.

i find what works best for my creative writing is to go on a wikipedia spree, start out with something thats interesting; say, i don't know, the black plague. (i just pulled that out of thin air, really.) as you read, think about how you will develop your characters in the exam.

be creative. i know it's easier said than done, but you always have to step outside the mould of what is normal; what is expected. be wierd. they'l love you for it.

 

[Pink Oni]

Practising essays: I usually practise writing essays related to the subject you'll be tested on. For example, if it was an essay on examining effectiveness of film techniques in creating meaning for an audience, I would grab a DVD that I'm familiar with, one I have seen at least once but don't know it inside out and one that I have never seen before. This will kind of get you used to coming up with things out of no-where as you watch different films. Then, I'd watch a scene or two to span about 10 minutes once for ideas, then a second time to record my ideas, then a third time to write anything I may have missed. Then, I start writing the essay with a 40min-1hour time limit (I usually do about 50 min). Then I rinse and repeat for the other two. You'll probably not finish in time, but keep in mind you get tons more time during an exam, so it is kind of like training your speed as well. Well, that is for a specific example, anyway. You don't need to be full on though, once I only did a familiar movie for practise and aced the essay I wrote for a completely different one.

Practise for creative writing: I don't have many pointers here, sorry, because I absolutely suck at creative writing - I probably write a maximum of two pages and end the story. But, to give you advice I should take myself, I would probably practice writing about random topics. As beve said, go on a wiki-spree and free your mind, think outside the box. Maybe you could look up some things you have been discussing in English (such as if you were discussing about dystopias, look up 1984/We/Brave New World/etc and dig deep into what they mean and then research those things). Go into an examination you know will include a creative writing task with an outline of a story you can mould to fit the subject so you don't sit there like a stunned mullet thinking of something like I did on my prelim exam.

 

[youngminii]

Creative Writing is pretty tricky

People (like the above) will tell you to open your mind to fresh ideas
And that's good.. Just don't get sidetracked
Too many people over-complicate their stories
Most of the time it's nice to keep it kinda simple, just don't over-simplify
You gotta find the right balance for a 40ish minute story

ALSO, metaphors = win.
Descriptions = win.
Dialogue = lose.
First/second person = tricky.

Develop your character, that's extremely important
The marker has to CARE about the character
This can be done by describing your character in detail somewhere at the start
Just blend it in with something ie.
"His youth had been a bit rough on him, living with a drunk, abusive father. His growth had been stunted as a result of his beatings and his education had faltered, and so he escaped his prison-like home. He had been living in the streets ever since, joining the homeless in their quiet solitude."
Not the best but it gets the job done
You think "hmm, this character sounds interesting, he's got a story"

And yeah.. Good luck with improving

 

[bawd]

lots and losts of practice essays for you teacher even if not on your topic anything is better then nothing.

Practice makes perfect.

And a lot of reading. Not just books, just about anything. Fiction, Non-fiction, Newspaper Articles, Magazines, Internet articles, BOS posts.

 

[youngminii]

And a lot of reading. Not just books, just about anything. Fiction, Non-fiction, Newspaper Articles, Magazines, Internet articles, BOS posts.

I dunno about that.. Lots of non-sensical garbage here

LULZ!!11oneoneeleventyone

Anyways, reading online sucks (which is why e-books aren't that popular)
Books are the best =D

 

[Aplus]

Read other people's essays (philosophers, ideologists, critical thinkers) and get a feel for their style.

 

[5233andy]

I tried using second person narrative in my recent English AOS exam - an absolute failure! As for essays, practise writing introductions - this is what is meant to entice the marker into further reading your essay. Also, you may want to practise essay structure and perhaps how to integrate your evidence within the text.

I'm only mediocre with English - my problem: not enough evidence and lack of links present. Nevertheless, English is perhaps my favourite, it allows one to explore into the mind of others whereby they too, can ultimately find themselves - + revelations of the nature of humans.

 

[SimonLee13]

Walk in with prepared creative writing pieces in your mind as in you've already prepared them. The guy who came 10th in adv english 07 had 3-4 pre-written stories in his head when he walked into the HSC exam.

 

[lyounamu]

Walk in with prepared creative writing pieces in your mind as in you've already prepared them. The guy who came 10th in adv english 07 had 3-4 pre-written stories in his head when he walked into the HSC exam.

Um...that's a lot...

But that's not the most practical metod though. You can potentially get an editorial as your 2nd task...what would happen if you did?

 

[kaz1]

Um...that's a lot...

But that's not the most practical metod though. You can potentially get an editorial as your 2nd task...what would happen if you did?

You practice editorials?

 

[lyounamu]

You practice editorials?

But there are tonnes of writing types such as editorials, letter, short story, etc.

 

[veloc1ty]

That's why you have two stories prepared. Generally one as your preference for a straight out short story, and another more general idea that can be morphed to other forms (speech, feature article etc).

 

[scaredytiger]

creative writing...

first of all, viewpoints:
1st person - this is a PERSONAL viewpoint. you need to characterise the voice you use. if you do not do this, your story will not work. if you(as the persona) are emotionally attached to what is happening, you must show this. if your person is dumb, they cannot be writing 15 letter words and eloquent descriptions.
2nd person - this viewpoint is hardest to achieve. probably best to not dwell in it for the entire story. can be used in small amounts within one of the other two viewpoints to evoke thought and emotional response to effect(through making them question their own life). it is confronting at times.
3rd person - if you want to write in a way that does not suit the character you are portraying(this must still suit the story) use this. it also allows you to expand the responders view without the character knowing these things. it is less confronting and immediate than the other two viewpoints, so empathy will need to be worked for.


think about what you are writing. there is no point in using image saturation if it takes away from the concept of journey* you are trying to convey. perhaps if it is to contrast with the brevity of something, or call attention to a specific element that is vital in your story, image saturation is called for.

but honestly, if you choose to write a 1st person story from the viewpoint of a pre-teen with brain damage, you cannot be writing as if you are(trying to be) a novelist with a university qualifications.

dialogue should be used sparingly. also, find many words to use instead of "said" - cried, exclaimed, whispered, shouted, wailed, etc. - because dialogue must be dynamic. try to use dialogue as aural imagery if you can - give them clues as to the voice. is it growly, nasal, or childlike? what do the words sound like?

figurative language is good - but only if used correctly. dont force it into your piece if it shouldnt be there. it will take away, not add to, your writing.

try not to use the "this and that" formula.
eg: "she was confident but modest. her eyes told of happiness and sorrow."

bad example, but still it could be changed to: "she held an aura of quiet confidence, her eyes creased at the edges hinting at a life of happiness, their depths telling of a seemingly paradoxical sorrow." or something.

also, DONT change the tone of your piece halfway through, unless it is part of the actual story.

 

[ratcher0071]

Read other people's essays (philosophers, ideologists, critical thinkers) and get a feel for their style.

You can't even understand their essays

 

[ekoolish]

NEVER prepare any sort of story for a creative response if you prepare for a creavtive response you are limiting yourself to what you can write, your story needs to flow and relate to the stimulus directly. The relation must be clear and concise if you prepare one, two or even three stories you're taking a risk. But some people are simply un-creative therefore i'm not sure if your like that and preparing a creative response if your thing.

As for vocabulary and reading and writtign skills you should read books, not fiction books but non-fiction instead.

Hopes this helps

 

[ekoolish]

You can't even understand their essays

Lol.

 

[Pink Oni]

NEVER prepare any sort of story for a creative response if you prepare for a creavtive response you are limiting yourself to what you can write, your story needs to flow and relate to the stimulus directly. The relation must be clear and concise if you prepare one, two or even three stories you're taking a risk. But some people are simply un-creative therefore i'm not sure if your like that and preparing a creative response if your thing.

As for vocabulary and reading and writtign skills you should read books, not fiction books but non-fiction instead.

Hopes this helps

This is true, but the thing is you shouldn't make up an entire story, you should make up an outline of possible characters and a scenario related to the area of study, right? That way you have more freedom to adapt the ideas to the question.