Should I do Extension English next year? (1 Viewer)

[idontevenknowwhat]

I'm currently in Year 10 and I'm not doing too bad in English. I'm in one of the top classes and I have scored full marks for my last 3 English exams/assessments. It is my favourite subject, however I cannot stand creative writing because of my lack of imaginative ideas and my vocabulary which resembles a fourth grader.

So what exactly does Extension English entail? Is it incredibly difficult? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[EarthSci34]

Hey there

I'm EarthSci34 and I did 4-Units of English for my HSC Year. I enjoyed my extension subjects terrifically, so as a biased response I would encourage you to undertake Extension English. However, marks are not always a fair indicator of your capacity to do well in EX1 as it is a significant jump from Year 10 English. IMO, to do well in EX1 (and EX2 as well) you will need a lot of interest in English as well as a very good work ethic.

For an introduction to Extension English I, it is aimed to challenge and extend your knowledge on how you value and understand various textual forms across a variety of contexts..., may it be historical, as a genre or as a school of thought. In Year 11, you are free to study what the school determines as your "module" (e.g. I did Gothicism, I know someone who did Utopias etc.). Preliminary EX1 gives you a feel for the more difficult and in-depth analysis of language/ textual form as compared to the 2U advanced course (which I think focuses specifically on 1 aspect of a text). In Year 12, you study 1 elective, which is chosen by your teacher (or the school). These electives are Module A (Genre Study) Module B (Ways of Thinking) and Module C (Language and Values).


Despite the similarities present within Adv and EX1, there is indeed a difficult component attached to this subject, especially in regards to understanding the entirety of the text in relation to what you are studying. Compound this with a detailed understanding of your module (with rigorous preparation for essay writing and creatives), it ultimately results with a challenging course that consumes much of your time. It is developing a personal understanding of your elective that defines the higher-end marks and allows your responses to be authentic and well-rounded.

It is a demanding course... but ultimately quite rewarding (please disregard the scaling bit of EX1, I'm talking about beyond marks). You garner a new found appreciation of textual forms and features as well as increased insight into the significant value of texts. Sure, the workload gets a bit intense. That said, if you really do enjoy English then it will be something to look forward to! Besides, you can always drop if you do not feel the subject as useful or too difficult. Also, EX2 is a possibility-- keeping your options open

Best of luck with your decision! I had the same dilemma in year 10... *oh memories*

 

[eyeseeyou]

I hear that english extension, as a one unit subject, is very difficult and has a lot of work in it

 

[idontevenknowwhat]

Thank you for the very insightful response!!!

 

[BandSixFix]

Most people only take E1 to do E2 lel

 

[Dragon9000]

To be honest, I would take it if I was in your position. You seem like you have a talent for English, and the downfall of creative writing is something you have to improve upon in the 2U course anyway as it is tested in HSC exams. Ultimately it is your choice though, but it is always easier to drop down (if you don't feel its for you) than it is to go back up.

 

[chiefpasco]

You should absolutely do extension 1 and 2. Creative writing can be learnt. The ext 1 exam is only one essay and one creative piece. Practice writing both and adapt it to the question. In extension 2 you will have the support of all your teachers and can continually improve on it until submission. both ext 1 and 2 scale nice too, and if you're good at adv then you have 4 units of english counted which is a good thing if you do well

 

[Martin_SSEDU]

do it, very fun subject in Year 11 since you'll probably be with people in your class and doing extra practice to better your writing in both ext. and advanced English.