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Hi everyone, my name is Poorva and I graduated from Mac.Rob in 2024, scoring a raw 46 in English Language 3/4. In this article I will be going through why VCE English Langugae students need a different study routine to their Mainstream/Literature peers, and I will also tell you what I did in the months and weeks leading up to the final exam.
VCE Englang is not a subject where students can simply memorise content and regurgitate is on the SAC/Exam – this is a valid study option for something like Legal Studies where you need to rote learn the benefits and disadvantages of a certain Act, but you wouldn’t use this approach for something like Methods where each question is about the application of the techniques you’ve been learning throughout the year, would you?
The key reason for this is that in English Language there is no VCAA-prescribed text to study – each time you sit a summative assessment you will be presented with a new text that you have to use the skills and content you’ve been learning and adapt it to fit the new text sitting on your desk.
A strong study routine can cover multiple skills:
- metalanguage revision
- SAQ precision
- Analytical Commentary practice
- essay example collection
- contemporary language evidence
- feedback review
- timed writing
Common Mistakes
Some things that I’ve seen my peers or students do is
- only revising metalanguage before SACs
- collecting essay examples randomly
- writing full ACs without getting feedback
- doing practice questions without reviewing errors
- spending too much time reading notes and not enough time writing
- leaving exam practice until the final weeks
I won’t get into too much detail of these, but if you feel like you fall into some of these buckets, I urge you to keep reading below!
Weekly routine
My main week-to-week focus was definitely AC and Essay writing, and this would fluctuate towards one or the other depending on which SAC format I had coming up.
Apart from attending class and tutoring, taking notes and trying to revise any of the new concepts and metalanguage I had learnt that week, I also tried to do the additional following tasks:
The reason why I chose to write an AC every week very early on is because I initially struggled with timing. If I chose to only plan my Acs rather than fully write them, I could have run the risk of submitting an incomplete AC on the SAC/exam.
If timing is definitely not an issue for you, you can probably replace this with a bit more of a planning task, as this will help expose you to a wide variety of texts throughout the year.
How Often Might You Revise Metalanguage?
Metalanguage revision is not something that I included in my ‘weekly’ study plan, because a lot of it I had learnt during Year 11 (Units 1/2 VCE English Language). However there are of course lots of terms that were new throughout Year 12, so if you struggle to remember them, you can consider one of these approaches:
- revising by subsystem
- connect each term to a specific example and possible stylistic effect
Honestly, metalanguage works well when it is not kept separate from writing practice so if you can integrate it into your writing tasks that would be effective.
Might Year 11 and Year 12 Students Study Differently?
Yes! Year 11 students are focusing on building foundations so it may be worthwhile having a less intense schedule but being more consistent with it. Alternatively, Year 12s may find it helpful to apply knowledge under SAC and exam conditions, so more writing practice and getting feedback on their responses would be the most beneficial.
Changes to the weekly routine
Of course, no two weeks as a VCE student are ever the same – SACs can kind of dictate your schedule.
Before a summative assessment, I would consider doing MORE of
- Timed SAQ
- Timed Analytical Commentary practice
- Essay plans (not full writing)
- feedback review
Your teacher or tutor would be the best point of contact to help you mark your work and provide feedback before an upcoming SAC.
I would scale back on the following
- metalanguage revision
- essay example collection
- contemporary language evidence
- full Essays
Because hopefully you’ve learnt all of the necessary content already and have been preparing examples for the past couple of months/weeks leading up to your SAC/exam!
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When Might Students Get Feedback?
I did mention this before but I will reiterate – getting feedback is the best thing a student can do to maximise their potential.
Feedback is what turns your practice writing into a tool that you can use to score better. Students will benefit from knowing whether their analysis is too generic and what mistakes they are repeatedly making, so they know where marks are being lost.
A weekly routine should not be treated as a one-size-fits-all plan.
Notice how I gave you a breakdown of each of the dot points I did and why/when I did them. There was a reason behind everything, and there should be for you too!
Experienced VCE English Language tutors can help adjust the routine based on the student’s actual weaknesses rather than simply giving them more work to complete.
Final thoughts
A strong VCE English Language study routine does not need to be complicated. It works best when it is consistent, balanced and connected to the skills assessed in SACs and exams.
Students might find it more helpful to ask not only, "How many hours do I need to study?"
A more useful question might be:
"What can I practise each week so that my writing, analysis and confidence actually improve?"
At VCE Excel Education, our VCE English Language tutors can help students improve metalanguage accuracy, SAQ responses, Analytical Commentary writing and essay planning through structured lessons and detailed feedback.
Book a lesson or speak with our team to find out how VCE English Language tutoring can support your weekly study routine.