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I’ve always been one of those students who adults would tell, “You would make a great lawyer-” which now, I understand, was code for- “Wow, you talk A LOT and argue ALL THE TIME!” And if you ask anyone who took an English class with me in school, they’ll tell you that I had absolutely no qualms with taking a firm stance against a widely accepted opinion, or fervently shaking my head at the teacher’s own reading of a book or play. And although it gives me a little second hand embarrassment to reflect on those years, I wouldn’t do anything differently. 

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.‍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 unpredictable or cryptic at best.‍Coming to terms with the reality that the majority of top achievers are comparably good at subjects like maths and the sciences, English also becomes one of the most important subject of Year 12 that you'll need to contend with. In my years of tutoring, and my own HSC experience, I've witnessed English be the main differentiator between students at the higher end of the bell curve (AKA. the realm of 99.0+ ATAR).‍

If you had asked me in early high school what kind of student I was, I would’ve answered without hesitation: definitely not an English person. I was the student who liked clear answers and logical steps, while English, on the other hand, felt vague, subjective, and frustratingly hard to “get right”. Indeed, until around the final two years of high school, I firmly believed that you were either a purely a STEM person or an English person, but never both - and excelling in one meant sacrificing the other.

A myth is currently haunting the modern educational landscape: the myth that every student slots neatly into the rigid binaries of “good” or “not so good” at English. If you lend me a moment of your time, I hope to dispel that myth once and for all – and reveal HSC English success to be within the grasp of any student who puts their mind to it.

I’m here to tell you that success in HSC English is not a one-size-fits-all process; you absolutely do not have to have always been a top student to achieve top marks. I’m gonna let you in on a little secret–in my opinion and experience, success in HSC English boils down to one thing; motivation. For me personally, my motivation was my greatest ally during my study of English.