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HSC English; an insatiable beast, a hardened foe, the most notoriousadversary for prospective acolytes seeking the fabled lands of 99+ ATAR.

When I started the HSC, I felt overwhelmed by the often confusing and conflicting advice that circulated in my Year 12 study space.‍I knew I wanted to do well, but how to get there seemed like a mystery.‍Despite my hesitation, I bravely followed my passion and took on 4 units of English against the stern warnings from my friends and family against doing four extension subjects and two major works.

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.