From "STEM" Student to a 3rd in NSW English

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. 

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Then came the HSC - where English not only had to be studied, but had to count, meaning that choosing to quietly sacrifice my English marks each assessment was no longer an option.

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My little HSC story and tips today is aimed to specifically reach those of you who struggle with English or just don’t find it as enjoyable. Maybe you’re more STEM-oriented like I perceived myself to be, or maybe you’ve always thought English just isn’t for me. I want to tell you that this isn’t at all true. You see, Opus has been built on the foundational belief that every student has the innate ability to succeed in English - with the right hard work, tools, and mentors. I might just be living proof of this - as someone who dropped all humanities subjects apart from English for my HSC, but ended up with English as my highest mark. 

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That said, it was far from smooth sailing. To paint an honest picture of my English journey - I was a consistently low A-range student in Year 11, and, after peaking with my highest mark yet in Year 11 Prelims, I hit my lowest English mark ever in Task 1 of Year 12.

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I think this bumpy progression is relatable to a lot of students - and I am certainly no stranger to that awful feeling of thinking you’ve finally “cracked” English with a good mark - only to fall down even lower in the next assessment task. One of the most important (maybe the most important) message I wish to convey today is this: my greatest growth came directly after my biggest failures -  because I chose to get back up and keep going.

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So why did I start peaking more consistently as the HSC approached?

Honestly, I think it came down to two things:

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1. I found a study method that actually worked for me.
2. I stopped being afraid of failure.

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Every mistake taught me something - about how I learn, how I think, and what I needed to improve on the most. Whether it was a faster way to memorise essays, a clearer planning structure under time pressure, or a better way to manage exam nerves… all of these methods that became my English “hacks” started as experiments. Over time, they became tools. Then habits. And suddenly, English didn’t feel quite so insurmountable.

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These are the methods I want to share with you - because they might just click for you too!

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The 3 Step Cycle

I think English can feel overwhelming at times because it’s such a “free” subject, and so one thing that really helped me with assessment preparation was creating structure within that freedom. I see English success as a continuous 3-step cycle:

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Preparation → During the Exam → Reflection & Feedback

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This system applies to really any English assessment - whether it’s an essay, creative writing, or even reading comprehension, and becomes especially powerful as you move closer to the HSC, where you’re expected to juggle a year’s worth of texts and ideas (and thus weave multiple “cycles” of preparation!)

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EXAM PREPARATION

Tip 1: Start messy

If you find yourself stuck or procrastinating in the first step of assessment preparation after a whole term’s worth of lesson content, try beginning your “official” notes with a brain dump. I love doing this by hand on an A3 page - and this planner-style note-making removes the pressure of perfection. A key takeaway from this activity will be when you realise the points you lay out are circling back towards the same overall idea/author’s purpose over and over… hello, thesis! 

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Tip 2: Brainstorming Mod C - resist the comfortable resolution

I think this is one of the biggest cliches that people are trapped in - wanting to provide a happy but unrealistic resolution. Not all stories should end well - because that’s not how reality works. I still cringe thinking about the first draft of my Mod C imaginative script where a single girl somehow took down an entire government…

What actually creates meaning is vulnerability. A moment of weakness that you can beautifully illustrate on the page, or perhaps an admittance of wrongdoing, a main character that isn’t so “perfect”... these scenes, in my opinion, are where we truly uncover truths about what it means to be human and live in a world where there is indeed loss, imperfection and wrongdoing. If you can balance a resolution of genuine significance while still acknowledging the inevitability of imperfection, your writing begins to offer a unique lens on the real world - one that feels authentic, purposeful… and yes, earns marks, marks, marks!

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Tip 3: Practice Handwriting - it’s more important than you think!

Ever felt rushed for time within an English assessment? Look no further than Paper 2 of the English Advanced HSC for the most immense time pressure you (probably) will ever feel in an exam. 

Spend time writing out your essays to a fresh essay question under time pressure, find a pen that works for you (comfortable to grip for long periods of time, smooth ink, and doesn’t smudge!), and most importantly, make sure a friend/family member/teacher (and not just you!) can read your handwriting! Remember: even the strongest ideas won’t earn marks if they can’t be deciphered. Large gaps where a marker struggles to read a word disrupt the flow of your essay and ultimately weaken how clearly and effectively your meaning comes across.

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Tip 4: Lean into the hardest questions, and practice under exam conditions. 

The unfortunate reality with this tip is - that almost no one wants to do this. To be very honest, I absolutely dreaded doing Paper 2 HSC mocks in the lead up to trials and HSC. However, I can confidently say that it is the best way to get you familiar with the exam conditions, test your stamina, and your ability to think under pressure, so that you feel less daunted on exam day. 

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The questions you want to avoid are usually the ones you should practice in full. We also tend to think our writing in the moment is worse than it actually is. Don’t stop midway through a mock - even if it feels bad - because learning how to adapt and write through a weak beginning is essential for building exam confidence.

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If you can, simulate the real thing in the lead-up to the exam (especially for HSC Papers 1 and 2): same start time, same waiting period beforehand, and the same conditions. My friends and I would meet up just to sit full Paper 1 and Paper 2 mocks together - a simple but surprisingly effective way to motivate each other and just get it done.

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DURING THE EXAM

If your ideas/skeleton essay are secure in the back of your mind, the biggest skill on the day is being uncomfortable with uncertainty, and recognising you’ll inevitably have to be flexible to fit the question. 

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Tip 5: Slow down to think

Spending one minute crafting a strong thesis is far better than spending that minute copying a memorised essay and hoping it fits! This also helps you ensure that every sentence you write has a purpose and links back to ultimately answering the question, rather than supporting an unrelated point that won’t gain you extra credit.

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Tip 6: The question is everything - and read it closely!

Always mentally take note/underline the key words in a question - whether it be action verbs, specific phrasing, or niche details in a quote or Mod C stimulus. Then, use these key words constantly - I recommend putting them in quotation marks throughout your essay to keep yourself accountable, and in this way, you’re also showing the marker that you’ve consistently kept the question in mind! 

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Tip 7: FORM and CONTEXT always matters.

Analysing form and context within your essay means moving beyond listing the facts to arguing WHY the author may have chosen a specific medium, and how the context/intended audience of what you’re studying links to the author’s purpose. Beyond micro-analysis, think about why the author chose this medium, this structure, this perspective - and how that points you to the real-life value of a text beyond the fictional space. Form is especially vital to discuss for plays, poems, visual texts, films etc., and should make up at least one strong point in your paragraphs!

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REFLECTION, MISTAKES, FEEDBACK

Tip 8: Log your needed areas of improvement

Much of English is built on foundational sets of skills that apply when writing any piece of work. By writing down the key areas where you lost marks this time round, you can spend time in the lead-up to the next exam focusing on reinforcing these foundational skills. It can be as simple as saying “work on integrating techniques and analysis more meaningfully”, or “add analysis about form”, but by adding specific targets of growth to your feedback, they become actionable points that will allow you to continue enhancing your skills!

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It’s also important to recognise that one bad assessment mark doesn’t dismiss a whole term’s worth of learning and hard work. It may simply be that the question focused on an area you weren’t as confident in - and that doesn’t erase the skills, insight, and knowledge you gained from the unit as a whole. Learning to focus on the journey rather than a single result gave me motivation in moments when the outcome felt like a “failure”. It’s not easy - but it’s a mindset that truly matters when things get hard! 

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Ultimately, what I grew to love about English is its unique beauty in how success can be achieved. Everyone’s ideas are personal - and that’s exactly what makes literature rich in the first place. English asks us to explore beauty, sadness, love, regret, and humanity itself - and in doing so, we often learn more about our own world too. That’s why two students can write completely different essays to the same question and both score highly. There’s no box to fill - you create the box.

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And honestly? That freedom is just as rewarding as the logic and precision of STEM.

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So if there’s one thing I want you to take away as your first step toward renewed English confidence, it’s this:

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Be proud of the English student you already are.

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Whether you’re topping the cohort or struggling right now, English is inherently anyone’s subject, because it is built on how you think. Trust and nurture your ideas, spend time wondering how an author’s purpose can speak to YOU as an individual, thoughtful, human being - knowing that each step you take into this literary space allows you to see not only the text, but also our own world, with so much more depth and colour. 

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And if you’re ever looking for that little extra confidence, discussion, or guidance, you can find me tutoring here at Opus English!

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Don’t give up, we’re all rooting for you! 

(You got this!! <3) 

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Emma ;)