RJtheLammie
New Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2026
- Messages
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- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2025
Hello everyone! I sat the HSC in 2025 and achieved a 99/100 HSC overall mark in English Advanced (99 in both internals and externals) with a 4th state rank! (99.95 overall) I am very much willing to distribute resources for any module, please dm me or email me at tnjust789@gmail.com.
Here are my key tips for excelling in English Advanced:
Basic tips:
-> Read your texts! I don't care how many times your teacher has told this to you already, surviving off Cliffnotes summaries and ChatGPT will drain your ability to write confidently and with greater comprehension (in the same way watching self-help videos won't get you any closer to happiness than actually doing the self-improvement things). Better yet, read it once without expecting to get anything but a vague sense for the plot, then do a super-close reading of the text.
-> If you want to memorise your essays, my best advice is to understand and appreciate the overall structure of your argument rather than rote learn each sentence or make sure to include that "one fancy vocabulary word". So many students waste their time with flashcards or walk around a room for hours just to learn one essay. As long as you know your thesis, quotes (feel free to go overboard here) and the central "ideas" of each paragraph, you really don't need to cram much more into your memory- save it for your other subjects.
-> Memorising essays can always be a great backup, but please please please practice writing! I have taught so many students that are able to churn outa myriad of preplanned essays word for word, but when it comes to an exam they just forget to answer the question or run out of time.
Advanced tips:
-> When it comes to quotes, I like to break my documents into "theme"-based sections and "character"-based sections. The "theme" quotes constitute the ideas I want to communicate, while the "character"-based quotes (usually short phrases, not much analysis needed) help contextualise the "theme"-based quotes. For instance, when discussing the paradoxes in 1984, I could argue that the perception of sexuality is paradoxical through the following structure:
'Julia, who typifies a paradoxical sexuality as the “young and pretty and sexless” girl, wears a "scarlet sash, an aggressive symbol of chastity".'
Here, the “young and pretty and sexless” character-quote serves as a powerful framework for paradoxes within 1984, without needing any analysis about the use of "tricolon" or "polysyndeton". These pithy quotes are far more resourceful than just saying, 'Julia, who typifies a paradoxical sexuality, wears a ...' for two reasons: firstly, it signals to markers that you have a comprehensive understanding of the actual text, and secondly, markers like analysis that has structural freedom i.e. doesn't conform to the IQTVE or PEEL structures (or whatever else) of other essays.
-> For comparative essay structures, some schools expect you to write two paragraphs, some four, some three. I have always written three-paragraph essays just because my standard essays are three paragraphs, but do what you are most comfortable with, my essays are definitely good guidelines but if you are motivated to try different structures, please do. From personal feel, two paragraph structures just look like big ink-stains and an eye-sore to read, and four paragraph structures can feel overwhelming, so I have always written paragraph 1: Text A idea 1, paragraph 2: Text B idea 1, paragraph 3: Text A and B idea 2. But really, go with what you are most comfortable with and always practice under time constraints.
-> Rather than memorising Module C imaginative pieces, you should "memorise" characters, plots and ideas. For instance, I would get confident at writing from the perspective of a naive 10-year old boy with an aging grandparent, or a sagacious man contemplating his past e.t.c., so that I could develop each unique voice (here, the plot can be simple). Then, I would practice writing more complex plots e.g. being a wannabe-Broadway actor suffering stage fright, or an immigrant experiencing loneliness even with his family by his side e.t.c. . The idea of rote-learning an imaginative piece has always been a mental trainwreck for me, and can often sound too contrived to a marker. The same advice can be said for discursives and persuasives, but to be honest I don't think it would be a bad idea to memorise a persuasive, especially if you want to include factual logos (i.e. memorise statistics) or develop good personal anecdotes.
Selling:
- 20/20 HSC Short Answer responses
- Common Module essay- 1984
- Module A essay- Plath "Ariel" and Hughes "Birthday Letters" essays
- Module B essay- King Henry IV Part 1
- Module C pieces: (pick your poison- note, for exams I tended to mix and match different pieces)
--- imaginative on the immigrant experience, passage of time and permanence of family (partially used in the hsc)
--- imaginative on internal conflict, overcoming anxiety as a maturing actor (used in assessment task, inspired by Birdman)
--- imaginative on the decay of family, existential longing/regret (partially used in the hsc)
--- imaginative on the rejuvenating power of youth, optimistic (used in assessment task)
--- discursive on the power of the imagination, aesthetic appreciation, super optimistic (used in trials, FAVOURITE PIECE!!!!)
--- discursive on self-discovery and curiosity, intellectual rebellion (second favourite piece, inspired by Le Petit Prince)
--- persuasive on the revival of creativity at the cost of efficiency, intellectual dilemma (I would usually adapt my discursives into persuasives, but this piece has decent structural insight)
P.S. If you need any marking help or want lessons, I am also happy to help!
P.P.S. If you lack creativity, watch some movies- I am happy to recommend a million of my favourites.
Here are my key tips for excelling in English Advanced:
Basic tips:
-> Read your texts! I don't care how many times your teacher has told this to you already, surviving off Cliffnotes summaries and ChatGPT will drain your ability to write confidently and with greater comprehension (in the same way watching self-help videos won't get you any closer to happiness than actually doing the self-improvement things). Better yet, read it once without expecting to get anything but a vague sense for the plot, then do a super-close reading of the text.
-> If you want to memorise your essays, my best advice is to understand and appreciate the overall structure of your argument rather than rote learn each sentence or make sure to include that "one fancy vocabulary word". So many students waste their time with flashcards or walk around a room for hours just to learn one essay. As long as you know your thesis, quotes (feel free to go overboard here) and the central "ideas" of each paragraph, you really don't need to cram much more into your memory- save it for your other subjects.
-> Memorising essays can always be a great backup, but please please please practice writing! I have taught so many students that are able to churn outa myriad of preplanned essays word for word, but when it comes to an exam they just forget to answer the question or run out of time.
Advanced tips:
-> When it comes to quotes, I like to break my documents into "theme"-based sections and "character"-based sections. The "theme" quotes constitute the ideas I want to communicate, while the "character"-based quotes (usually short phrases, not much analysis needed) help contextualise the "theme"-based quotes. For instance, when discussing the paradoxes in 1984, I could argue that the perception of sexuality is paradoxical through the following structure:
'Julia, who typifies a paradoxical sexuality as the “young and pretty and sexless” girl, wears a "scarlet sash, an aggressive symbol of chastity".'
Here, the “young and pretty and sexless” character-quote serves as a powerful framework for paradoxes within 1984, without needing any analysis about the use of "tricolon" or "polysyndeton". These pithy quotes are far more resourceful than just saying, 'Julia, who typifies a paradoxical sexuality, wears a ...' for two reasons: firstly, it signals to markers that you have a comprehensive understanding of the actual text, and secondly, markers like analysis that has structural freedom i.e. doesn't conform to the IQTVE or PEEL structures (or whatever else) of other essays.
-> For comparative essay structures, some schools expect you to write two paragraphs, some four, some three. I have always written three-paragraph essays just because my standard essays are three paragraphs, but do what you are most comfortable with, my essays are definitely good guidelines but if you are motivated to try different structures, please do. From personal feel, two paragraph structures just look like big ink-stains and an eye-sore to read, and four paragraph structures can feel overwhelming, so I have always written paragraph 1: Text A idea 1, paragraph 2: Text B idea 1, paragraph 3: Text A and B idea 2. But really, go with what you are most comfortable with and always practice under time constraints.
-> Rather than memorising Module C imaginative pieces, you should "memorise" characters, plots and ideas. For instance, I would get confident at writing from the perspective of a naive 10-year old boy with an aging grandparent, or a sagacious man contemplating his past e.t.c., so that I could develop each unique voice (here, the plot can be simple). Then, I would practice writing more complex plots e.g. being a wannabe-Broadway actor suffering stage fright, or an immigrant experiencing loneliness even with his family by his side e.t.c. . The idea of rote-learning an imaginative piece has always been a mental trainwreck for me, and can often sound too contrived to a marker. The same advice can be said for discursives and persuasives, but to be honest I don't think it would be a bad idea to memorise a persuasive, especially if you want to include factual logos (i.e. memorise statistics) or develop good personal anecdotes.
Selling:
- 20/20 HSC Short Answer responses
- Common Module essay- 1984
- Module A essay- Plath "Ariel" and Hughes "Birthday Letters" essays
- Module B essay- King Henry IV Part 1
- Module C pieces: (pick your poison- note, for exams I tended to mix and match different pieces)
--- imaginative on the immigrant experience, passage of time and permanence of family (partially used in the hsc)
--- imaginative on internal conflict, overcoming anxiety as a maturing actor (used in assessment task, inspired by Birdman)
--- imaginative on the decay of family, existential longing/regret (partially used in the hsc)
--- imaginative on the rejuvenating power of youth, optimistic (used in assessment task)
--- discursive on the power of the imagination, aesthetic appreciation, super optimistic (used in trials, FAVOURITE PIECE!!!!)
--- discursive on self-discovery and curiosity, intellectual rebellion (second favourite piece, inspired by Le Petit Prince)
--- persuasive on the revival of creativity at the cost of efficiency, intellectual dilemma (I would usually adapt my discursives into persuasives, but this piece has decent structural insight)
P.S. If you need any marking help or want lessons, I am also happy to help!
P.P.S. If you lack creativity, watch some movies- I am happy to recommend a million of my favourites.
