English advanced has a fairly high workload, since you have to analyse several texts eventually develop several of essays. However, don't let this deter you, as doing well in the subject is worth the workload as your ATAR can really benefit. I used to be trash at high school English, so I grinded my ass off doing practice essays for every assessment, and the payoff was worth it (from average in Year 10 to rank 8/89 in Year 12 with Band 6). Make sure to ask your teacher for feedback on your draft essays, since I found it to be very helpful.
I would recommend against dropping down to Standard English; the workload is very similar (only one less text/essay I believe), but unless you seriously excel in that subject, it'll drag your ATAR down. Doing average in Advanced is better for your ATAR than above-average-but-not-excellent in Band 6, despite the former being easier to achieve.