How to study English

Aoife Baldwin, Content Manager at Studyclix.ie, did her Leaving Certificate in 2019 and is now studying Finance in DCU. Here she shares her experience of the English exam and gives some tips and advice for those sitting it this year.

For most students, the English exam is the most daunting and for me it was no different. It was the first exam I faced, which in itself was scary, but it’s also one of the most unpredictable exams that is difficult to prepare for. I remember not really knowing what to expect when I opened the paper. But, you just have to accept the fact that you can’t predict what’s coming up and remind yourself that everyone is in the same boat. You’ll write so much better if you approach the exam with an open mind!

My experience

Broken into two papers, the English exam spanned over two days, making preparation a lot more manageable for me. I personally wasn’t really looking forward to Paper One because it was entirely ‘unseen’ and focuses on critical thinking, topical issues and personal opinions - things I wasn’t personally confident with. The paper itself was challenging, but well rounded, with plenty of choice. This gave me the opportunity to choose to write about things I was interested in, which, at the end of the day, is what Paper One is all about!

Paper Two is typically a lot more manageable because it is based on studied texts that you are very familiar with and used to writing about. The main challenge on this paper was timing. Three essays and an unseen poetry question is a lot to squeeze into three hours and twenty minutes. But you would be surprised what you can achieve in such a short space of time!

I do recall not being able to judge how the paper had gone because English is so subjective and I was never sure if I had written what the examiners were looking for. My main advice here would be to avoid comparing your exam to your friends’ as two exam papers in English will never look the same, and two people with entirely different opinions could end up with the same grade. The paper is crying out for personal interpretation and opinions, so don’t be afraid to give them.

What I learned…

1. Timing

Timing is everything on the day of the exam, and getting your timing wrong could ultimately cost you a lot of marks. I recommend writing down your timing goals on the front of your paper as soon as you get into the exam hall and keeping an eye on the clock throughout the exam to make sure you stay on track and get everything done.

2. Planning

For every essay style answer you do in English it really helps to have a plan before you commit pen to paper. Your plan doesn’t have to be overly complicated, but it should be a rough guide of what points you plan on covering in your answer. This can be a lifesaver if you forget about your most important point halfway through your essay and really keeps you focused while you’re writing. You can do your plan out on some extra paper and keep it in front of you in the exam or at the back of your answer book.

3. Play to your strengths

It’s really important that you decide what types of pieces are your strongest. This is especially true in the composition section, where you write one essay from the seven styles available. These can vary from short stories and newspaper articles to speeches. If you haven’t already done so, try a few of these out from the past papers and see what kind of compositions best fit how you write. You can really easily view all of the composition topics from past papers on Studyclix.ie, as well as what examiners were looking for each year. It might be a case of trial and error but it’ll be a lot easier to write a piece in a style that you like!

4. Give a personal opinion

The English examiners absolutely love to see that you have engaged with the texts, and the way to do this is through personal opinion. You will be heavily rewarded for using phrases like “I believe”, “I disagree”, “I could relate to”. This will make your answer stand out from all the rest.

With these tips and lots of practise you’ll definitely be on track for success! Good luck!