How Campbell made sure HSC Standard English didn’t ruin his ATAR
📈 Mark Improvement of 12% in HSC Standard English
Campbell learned how to nail the basics before moving into more sophisticated structures which pushed him above average!
💪 Increased Motivation
Campbell got more motivated with Hannah’s supportive and constructive feedback
😌 Developed understanding of syllabus
Campbell read the rubric and rationales for the new syllabus so he could have a sense of direction
The Challenge
Campbell liked English and so it was a subject he wanted to do well in, but at the start of Year 11 he was only hitting the average. When Campbell’s assessment task was set as a short story, he didn’t know where to start and got overwhelmed. Despite being offered resources by his teacher, Campbell desired a clearer starting point and personalised approach. After cramming the night before because of his inconsistent study for English, Campbell decided that he could benefit from some help at Art of Smart.
I remember at the start of Year 11, I was so colloquial. I did not know smart English words, I was not articulate at all!
Key Problems
📚 Campbell didn’t know how to effectively study – he’d received a giant stack of notes from his teacher with no idea where to start
🅰️ Campbell didn’t have exemplar responses to follow which led him to keep making the same mistakes
🙊 Campbell’s vocabulary wasn’t very extensive and so the language he used in his essays were not helping his marks
Our Approach
Campbell received help from tutor Hannah who firstly got him to work on his vocabulary. She introduced him to a bank of helpful terms he could integrate into his essays which then developed into learning about sentence structure and eventually writing drafts so he could get feedback.
To improve his performance in exams, Campbell started strategically picking his quotes. He made sure that they were versatile and able to be used with more than one theme and also would write the first letter of each of his quotes on his exam paper to jog his memory. Using these specific quotes became really useful as he had associated them with exemplar responses he had previously written and gotten reviewed by Hannah. This helped Campbell enter exams with less stress, knowing that he had a general structure he could follow and adapt.
Focus
Improving vocabulary
Developing strong writing skills
Lifting assessment marks
Memorising quotes
Strategies
Creating bank of helpful words
Writing and getting feedback
Understanding marking criteria
Mnemonic triggers
Inspirational Tutor
Received feedback
Exemplar responses
Study strategies
The Result
Campbell received an impressive high band 5 result after completing the new HSC Standard English syllabus. By working with Hannah, he was able to develop a better sense of direction and build his vocabulary which helped boost the sophistication of his essays. With better exam technique, Campbell discovered that English doesn’t have to be hard and is grateful for his newfound writing skills.
12%
Mark improvement
Band 5
Final HSC result
97%
Of customers believe our tutors build great rapport
94%
Of customers increased their confidence
With Art of Smart, Campbell improved his Standard English marks by 12%
Hannah kept me grounded. When I got a bad mark she wouldn’t stress. Instead we would go through essays together where she pointed out where I could improve and what I could do for next time.
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David Ko
22% Improvement in English
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Sophie Campbell
37% Improvement in English
📈 Mark improvement of 37% in HSC English
🎉 Band 6 mark in HSC English Exam
😌 Gained Confidence
Helping high school students thrive since 2009
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