How David Turned His HSC Advanced English Marks Around by 22%

📈 Mark improvement of 22% in Advanced English

David learned how to craft strong thesis statements and completed practice questions to improve his marks

🎉 Effective exam preparation

David learned how to structure his notes in a TEE table which made them easier to remember during an exam

✍️ Developed textual analysis skills

David broadened his vocabulary and knowledge of literary techniques to create better analysis and stronger essays

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The Challenge

David came into Year 12 really motivated, but when he received a 12/20 for his Common Module essay, he quickly realised that there was more work to do. With a new HSC English syllabus, David found it hard to understand the purpose of the Common Module and what he was meant to be focussing on. This, in combination with a bad habit of not reading his texts and asking his friends for quotes, made him seek help from Art of Smart.

When I saw my mark, to be honest it was like the world was going to end. I was just so down on myself because of the effort I’d put in.

Key Problems

🤷‍♂️ David’s analysis was sparse because he didn’t know how to develop textual analysis that related to a specific essay question

🥴 David didn’t know many English techniques and kept trying to use the same ones for every quote when there were more accurate ones out there!

📂 David was undertaking the new HSC English syllabus which meant he couldn’t rely on rote learning and had to develop a better understanding of his texts

Our Approach

David worked with Rahul who started with the basics to help improve his English marks. David also joined a tutoring class that helped build up his library of English techniques that he could use in assessments and produce stronger analysis. To improve addressing essay questions, David would practise writing thesis statements and discuss them with Rahul to better understand English content and learn how to create links between ideas. David also found it helpful to look at NESA’s sample papers with Rahul to receive guidance on how to interpret questions and better understand the exam structure for the new syllabus. 

David’s tutoring class also helped him craft his English notes by using TEE tables where he could organise his examples from texts, techniques and analysis to help him have an in-depth understanding of his texts.

Focus

  • Improving exam marks
  • Feeling confident and prepared
  • Understanding texts in-depth
  • Understanding essay questions

Strategies

  • Memorising TEE tables 
  • Broadening library of techniques
  • Discussion with Rahul
  • Practicing thesis statements and topic sentences

Crafting TEE Tables

Learning More Literary Techniques

Discussion with Rahul

Practising Theses and Topic Sentences

The Result

Once David started understanding how to approach English essay questions, learned more techniques and discovered the TEE table structure, his confidence went up. With a newfound understanding of English and strong foundations, David was able to improve his marks by 22%!

This meant David went from receiving a Band 3 in his first English assessment to a Band 5 at the end of the year.

22%

Increase in HSC Advanced English results

99%

Of customers agree our tutors are well prepared

97%

Of customers believe our tutors build great rapport

94%

Of customers increased their confidence

Case Study Graphics David Ko English

With Art of Smart, David saw a 22% improvement in HSC Advanced English

Discussions with Rahul about what the actual quote or book was talking about helped me so much with my understanding. This helped me improve my essays and actually get good marks.

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