How Tom Achieved an HSC English Mark Improvement of 56%
📈 Mark improvement of 56% in English
Tom learned how to write an English essay, break down texts and effectively study for HSC English
🎉 Received Early Entry into Macquarie University
Tom successfully received an early entry offer from Macquarie University
👔 Dream Course B. Commerce/B. Arts
Tom gained entry into Macquarie University to study a double degree of Commerce and Arts
The Challenge
Prior to tutoring, Tom hadn’t prioritised school and as a result was struggling with writing essays and knowing how to study effectively. Before assessments, Tom would do the bare minimum he needed to prepare, which resulted in a weak understanding of his English texts and poor marks. He realised this was a pressing issue when he only received 15% in his Term 2 English assessment.
I wasn’t prepared, I was being a classic teenager — just living life and not really worried about school.
Key Problems
👨💻 Tom didn’t know the most effective way to study — sitting at a desk wasn’t working for him, so he needed to find an alternative
📝 Tom was memorising the wrong things, he had only memorised quotes without developing analysis which weakened his essays
😞 Tom wasn’t getting adequate feedback at school and felt unmotivated by his teacher’s approach when really, he just wanted some extra support
Our Approach
Tom’s tutor, Hannah, first tried to build up Tom’s confidence in English by getting him to write one paragraph at a time instead of full essays. He would then reflect on what he would’ve done differently with his previous paragraphs to create a full essay that incorporated this feedback. Hannah helped develop Tom’s textual analysis skills by introducing him to key English structures such as TEE tables which helped him to organise techniques, textual examples and analysis.
Hannah also adapted her pace to suit Tom’s needs and helped him memorise English content through effective memorisation techniques. As Tom didn’t like traditional study techniques, he also began making songs out of his notes instead!
Focus
- Build up motivation
- Better textual analysis
- Memorising quotes
- Improving assessment marks
- Learning style
- Effective note-taking
Strategies
- Adapting pace to suit Tom
- TEE table structure
- Memory palace technique
- Practice questions and feedback
- Making songs out of notes
- Handwriting and condensing notes
Flexible Pace
TEE Tables
Memory Palace Technique
Practice Questions and Feedback
The Result
With a focus on building Tom’s confidence, study skills and developing his textual analysis skills in English, Tom made a fantastic turnaround from 15% to 71% at the end of the HSC.
He developed motivation and discipline to help propel his marks and get him into his dream course of Commerce and Arts!
56%
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
With Art of Smart, Tom saw a 56% improvement in HSC Advanced English!
Art of Smart’s English tutoring is amazing. Hannah would just drill things into my head and then eventually I got it. She also provided emotional support when I was feeling very upset about exams — she would calm me down and say one thing at a time which helped motivate me.
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David Ko
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Keean Van Elven
17% Improvement in English
🏫 Pennant Hills High School
✏️ Discovered Effective Study Techniques
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Clara Atkin
63% Improvement in Economics
🏫 Cheltenham Girls High School
🎉 Achieved 93.15 ATAR
💡 Received Entry to B. Communications/B. CII at UTS
Helping high school students thrive since 2009
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