Students are sitting the VCE English exam today. Here’s what to expect
The first part involves writing an analytical response to one of two questions about a text, movie, or play that students have studied. In the second part, students will need to write a creative text based on a clue. In the final section, students are asked to analyze an argument.
Trieu-Nguyen has a strategy to help her manage her time and cope with each episode. He plans to start with the last chapter first, so everything is still fresh in his mind by reading time.
“I will be able to retain information and transfer those thoughts out,” said Trieu-Nguyen, who wants to study design and business at Monash.
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Melbourne High School captain Oliver Downing won the school’s English award but said he was still anxious going into the exam.
“Naturally I was never someone who considered myself strong in English… I saw myself as more of a math person… but over time I worked hard and eventually I did pretty well and started to really like English,” he said.
Downing, who hopes to study law at university, said he looked at previous exams and felt confident he could write something he would be happy with.
Like Trieu-Nguyen, he said he plans to start the exam with the final section.
“Going backwards seems like the right way to go because you really want to make good use of your reading time,” he said.
Dani Cooper, head of English at Strathcona Girls’ Grammar School, assured students there would be no surprises in the English exam.
Cooper suggested setting aside an hour for each chapter and using the 15 minutes of reading time to consider the topics and how they should be approached.
“Take some deep breaths,” he said.
He said some students write timestamps on their papers to remind them to keep to the times.
“They have so much to write, so time flies; they move from hour to hour,” he said.
He also advises students to practice their handwriting and make sure they write clearly.
This year, more than 3,000 students are taking the written exam in English as an additional language at one of 580 testing centers in the state.
Education Minister Ben Carroll congratulated students approaching the end of secondary education on reaching this milestone.
