What’s that you say? English has no rules? You can’t study for English? English is just about how well you can waffle on about nonsense as long as it’s loosely related to your text and sounds sophisticated?
The fact of the matter is that many students tend to think just this way about English, and they continue on with their essays with the mindset to just go with the flow. This is simply not the case with English. Believe it or not, English does have rules. English, and literature in general, dates back centuries, and is a well - established, well - respected discipline, and so, as with any other school or discipline, there are certain norms, rules, and “things” you should adhere to, to do it justice.
As with something as formulaic and inherently structured as mathematics, you would expect certain rules, even down to the most basic of components. For instance, in an exam, you wouldn’t write the equivalent of two plus two being five (unless of course you’re in Orwell's “1984”). Similarly with something like physics, you would adhere to the rule that force equates to mass multiplied by acceleration. These kinds of things are the fundamental basics of a discipline that make up the basis for further understanding.
It goes without saying, then, that English also has rules (to an extent). This may seem quite trivial, but basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation make a colossal impression on your markers. There is nothing more disheartening than reading a nicely thought - out, impressive sentence, only to see that the student has spelled the text’s author incorrectly, or yet, the text incorrectly. Syntax in your sentences is important. It does not matter if you have the most original idea about your text than everyone else in the state; if you start writing fragments of sentences or random, unorganised clauses, then your brilliant point is simply not going to get across. It is stunning how a seemingly trivial thing like grammar is brushed aside in the HSC® Exam, but it definitely makes a difference. After all, you’ve spent the best of your school years perfecting your craft - HSC® Exam is time to put it to use. It’s like in mathematics, if you are working out an equation, and you do all the complicated things; you work out some crazy expression through binomial theorem, somewhere along the way you have said that seven minus three is twelve. It’s the same in English; perfect the basics, perfect things like spelling and grammar, so that when you are writing higher level essays, you let the essay be the best it can.
Quotes and textual analysis can sometimes be overlooked as well. Assuming your essay is about a text, and your study of that text, you need to have quotes from that text to justify your arguments. Students will often write amazing essay synthesis, but forget to include quotes or textual details to support the ideas they have presented. As well as this, some basic structural things are a must: have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Have a thesis. Write topic sentences. Explain what you mean instead of just saying it. Don’t leave your markers hanging on for more information which you could have easily elucidated for them. Making these sorts of habits second nature, or even subconscious, will allow you to simply write, and not worry about the how - to’s and the wherefore’s of writing.
Of course, no one will tell you what to write, but how to write is something which you can perfect, contrary to popular belief! Learn all the rules of English, or any discipline in fact, so that you become the master. Then when the time comes, you can transcend the rules and break them, and just write.
