How to score good grades in English

[Harini5]

Hi


I just got my marks for the recent English Exam - SA1. My marks were just above the passing grade. I did practice some of the past test papers from other schools and yet my marks is very low. How can I improve in my English Subjects?

Pls advise.

[rains]

Hi Harini5,


Languages are very different from Maths which requires intensive practices to score well.

You need to read a lot. Read fiction books that interest you. Read as much as you can. The improvement will come without you knowing it.

[Harini5]

Thanks for your prompt reply. I shall read a lot of books during my school holidays.


Rgds

[nms1]

Read read read!!


My daughter’s teacher recommends 10-20 minutes a day of "intentional reading". What she means by this is that you pick a book that is maybe a little harder than you usually read or you read the newspaper. Every time you come across a word that you don’t know, look it up in the dictionary then write the word and the meaning in a notebook. Learning all those words will help in cloze passage, comprehension and composition.

[ammonite]

Harini5,

Wow, you are amazing for a P3 student! Kudos to you for actively looking for ways to improve!

Have you tried asking your teacher for an analysis of your main weaknesses in English? Eg, my son has a good vocabulary but weak spelling and sloppy grammar. He is an avid reader, but he has mild learning difficulties and reading a lot does not actually help him very much with spelling. He keeps a list of words that he misspells, and I go through spelling strategies with him.

If grammar is an issue, you can buy an assessment book that looks good to you and do the grammar exercises regularly. Look for one that provides a brief explanation on grammar rules BEFORE every exercise.

All the best!

[Harini5]

Hi Ammonite,


My grammar is on the average and I did badly for Comprehension, Composition & Synthesis/Transformation. I did bought some assesment books for these categories but somehow my grades are at the low end. Anyway, thanks for sharing the info with me.

Rgds

[ammonite]

Sorry I am not much help after all. for the areas you listed, it really does come down to reading quality books. Please do not waste your time on books like Geronimo Stilton. The sentences do not flow well at all. There is another thread on reading recommendations for boys. Perhaps you can take a look at that.

[sushigal]

Hi There


If you want to improve your English. Speech & Drama is the best.

Both of my gals benefited from it. Just like ammonite, my 2nd gal is a special child with mild learning disablilites.

They have been with the centre for 2 years and I could see the change in my 2nd girl especially her confidence level and her writing skill. She can write her compo.

Having the right teacher is so important. The impact is so different. A good teacher will have good influence over the child for the rest of their lives. Her S & D teacher influence them with good English books.

English is about reading. It’s important to read the right book accordingly to your level. Don’t go and force yourself to read those you don’t enjoy firstly, and hard to comprehen.

Is not about doing lots of assessment books. You must first read and understand then you are able to improve on your language.

Hope my sharing helps to encourage.

[Harini5]

Hi Sushigal,


Thanks for the info.

Rgds