How does one even improve in english?

[alexalexalex]

Hello everyone!
So, let's just start off by saying that I am an extreme science person. Science is reallyy "my thing", and as we all know, in the IB diploma, you have to take a language A as well. As I want to study in the UK, I need to take english A (even though english is not my mothertongue).
I've chosen what is suppose is considered the "easiest" out of the options, which is English L/L SL.
Right now I'm doing the IGCSEs and unfortunaltely our teacher is pretty bad. Basically, we spend all lesson sitting outside in the hallways "reading".
The thing is, I really do want to improve my english as I feel like my IB courses are going to be quite challenging next year and I don't want to spend much time at all on english. Everytime I ask my english teacher she says something like "just read more"... And let's be honest: when you're, first of all, definitely not a language person, and secondly, you have the IGCSEs coming up - "ain't nobody's got time for that".

Anyways, so if you guys have any tips on how I could improve my english (especially narrative writing I suppose, as that's what I'm struggling the most with) I'd be very grateful if you write them here!

Thank you!

[Gaby]

 As I want to study in the UK, I need to take english A (even though english is not my mothertongue).

 

 

That's not true, you can take it as language B, if only your school offers this option, and save yourself the headache of doing literature analysis in a language that isn't your own. 

[kw0573]

Through my theory of knowledge course I learned that definitely no such thing as exclusively language or science person. At least, I haven't anyone of such categorization.

How do you study for math? Know the concept/formula, apply it many times in homework; practice some more, you get good grades.

Practice and understanding concepts are also key in studying IB Group 1. You first have to identify what your weaknesses are. Ask for specific things like "What's my biggest weakness in writing?" This question is certainly easier to address for math and science because if you don't understand something, you know what those are on a test and so you have clear goals to work towards. For languages it's different: the mistakes are interconnected. So look for things that are physically different between you work and someone else's who may be getting an A. A side-by-side comparison may help you identify your weaknesses.

One thing to do is to first "not hate writing". What I did was that I joined the school newspaper team and I just wrote on topics i was interested in. My friend improved her score from barely a 5 to a 7 less than two years. You can do it as well! 

[Nini Nincompoop]

English is not my first language either, but I still took English A Lang Lit. It was the best decision in my life.

 

Why? Because you actually learn about HOW and WHY the language works, not just boring grammar and memorizing "glosor" like you do in elementary school. It gets much easier to improve a language once you understand its core instead of just leaning about the surface. Think about it like studying math. Ofc you can just learn how to solve the math by doing tons of exercise. But is it fun? Not as nearly as when you learn about the logic/principles of it. 

 

I think as a non-native speaker your English seems sufficient enough for you to do fine in uni, even in the UK. However, if you truly want to master English as a language, don't settle with just choosing English B even if it means easy 7. 

 

But the thing is, you really need to be interested in studying language in the first place. This means that you will have to READ. Not just read-so-you-understand-the-content, but CLOSE-READ. To be able to be good at that you have to be curious enough. You need the drive of wanting to know more. When you detect a metaphor, you need to wonder why it works the way it does, what is the effect of it on the reader, what does it do to the entire text, etc. 

 

So if you really hate reading books, then maybe forget about this - as I said, after IB your English should be able to get you into uni anyways without English A. After all, priorities are so damn important when you take IB (personal experience).

[Dazed&Confused]

Hi! While I think that what everyone else has said on this topic so far is important since it's true that you can take English B and that from what I've read from you, you seem more than proficient in the language, I'm just going to answer your question straight out. So here are some pointers:

 

• Since you're not in IB yet, I highly suggest that from now on and over the summer, read some books. I suggest you read the books that are highly popular and critically acclaimed ("Jane Eyre", "To Kill A Mockingbird", "1984", etc...) this way, if you get stuck with anything in the book, you'll find plenty of material about them online. This includes different perspectives from different readers, which is important in English Lang/Lit. 
• When reading, if you do not understand a word, make sure you highlight it, and write it down in a separate note pad while also writing down the definition of the word next to it. This is an excellent thing to do if you want to increase your vocabulary. Go over the note pad every now and then until you're sure that the word has been embedded in your mind, and learn how to use the word as well by creating your own sentences using the word. 
• You can even go to the extent of asking the IB teachers at your school which books you may be reading next year, that way you can read ahead over the summer. 
• Practice a method called 'PQE' (Point, Quote, Explanation), do this with every book you read. 
• Do not only limit yourself to novels, read scripts, one I suggest is "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, a lot of IB schools use this. Since you're taking Lang/Lit, you won't only be reading novels, you'll be reading plays and poems as well. So venture into those too. 

The thing is, if you do this over the summer, it will take away some of the boredom and you'll also have time. So save all the reading that I've talked about above for over the summer. Here's what you can do now:

• Practice embedding quotes, which I'm sure you've already starting learning about in school. This is important as it creates fluidity. E.g. Instead of using "this quote "xyz" proves that", use, "the author states "xyz", which proves that..." 
• Use transition words: Firstly, secondly, Additionally, furthermore, moreover, In conclusion, etc... 
• Like I mentioned above, practice the 'PQE' method. I suggest you look this up on the internet if you haven't learnt about it yet, but basically, its extremely important because thats what gives your essays and analysis some substance. 

I can give you more pointers, but in the end of the day, all i can tell you is that reading more will really (really, really, really) help, although I know that you've probably been told that before. 

 

I hope I helped at least a little!