australiANgel Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 hey everyone,my english teacher told me that it is very rare to get a 7 in English A1. she said that last year she only gave out two 7's in the entire year! is this normal? is it like this at your school? does anyone have any tips?thanks Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abu Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Yes, English A1 HL is one of the hardest subjects to score a 7 in. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiFruit Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Tips:Read 200 books a month, write an essay a day.Thats about all.Trying to speak in Shakespearean language wouldn't hurt either....Work hard. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereoisomer Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 200 books a month?say there are 30 days in a monthso approx 6 books a day.Mathematically, you are exaggerating.Then again, I find IB totally unpredictable. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLSmash Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Stick close to the rubric, and always ask your teacher for advice on how you wrote/presented. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazim Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Tips:Read 200 books a month, write an essay a day.Thats about all.Trying to speak in Shakespearean language wouldn't hurt either....Work hard.ROFL! I love the sarcasm, hehe. =PI think English A1 is pretty easy though for English-native-speakers. But yeah, just be able to support your thesis and know literary terms with vocabulary. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilia Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 In my school, to have A1 languages HL is more or less considered to be the easy way out, no matter what language it is. But looking at statistics from last exam, I see that nobody got a 7 in English A1 and only 5 out of 55 got a 7 in Swedish A1, so maybe you're right. My teacher told us that literary features are usually what people score low marks on, so be attentive to those. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneyfaery Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 200 books a month?say there are 30 days in a monthso approx 6 books a day.Mathematically, you are exaggerating.Then again, I find IB totally unpredictable.Seemed like sarcasm to me. Stop looking at everything from a mathematical perspective! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiFruit Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hey,6 books a day wouldn't hurt I mean yes you may become socially inert but who cares.An essay a day will actually help alot because that is what English A1 is, ESSAYS. And Mistyrose its actually 6.667 a day which in my math studies class is 7 rounded:).{But I used a calculator so yea}In all honestly try to read the books you are given more then once and digest them slowly to make sure you don't know just plot but recognize diction and other literary devices. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakebert Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 (edited) Be sure to LINK ideas and literary features. The problem that most people have is that they forget one or the other. For example, it's all very well if you talk about the tone of the poem, but then you must explain HOW the poet accomplishes this (e.g. through the use of metaphors, etc.). Vice-versa, if you talk about how the poet uses harsh "t" sounds, say what that accomplishes in the poem (e.g. it makes the poem sound angry). Relate everything back to your thesis. Edited January 31, 2009 by Jakebert Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereoisomer Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hey,6 books a day wouldn't hurt I mean yes you may become socially inert but who cares.An essay a day will actually help alot because that is what English A1 is, ESSAYS. And Mistyrose its actually 6.667 a day which in my math studies class is 7 rounded:).{But I used a calculator so yea}In all honestly try to read the books you are given more then once and digest them slowly to make sure you don't know just plot but recognize diction and other literary devices.Drewrow, I said APPROX..6 sounds so much more comforting than 7 Thanks for the sarcasm. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiFruit Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 English is like one of those subjects you are either gifted in or not. Its not like SAT where you have to know how to spell 'happy' you have to be able to write like Shakespeare in an hour and a half. I mean you walk in stressed looking at questions you've never seen before and then you have to write a 5 page essay, realizing near the end [well at least for me] that all you have done is summarized plot.O the joy of English exams.English Hl is pretty hard to get a 7 in, but if you can craft magnificent essays in 5 minutes you'll be fine, if not you will be dreading that exam room.Just know your book inside out, research authors and you will be fine. But in true honesty speaking Shakespearean language with your friends wouldn't hurt.O also try to ace your I.A's so you can walk into the exams with a smile knowing you just have to write your name on the paper and you can get a 4 [usually 44%+].English makes me want to hide and . Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saritaoel Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 yeah i think English A1 HL english is a pretty hard subject i'm taking it as well...i'm trying to remember if anyone in my school has received a 7 in it but i don't recall any, i know there were 6s! I guess the most important thing is the literary analysis element to the class --know how to write good, i mean good, commentaries and know what to comment on (don't try to make sense out of something stupid). And, most importantly, think outside of the sheltered boxes called Cliffs Notes and Sparknotes. What moderators, and teachers, are looking for is original ideas that they've never heard before, so be a pioneer and think originally. haha 200 books wouldn't be a reasonable number, just read the books that are assigned--its just stupid not to. hope that helps and gives some kind of glimmer of hope!good luck Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommeDesEnfants Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I'm actually really confused; throughout my first semester in IB, my English teacher's given me marks on my essays ranging from 12 to 20. The phrase "hot n' cold" comes to mind...And if anybody actually finds time to write an essay a day, please tell me how you manage. I'd love a 7 in English, but frankly, I don't see that on my diploma when/if I ever get it. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLSmash Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 ROFL! I love the sarcasm, hehe. =PI think English A1 is pretty easy though for English-native-speakers. But yeah, just be able to support your thesis and know literary terms with vocabulary. No, it's not. To get a 7, you pretty much have to be a talented writer. The commentaries that I've read which have gotten 7s, were written amazingly. Like even one commentary that we read in class, my teacher said that he probably wouldn't have been able to write like that. So really, if you want to get a good mark, just look for literary techniques and et cetera, but you really can't produce a 7 by studying really hard like you can in other subjects. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) Well I think im not excalty the last to give advice, but i have learned something,1.I am the one in class who care about english lit the most and always bugging the teacher how do i get better so i noticed that we would write commentaries and she would not give them back later on she gave us back like 6 and she wa slike look at the grades they reallly literally improves so first of all they are gna improve over time2. After doing like 10 commentaries u will notice that u want to stay away frm re telling the story so taht boosts ur grade3.TRY TRY TRY to write commentaries on ur on cut out a past paper question do it on ur own and hadn it in to the teacher ( have been doing that veery recnelty)4.LOVE the books i mean i hated the books so i wouldnt do good then i told my self i better start loving them and did so so the material starts to comeas for poems PRACTICE past papers they have marke scheme to tell u wat they are looking for so u dnt end up writng sth and dnt knw how to check itBTW in IB1 and i diffently went up frm a 4 to a high 5 im gna push my self to a mid 6 or a 7 hope to hear that frm u too Edited February 13, 2009 by dexter Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermine0817 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I think English A1 is pretty easy though for English-native-speakers. But yeah, just be able to support your thesis and know literary terms with vocabulary. My English teacher stresses the whole time that we (the non-native speakers) have to compete against them (the native speakers) the whole time in English A1...But I would say even for a native speaker, it's hard to get a 7, isn't it? (This is what I have gathered so far)Besides, no one managed to get a 7 in English A1 so far in our school, and yes, it is hard to get a 7.Our teacher just tells us to read as many books as possible. But this would help. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan-Ole Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I would say it depends on who your teacher is but i must say we are 10 students in my A1 English class and everyone has between 3-6 but no one has a 7 and no one at least in this year has scored a 7 in a presentation or sth . like this. But just today one girl got a 6 in her IOP.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram1991 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 You know, the same goes in our school. We're a relatively small school with an even smaller IB diploma class (I'm one of 8 remaining) however it seems they are making it harder on us than normal. Looking at the boundaries posted on this website I can't help but feel that I'm really getting screwed, our school is treating a 7 as 95%+, a six is 90%+, five is 85%+ and a four is like 70%+ but the boundaries on this website generall show around 80%+ as a seven Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
avident Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I would agree with the consensus. Write as much as you can in your spare time all the while learning, and more importantly, incorporating new, challenging vocabulary into it. Pay special attention to literary devices - you can start with these: anagnorisis and catharsis. Last, but not least, read the studied works a million times and know them by heart. Good luck, because you're going to need it: a 7 in English A1 is easily one of the hardest goals you can set for yourself in the IB. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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