Most students as they enter class 11th have preconceived notions about the English subject, that it is a subject that doesn’t require much effort and can be prepared just a few days before the exam. This is a big mistake made by most of the students as English requires comprehensive practice and knowledge of grammar, along with good reading speed and writing skills, which cannot be covered just a few days before the exam.
Students think they only need to prepare for the literature section, and so they study the stories and the poems with sincerity but the truth is, the English subject is much more than that. It is the all-around capability and knowledge of the student in the language. The English exam comprises 3 sections – Reading and Comprehension, Writing Skills & Grammar and Literature. Hence, only focusing on the literature portion is not enough to score good marks in the English exam. Here are some tips you can use to ace your English class 11th exam –
1. Focus on NCERT –
Many students are confused as to which books to follow in order to prepare well for the English exam with many of them going for the option of reference books before going through NCERT books as reference books give short summaries along with a variety of questions.
Though there is nothing wrong in following a reference book, it is very important to first be thorough with each and every chapter and read them all. NCERT books are developed keeping in mind CBSE curriculum and questions are asked from NCERT books only. Studying from NCERT books first for class 11th English –NCERT Books Class 11 English Hornbill and Snapshot is key.
2. Develop a reading habit –
The first section of the English exam is based on the reading skills of the student. The section comprises unseen passages and questions based on the given passages. In order to understand the passage and answer the questions quickly, it is crucial to have a good reading speed.
To improve your reading speed, you can develop a habit of reading newspapers or novels or reading material of your choice for a fixed amount of time each day. In the exam hall, try to read the questions based on passages first to get an idea of what to look for when you read the passages and find the answers to the questions quickly.
3. Practice your writing skills –
The second section consists of writing skills and it is imperative for you to have a good command over your writing skills, such that you are able to structure your thoughts and present them in an organized manner in the various articles, informal or formal letters, reports and advertisements. In the exam hall, first, write down the points you want to include in your answer in rough and then structure them in a coherent manner such that the writing skill answer has a flow to it. Practice letter and essay writing before the exam so that you don’t face any problems during the exam time.
4. Improve your grammar –
Grammar is the essence of any language and English is no different. In order to score good marks and not let grammatical mistakes decrease your marks, it is important to have command over the grammar portion. In order to do that, you can take any grammar book and learn the basic grammar rules and try to practice them so that you get used to having to use them.
5. Focus on getting a thorough understanding of stories and poems –
Read all the chapters thoroughly and don’t skip any chapters. It is important to understand what the author wants to stay via the chapter and to understand the plot of the story. For poems, focus on understanding every line so that you are able to answer the questions that are asked based on the poem.
6. Setup a study schedule –
Do an analysis of the syllabus and then set up your study schedule accordingly so that you are able to complete the syllabus in time with sufficient practice and understanding of all the topics without any problem. Be disciplined and try to adhere to the schedule you have made for yourself, as it is for your own benefit and will help you in gathering all the knowledge needed to score maximum marks in the exam.
7. Learn poet and author names –
When you start reading any chapter or poem, remind yourself to go through the name of the author or the poet of the story of the poem, as it can help you in framing your answers in a better way by including the name of the author or poet, which will aid you in fetching more marks.
8. Keep important lines from chapters in mind –
While going through the chapter, try to remember the important lines within the text, which you can quote in your answer, which can certainly help you in securing more marks. You can do so by writing the important lines in a revision notebook which you can refer to whenever you are free so that you are able to memorise the lines.
9. Solve past years’ question papers –
In every exam, last years’ question papers are a really important way of preparing for the exam, more so for English subjects as English exam papers tend to be lengthy which can test your writing speed and capability of coming up with ideas and structure for the answer quickly. Solving past years’ question papers certainly helps in that regard by giving you an idea of the pattern of questions asked and understanding how to answer the questions in the best and efficient way possible.
10. Devise a strategy to complete the paper in time –
Speed is of the essence in completing English exam on time and thus based on our performance in the previous years’ question papers and sample question papers, it is essential to form a strategy of which section to approach first and how to answer the questions in a way that suits you and in which you are comfortable so that you are able to complete the paper in time leaving you enough time to revise your answers.
GOOD LUCK!
