As a global subject, English plays a vital role in the lives of graduating students as they are made mandatory in almost all entrance exams both in India and for foreign travels. As it’s a mandatory subject in Class 11 for students, irrespective of their board, this article elaborates the tips that must be stressed upon to ace Class 11 English successfully.
General Tips That Must Be Stressed Upon
- First and foremost, before starting the exam preparation it’s important that students collect the necessary study materials and notes as seeking them frequently in-between would spoil the pace of preparation. It is recommended that students get ready with their NCERT English book, previous year question paper and listed reference books before their preparation.
- A good timetable would always save time and also helps the students cover the entire syllabus before the start of their exams. As Class 11 English emphasises mostly on reading comprehension and grammar, it is advised that students make enough slots for these two areas. Specifically, students must also include practice sessions in their timetable as practising a maximum number of questions makes one pro in reading comprehension.
- Coming to the material part of exam preparation, the hornbill textbook published by NCERT, can be counted as the main textbook for Class 11. Generally, English is said to have 4 different sections to test the proficiency of students in which 2 sections i.e., reading and writing are tested for Class 11 students. The Hornbill textbook helps students in this area as this book is divided into two of the above-mentioned sections.
- On par with the Hornbill, students are recommended to go through the NCERT books Class 11 English Snapshots, a supplementary reader. Vocabulary is an integral part of Class 11 English, as excellent vocabulary knowledge paves way for good grades in English exams and Snapshots facilitate the students in this area by improving their language skills. Working out the questions in the Snapshot is said to make the students more self-sufficient as students start thinking out of the box while making their way through the questions.
- Additionally, Class 11 students, especially those who chose English as an elective in Class 11 are recommended to go through the NCERT Woven Words as they are written by experts to make the experience of young readers (students) more understanding and pleasurable. Designed especially for students using diagrams and images this book comes forward as easy to read and promising study materials.
Academic Tips
Basically, four different sections are to be solved by students in their Class 11 exams. The following tips are to guide you through your preparation in the sections
- READING SKILLS: Nurturing a daily reading practice will help students score in this section. Summarizing and note-making are two integral skills needed to ace this part. As always said everything gets better with practice, it is advised that in addition to the textbooks students are ought to go through editorials daily and summarize them.
- GRAMMAR & WRITING: As far as English is concerned fundamentals and basic knowledge are counted as important for it is by them complex topics are understood better.. Students are tested on their grammar knowledge using short answers and multiple-choice questions. Students can expect questions from areas like Error Correction, editing tasks, re-ordering of Sentences, the transformation of sentences.
For the grammar part of the exam, it is suggested that students make themselves thorough with all basic grammar concepts as every grammar rule counts in solving the questions. Also, it is recommended to solve questions on daily basis as mastering a skill comes with frequent practice.
Creativity is an important component of writing and it would be better if students spend some time reading novels to grow their creativity. - LITERATURE AND LONG READING TEXTS: To answer this part, students are suggested to go through the mentioned textbooks as mostly textual questions are asked in this section. It is also advisable for the students to regularly solve the questions from your NCERT textbooks. Short and long type questions based on poetry are asked to test your reference to the context comprehension and appreciation.
Exam Tips to Be Stressed Upon
- Stress during exams is unavoidable as students can’t help but go through the exam fear. A good amount of fear is always good, but do not let your fears consume you. As much as preparation is important, having a pleasant and stress-free mind is also important. Give some space for your mind to recollect the prepared stuff and do not overload it till you enter the examination hall. Make sure that each and every topic you studied is revised before you appear for the exam.
- Do not overdo or exaggerate your answers. English being a literature subject requires creative writing, but do not let yourselves to be deviated from the topic asked. Filling up your papers with irrelevant answers in search of creativity will lead to bad grades. Always have a check on your answers and make sure they don’t go out of context.
- Use the apt vocabulary in your content. Make sure you quote references from the textbook but beware not to overdo this. Quote your own phrases to make the content even more understanding and interesting to the examiner. If you are not sure about any of the phrases to use, kindly omit it as the wrong usage of vocabulary will only fetch you low marks.
- Good presentation and content go hand in hand in an exam. A good presentation does not only mean your handwriting but also the way your answers are presented before the examiner. Make sure your answers are neatly spaced. Highlighting the keywords will fetch a good impression for your answer sheet. Make sure you follow the prescribed word limit for your answers.
- Finally, check your answers for grammatical errors or misplaced phrases once before submission.