7 Days Till the VCE English Exam: Your Ultimate One-Week Study Plan📝 

If you’re freaking out about the VCE English exam right now, well… that’s normal. But breathe, you’ve still got seven entire days to consolidate everything you’ve learnt this year.

I’m going to tell you exactly what I’d do if I was back in Year 12, with only seven days left to the exam. So get ready to screenshot or add this to your calendar: Here’s my 7-day VCE English exam study plan that will help you cover all bases.

And if you want more personalised help with Section A, B and C (and the entire exam overall), go ahead and grab my VCE English Exam Preparation Workshop Pack. 

• Includes a 2.5 hour workshop recording
• Digital resources - a practice exam, answer booklet (+ full AA essay), and three workbooks for each section. 
• Rated 5/5⭐️ by attendees, see testimonials here (scroll down)

Alright - let’s get started!

Day 1: Open-Book Practice Exam

Sit down for a full open-book practice exam. No timer, no studying beforehand, all notes all out. The point of this is to take your time and craft the best responses you possibly can. 

When you’re done, take a break before you begin to mark your work harshly. Be sure to do this against the VCAA assessment criteria (you can find it on their website) and hold yourself accountable! 

GOAL: Getting a sense of where your skills stand as of right now + practicing writing and building (not how fast you can do things, just yet)

Day 2: Argument Analysis

In the morning, consolidate by going through your argument analysis notes. Persuasive devices, tones, structure, metalanguage, language features, etc. (You can find a nice list of these in my language devices doc, free!)

I’d also recommend grabbing my Argument Analysis Study Guide or Argument Analysis Lesson Recordings - you can read/watch these on Day 2 as well. They’ll give you a comprehensive refresher on how to write a high-scoring Argument Analysis essay.

In the afternoon, it’s time to write a timed argument analysis essay. If that’s too much for you, write a detailed essay plan instead.

GOAL: Consolidate argument analysis knowledge + practice writing

Day 3: Creating Text

In the morning, I suggest you mark your argument analysis piece from yesterday. (Do this according to the VCAA Criteria!)

Then, attempt to write a Creating Text piece using an unseen stimulus. It’s really important that you practice with unseen stimulus, as you are getting marked on how well you integrate the stimulus (not just chucking it in once or twice). The stimulus, in some ways, should shape your piece.

My Exam Prep Workshop Pack includes a practice exam with unseen stimulus, but you can also grab two sets of unseen Section B stimulus here. 

GOAL: Consolidate creating text writing skills

Day 4: Text Response

In the morning, mark your Creating Text piece using the VCAA criteria. 

After that, revisit your Text Response notes. Rewatch the movie, re-read the most important parts of the book. Go through your quotes tables, themes notes, key ideas, old essays, etc.

Then attempt a full essay or essay plan using an unseen prompt. (I have practice prompts for High Ground and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as well as study guides!)

Prioritise adapting your knowledge to respond to the prompts, not just simply memorising an old essay you liked. 

GOAL: Consolidate text response knowledge + practice essay writing 

Day 5: Free Space! 

Think of this day as your bingo free space! Focus on whatever you need today. 

• Whatever you feel least confident in - maybe writing introductions, analysis, time management etc
• Revisiting knowledge you’re scared to forget - memorise, memorise!
• Or take a break. Spend half the day recharging before your final push.

GOAL: Rest, relax, study at your own pace.

Day 6: Exam-Condition Practice Exam

Time to do a practice exam.

Exam conditions, closed book, 3 hour timer on the side. Remember it’s 15 minutes reading time and 3 hours writing. You want to replicate the exam day as closely as possible - if you feel the nerves, that’s so okay. That’s normal, and you want to learn to push through that and simply write.

If you get stressed and can’t finish an essay, remember to write down dot points rather than leaving things blank. It’s better than nothing, and examiners may understand that you ran out of time. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just try to get as much done as possible!

My VCE English exam preparation workshop pack includes a full practice exam and answer marking guide, but if you just want to purchase the practice exam stuff individually, you can grab it here.

GOAL: Get ready for exam conditions!! + Practice writing

Day 7: Day of Reflection

Today, you want to go over every single piece you’ve written this week. Essays, essay plans, paragraphs, everything. Mark it against VCAA criteria, and be very honest with yourself.

After marking, rewrite your weakest paragraphs, scratch out irrelevant ramblings. 

If possible, get another set of eyes on your work (teachers, tutors, classmates, friends). Better yet, figure out a trade system and exchange the task of feedback and marking with a good friend in the same boat. 

Most importantly, you want to spend today resting your brain and body. You will probably not learn new information today (good!), you’ll just be consolidating skills and reminding yourself what your do’s and don’t’s are. 

GOAL: Reconsolidate all the skills you’ve practiced this week.

Good luck!

Remember, you don’t need to check exactly everything off this list. It’s a guide for you, especially for those who have no idea how to approach the final days. This 7-day plan covers all three exam sections, writing practice and self-assessment and editing.

YOU GOT THIS!