By Rose Cunningham
Welcome to year 11! There’s so much to look forward to and so many new experiences, but among all of the talk about “You’re leaders of the school now”, there are a fair few exams and new challenges. Year 11 is definitely talked up about being tricky and I’ve come to realise that it’s the hardest when you aren’t organised and don’t stay on top of the work. I’ve put together my guide to the things that helped make year 11 a bit less stressful.
1: Read the texts early, and read them thrice
Please read your texts early. I can handle taking a little while to set up other organisational systems and work out what you like, but there is nothing worse than having to nod along when your English class is talking about something as you hastily try to find the Lit Charts notes (Lit Charts is amazing by the way) to work out what on earth is going on in “Jane Eyre” because you didn’t read it over the summer holidays. If you haven’t quite made it to the last chapter yet (it’s probably week 3 when this comes out), try to get it finished soon, because the next point of advice on texts is to read them 3 times before the exam. You should read it: in the holidays before you study it (preferably, both in the same holidays if you’re doing a comparative study like Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea or Othello/People vs OJ Simpson), then when you are analysing as a class (if you miss bits, or skip bits, analyze home to fill in some blanks) and then the final time as you are preparing for your essay/exam. This will mean that you know the text inside and out, and can get the best evidence for your assessment.
2: Stay organised and build your habits
I hadn’t really used a term planner until year 11, but when I finally took Miss Taaffe’s advice - it made a huge difference. Because I was able to put in rough dates for assessments (they are on the calendar much earlier than you think they are) I could keep my work much more organised and consistent, and had fewer instances of “oh no I forgot about this assessment and I’m not going to have time to do it” than I had previously. I also used the calendar to keep track of other events such as netball training, Mary Word due dates, family events and the Saturdays where I basically wrote off any chance of doing homework. Another vital aspect of organisation is building habits. Make a “4-8 (or 4-10)” timetable for after your “8-4” and stick to it. This means getting your homework done and setting everything straight for the day ahead, along with working on your assessments if they are hand-in. This same bit about good habits also applies to things like using your study periods productively, and getting to bed on time (and leaving your phone somewhere that isn’t your bedroom), because it will make it much easier to wake up at 6:30 with the alarm.
3: Contingency time
The magical words that we all want but tend to forget: contingency time. I’ve learnt the hard way that if it can go wrong while submitting - it just might. I always plan to try to submit tasks 24 hours before, and sometimes it works - other times it definitely doesn’t. Making sure that you are ready for the deadline will mean that it’s less stressful to submit it, and if you need to go back and check everything (do it twice), or it hasn’t submitted properly (check that it has - don’t shut the laptop until the confetti drops) or your WIFI has being slow - it won't be a rush. I’ll admit, I do often end up doing too much of the word cutting too close to the deadline, but if you can learn anything from this article - don’t be recording something and submitting it at 1:30 am, and don't spend 5-11:30 pm cutting down an essay because you forgot that the word count exists - you will regret it when you wake up the next morning and almost fall asleep in the same class that the task was for. Basically - be prepared, and check everything multiple times before you submit, and please do it the night before it’s due, whilst it is still the night before (not midnight on the day).
4: Have goals and motivation, but learn to work when you don’t want to
Having goals and motivation to get your tasks done is super important, and can be useful. I have a pin board in the study, which last year had notes about some of my goals, including something I got told again and again - “It’s a marathon, not a sprint”, and these helped me to have a reminder of what I was working towards. Being able to the goals the whole time meant I could be consistent, and wasn’t working towards a theoretical outcome - and I was able to meet the 3 goals that I had posted. This said - there were so many times when I really just wanted to switch off my laptop and pretend that my maths worksheet or practice reading comp wasn't due the next day, so what did I do? I flicked on the kettle, made a cup of tea and just started it. Waiting for motivation to come, doesn’t always work, and it’s important to be able to work even without a super-productive streak.
5: Take the time for yourself
Year 11 isn’t the end of the world, and whilst it’s super important to try your best, work hard and keep your grades up, taking care of yourself will help you to stay motivated and productive, especially around exams and assessment periods, where it’s important to be properly rested and ready to go. One way that you can manage this is by picking a weekend day where you don’t do loads of homework (unless you need to) and work a full 9-5 on the other day. This way there is a day for sport and social activities, and the chance to have a little break, and you can still get a full day of work done on the next. It’s also super important that you get out of the study every little while. I’m not saying that you need to go out with friends every weekend, but have meals (or go hang out) with family (as in save the file and eat in another room to your laptop) every few hours, and take the time to go for a walk or a run or whatever it is that makes you feel rejuvenated.
6: Year 11 isn’t everything
This is the big one. Year 11 isn’t the be-all and end-all of your life, or even of high school. It’s ok to get a few rough marks, and it’s ok to feel like you aren’t good “enough” at something. What does matter, especially when you get marks back is that you remember to learn from your mistakes. If you get a paper with a mark that doesn’t feel great, go home, grab a snack and accept that that mark wasn’t great - and here's the most important thing - read the feedback and note it down. If you want any clarification from your teachers, get it ASAP, and then make a plan for how you will improve your next score. Don’t say “I’ll just get a better mark”, but make a plan - e.g next time, I’ll focus on remembering the context of Jane Eyre and incorporating it, and I’ll practice by writing paragraphs (remember those SMART goals? They’re good). This applies to everything you do. Enjoy it - you won’t do it again, and the hard work will pay off.
Final words
Year 11 is awesome. It’s tricky, and sometimes you would like to go back to Year 10, but it is so worth it. The content is amazing, the vest is comfy, and the relationships you will build with your classes and teachers will help you out, and make school feel a bit less stressful. All in all, be kind to yourself, work hard (and there’s room to play hard too), and the world won’t end because your mark wasn’t what you expected (even though it sometimes feels like it). There’s a quote from a movie called “Field of Dreams” that sums up this year - “Build it, and they will come”, so build the habits, take care of yourself, and the marks do come. Good Luck!
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