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Need to know if this is normal?! (1 Viewer)

enigma_1

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I spend such a long longg longggg time writing one essay. I write really good ones but I just take forever. Like I actually take an hour to write half a paragraph :( What is wrong with me? I hate english but then I have to do it obviously. Today I need to write 6 more paragraphs plus rvision. Does anyone else feel this way? I hate english!! It wastes so much time :(
 

iBibah

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I spend such a long longg longggg time writing one essay. I write really good ones but I just take forever. Like I actually take an hour to write half a paragraph :( What is wrong with me? I hate english but then I have to do it obviously. Today I need to write 6 more paragraphs plus rvision. Does anyone else feel this way? I hate english!! It wastes so much time :(
This is pretty much the reason. It's just up to you to get focused and get it done (which from my experience happens the night before it's due/needs to be ready).
 

enigma_1

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Because English is such a flowery/waffley subject you never know if you're on the right track and that's what I hate!
 

Mdyeow

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Because English is such a flowery/waffley subject you never know if you're on the right track and that's what I hate!
Common and entirely incorrect perception. First and foremost, aiming to be "on the right track" is a mug's game - because there IS no right track. You get good scores by coming up with reasonable arguments and backing them up with reasonable analysis. There is no "wrong" except for when you argue something shittily/make assertions that you don't then substantiate in a clear, logical manner.

If you have a look at the best students' essays, you will find that they do not partake of either flowers or waffles. Both such commodities are a great way to waste time in exams and get yourself sunk faster than the Titanic teleported into a fleet of U-Boats.

Treat a subject with contempt, and it'll return the favour.

Send practice essays to your teacher. I'm sure they would be willing to give to constructive feedback on what you should work on.
+1

And remember that the more you write, the easier it gets. Expression becomes more fluent, you get faster at calling up the most appropriate techniques or evidence, your arguments gain more nuance. But that requires you to persevere and keep incorporating useful feedback on your work. It's simple but not easy. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
 

BLIT2014

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Look I'm pretty sure it may not be 'normal' but I take the same amount of time if I want to have a decent essay done :(
 

enigma_1

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Thanks guys! 7 hours later I have finally finished the essay
 

fatassmcfat

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It also takes me 6 hours+ to write a 'good' essay but mostly because im OCD about making every word sound cool
 

Absolutezero

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It took my a month to write 1,500 words. It was a competition-winning 1,500 words, but still, a month.
 

strawberrye

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It is normal to take a bit of time in writing English essays-to shorten the time span, perhaps you can make an essay plan before writing the actual essay so you don't need to spend as much time thinking about what to write for each paragraph, careful thinking over ideas before starting to write is crucial for enjoying and excelling in English:)-English really isn't that bad, with persistence, optimism and passion-English can be a very enjoyable subject:)
 

rumbleroar

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Yeah I know what you mean about essays taking forever. But I think you need to start off with a REALLY strong introduction - know exactly what you're going to say from the get go and just run with it. I did that today and finished an essay in 2-3 hours (with breaks in between). Usually I take much longer haha but I did it a lot faster (and hopefully better) because I knew what I was going to say, what evidence I was going to use and how I was going to tackle it.

There's nothing "wrong" with you. I think you just need more practice with writing and pinpointing your weaker areas and targeting. You also need to adopt a better mindset towards English. Instead of "I hate english!!" approach it with less negativity and it should make it a lot easier. Also, jab at your sig, because you should turn your hate for english (a weakness) into a strength (i.e. a determination to get english DONE so you can work on other subjects)
 

buriza

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I spend such a long longg longggg time writing one essay. I write really good ones but I just take forever. Like I actually take an hour to write half a paragraph :( What is wrong with me? I hate english but then I have to do it obviously. Today I need to write 6 more paragraphs plus rvision. Does anyone else feel this way? I hate english!! It wastes so much time :(
First and foremost, there is nothing wrong with you. It is completely understandable that you may take a while to write essays given (1) you dislike English and (2) disinterest tends to result in ineffective studying. Not to mention, students who do enjoy English can still have a hard time completing an essay. Coming up with essays on the spot is a difficult thing to do and often requires rigorous practice, but even after that you may not be assured of being able to string out ~1200 words in a seamless fashion.

I would suggest that before you begin an essay, you think about your structure. What are your main points going to be? Can you think of textual evidence to support these points? How does all of this answer the question? By brainstorming your structure you might have something to guide you while writing an essay rather than starting from a blank slate.
 

Mdyeow

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It took my a month to write 1,500 words. It was a competition-winning 1,500 words, but still, a month.
#humblebrag

Yeah I know what you mean about essays taking forever. But I think you need to start off with a REALLY strong introduction - know exactly what you're going to say from the get go and just run with it. I did that today and finished an essay in 2-3 hours (with breaks in between). Usually I take much longer haha but I did it a lot faster (and hopefully better) because I knew what I was going to say, what evidence I was going to use and how I was going to tackle it.

There's nothing "wrong" with you. I think you just need more practice with writing and pinpointing your weaker areas and targeting. You also need to adopt a better mindset towards English. Instead of "I hate english!!" approach it with less negativity and it should make it a lot easier. Also, jab at your sig, because you should turn your hate for english (a weakness) into a strength (i.e. a determination to get english DONE so you can work on other subjects)
By the end of your introduction, the examiner is typically about 80% sure of the score they're going to give you. Sure, that score may go up or down a couple of points as they read your essay, but the introduction already indicates the mainstay of what they need to know: are you answering the question? Do you express yourself clearly? How well do you understand the text?

If you can practise the structure of your introductions until they come naturally, the rest will follow. After all, the intro is the plan for the rest of the essay (as I discuss at length in my book).
 

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