Practice & Exercises

How to Practise Effectively

Consistent, varied practice is the key to improving your English. This chapter outlines different types of exercises and strategies for getting the most out of your study time.

What You Will Learn

• Proven techniques for building a strong and active vocabulary.
• Structured methods for improving your writing fluency and accuracy.
• Strategies for identifying and correcting common grammatical errors.
• How to self-assess your work to accelerate your learning.
• The difference between simple description and high-level academic analysis.

Think of this chapter as your personal coach. It's not just about what to practise, but how to practise smart. The goal is to move beyond simply completing tasks and start thinking like a skilled user of English. This involves metacognition—thinking about your own learning process—which is one of the most powerful tools for academic success.

Vocabulary Building

A rich vocabulary is the foundation of fluent English. Here are proven methods for learning new words:

Strategies

• Context learning – learn words in sentences rather than isolated lists.

Intuition: Context is King

Imagine you learn the word "ubiquitous". The dictionary tells you it means "present, appearing, or found everywhere." That's helpful, but a bit abstract. Now, consider this sentence: "In modern cities, the presence of smartphones is ubiquitous; you see them on the bus, in cafes, and even in classrooms." Suddenly, the word comes to life. You connect it to a real-world image, making it much easier to remember and use correctly. Your brain doesn't store words in a list; it stores them in a network of connections. Context creates those connections.

• Word families – learn related forms together (decide, decision, decisive, decisively).

When you learn one word, you often get three or four for free! By understanding how prefixes and suffixes work, you can unlock a whole family of related terms. This not only expands your vocabulary faster but also deepens your understanding of English word classes.

Example: Word Family for 'Analyse'

• Verb: to analyse (The scientist will analyse the data.)
• Noun (process):analysis (Her analysis of the poem was insightful.)
• Noun (person):analyst (A financial analyst recommended the stock.)
• Adjective:analytical (He has a very analytical mind.)
• Adverb:analytically (She approached the problem analytically.)

• Spaced repetition – review words at increasing intervals to move them into long-term memory.

This technique is based on the "forgetting curve," a concept from psychology. When you first learn something, you forget it quickly. But each time you review it just as you're about to forget, the memory becomes stronger and lasts longer. Digital tools like Quizlet or Anki automate this process, showing you a word right before it fades from your memory.

Spaced repetition interrupts the "forgetting curve," strengthening your memory with each review.

• Active use – use new words in your own writing and speaking as soon as possible.

This is the difference between passive and active vocabulary. You might recognise thousands of words when you read (passive), but only use a few hundred when you write or speak (active). The goal is to move words from your passive to your active vocabulary. Challenge yourself: pick three new words from your textbook this week and find a way to use them in a class discussion or a written assignment.

• Thematic grouping – organise vocabulary by topic (politics, environment, emotions, etc.).

Our brains love categories. Grouping words by theme creates a mental map, making it easier to retrieve the right word when you need it. For example, when discussing climate change, you can group words like:
Nouns:emissions, sustainability, biodiversity, deforestation, fossil fuels.
Verbs:to mitigate, to adapt, to conserve, to pollute, to offset.
Adjectives:renewable, sustainable, irreversible, catastrophic.

Academic Vocabulary

For VGS exams, you need a solid academic vocabulary. Key words include: analyse, evaluate, compare, contrast, discuss, argue, assess, examine, illustrate, demonstrate, interpret, summarise.

Teacher's Tip: Understand the Command Words

The words in the list above are often "command words" in exam questions. They tell you exactly what to do. Misunderstanding them is a common reason for low scores.

• Compare = point out similarities.
• Contrast = point out differences.
• Discuss = explore a topic from multiple perspectives, presenting arguments for and against.
• Analyse = break something down into its component parts and explain how they work together.
• Evaluate = make a judgement about the value or success of something, based on evidence.

Before you start writing an exam answer, circle the command word and make sure your entire response is focused on fulfilling that specific command. For more useful phrases, check out our list of Engelsk gloser og nyttige uttrykk til eksamen.

Writing Practice

Regular writing practice develops fluency and accuracy simultaneously.

Fluency is the ability to produce text smoothly and quickly, while accuracy is about being grammatically correct. It's a balancing act. Timed writing helps build fluency, while careful editing and error correction improve accuracy. You need both.

Types of Writing Tasks

• Timed writing – set a timer for 20 minutes and write continuously on a topic. Focus on getting ideas down; edit afterwards.

The main purpose of this exercise is to silence your inner critic. Don't worry about spelling or perfect grammar during the 20 minutes. Just write. This builds mental muscle and helps you generate ideas under pressure, a crucial skill for exams.

• Response writing – read an article or watch a video, then write a response expressing your opinion with supporting arguments.

This is a core skill for the Norwegian VGS English exam, which often includes a source-based writing task. Your goal is not just to summarise the source, but to engage with it critically. Do you agree with the author? Why or why not? What evidence can you provide from your own knowledge or other sources to support your view?

• Genre practice – practise different text types: essays, letters, blog posts, speeches, and reviews.

Typical Sensor Feedback

A common comment from exam sensors is: "The student writes a well-structured text, but fails to adapt to the specified genre." This means, for example, writing a text that looks like a standard essay when the task asked for a blog post. To get a top grade, you must show you understand the conventions of the genre: a blog post might have a catchy title and a more personal tone, while a formal letter requires a specific layout and a polite, objective tone.

• Peer review – exchange texts with a classmate and give constructive feedback.

Learning to give good feedback is as valuable as receiving it. It trains you to spot errors and weaknesses in writing, a skill you can then apply to your own work. Use a structured approach: start with something you liked (positive reinforcement), then offer specific suggestions for improvement. Instead of saying "Your argument is weak," try "Could you strengthen your argument in the second paragraph by adding a specific example?"

Error Correction

Finding and fixing mistakes sharpens your grammar awareness. When reviewing your own or others' work, look for:

Vanlig feil: Overlooking Your Own Mistakes

It is incredibly difficult to proofread your own writing because your brain knows what you meant to write and often autocorrects mistakes as you read. A great strategy is to read your text aloud. Your ears will often catch awkward phrasing or grammatical errors that your eyes miss. Another tip is to temporarily change the font or background colour before proofreading; this makes the text feel unfamiliar and helps you spot errors more easily.

For a deeper dive into typical mistakes, see our dedicated chapter on Common Mistakes made by Norwegian learners.

• Subject-verb agreement errors

Eksempel

Incorrect: The list of ingredients are on the back of the package.
Correct: The list of ingredients is on the back of the package.
Explanation: The subject is "list" (singular), not "ingredients" (plural). The verb must agree with the subject. …