SACE Stage 2 English as an Additional Language exam-day guide
SACE Stage 2 English as an Additional Language · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification
Bring the ID document your school or the supervising authority requires for admission to the exam room. The exact accepted forms and any signature requirement should be confirmed with the provider before exam day; keep it in the same bag as your pens so it cannot be left behind.
Admission slip or exam timetable confirmation
Carry whatever printed or digital confirmation your school issues showing your name, subjects, and session times. Confirm with the provider whether a physical copy is required, since some venues collect these at the door.
Two or more black or blue pens
Extended writing is a large part of this exam, so bring at least two pens you have already written with and know are comfortable. Test them beforehand; a pen that skips or smudges costs time and marks in a handwritten response.
Pencils, eraser, and sharpener
Useful for any planning, annotation, or multiple-choice sections and for correcting without messy crossings-out. Keep them in a clear case if your venue restricts what may be on the desk.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Staying hydrated helps concentration over a long writing session. Many venues require a transparent bottle with no label; check the specific rule with the provider rather than assuming.
Analog watch
A simple watch lets you pace the sections without repeatedly looking for a wall clock. Confirm with the provider whether smartwatches or any watch with communication features are prohibited, as they usually are.
Printed summary of text types and structure
Prepare a one-page revision sheet covering the conventions of the text types the course requires (for example, a letter, article, report, or narrative) and the structure of an analytical response. Use it in the final days, then leave it at home on exam day.
Personal vocabulary and error list
Keep a short list of your own recurring grammar, spelling, and collocation errors plus useful academic connectives. Reviewing your own patterns is more efficient in the last 24 hours than learning new material.
Transport and venue plan
Know the room, the entry point, and a backup route, and aim to arrive well before the start time. Confirm the required arrival time and lateness rules with the provider, as these vary between venues.
Leave prohibited items at home
Phones, notes, and any device that can store or transmit information should stay outside the exam room. Confirm with the provider exactly what is banned and where bags are stored, then follow that rule strictly.
Plan for approved accommodations
If you use extra time, a separate room, or a dictionary where permitted, confirm the arrangements with the provider in advance and know how to identify yourself to staff on the day.
Breakfast and sleep routine
Treat the night before as a normal night: a familiar meal, limited screen time, and a full night's sleep. Cramming until late tends to reduce the fluency and accuracy that extended writing depends on.
Plan the day
Shift from learning new content to consolidating what you already know. Re-read your own recent practice responses and mark the two or three weaknesses that cost the most marks, such as paragraph structure, tense consistency, or weak conclusions. Do one timed practice task under exam conditions, then review it against the assessment criteria rather than just checking answers. Confirm your exam time, room, and transport, and check with the provider about ID and permitted items so there are no surprises on the day.
Do light revision only: your one-page text-type summary, your personal error list, and a handful of useful connectives and sentence patterns. Rehearse a simple plan for the two most likely writing tasks, sketching the introduction, body paragraph structure, and conclusion in note form. Prepare your bag with ID, pens, pencils, and water, lay out clothes, and set two alarms. Avoid a full mock exam today; the goal is a calm, confident state rather than exhaustion.
Eat a normal breakfast and arrive early enough to settle without rushing. Read only your short summary sheet, then put it away before entering the room. Once seated, check that your desk has what you need and that your pens work. When reading time begins, use it to read all questions or prompts carefully, choose your options, and jot a brief plan rather than starting to write immediately.
Allocate time before you begin: allow roughly a tenth of the total time for planning and a similar share for checking, and divide the rest among the tasks. For each writing task, spend a few minutes on a short outline so the argument or narrative has a clear shape. Watch the clock at planned checkpoints rather than constantly. Write legibly, leave a line between paragraphs, and keep language you control rather than reaching for unfamiliar structures under pressure. If a task goes badly, move on and return only if time allows. Reserve the final minutes for proofreading for agreement, tense, articles, spelling, and punctuation, which are among the easiest marks to recover.
Rules to check
Bring and display the identification your school or supervising authority requires, and confirm the accepted forms with the provider in advance. If you arrive without acceptable ID, staff may not admit you, so treat this as non-negotiable.
Keep only permitted items on your desk. Phones and any device that can store or transmit information must be switched off and stored as directed; confirm the venue's exact list of banned items with the provider rather than guessing.
Follow all instructions from supervisors about starting, stopping, and leaving the room. Do not begin writing before you are told to start, and put your pen down immediately when time is called, since continuing to write can be treated as a breach of rules.
Raise your hand and wait for a supervisor if you need to leave the room for any reason. Confirm with the provider whether toilet breaks are allowed during the session and whether you are supervised or accompanied, as arrangements differ between venues.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the session has begun, and do not look at another candidate's work. Even unintentional contact during reading time can be interpreted as misconduct.
Produce your own work. Do not bring prepared essays, notes, or any material into the room, and do not use a dictionary or reference aid unless the provider has confirmed it is permitted for your situation.
If you believe there is a problem with the paper, such as a missing page or a misprinted instruction, notify a supervisor immediately rather than attempting to work around it. Do not ask other candidates for clarification.
Understand how your work is judged before you sit the exam: confirm with the provider which components count, how they are weighted, and how the writing is assessed, then use that knowledge to prioritise planning, structure, and accuracy during the test.