ELA 30-1 Diploma study plan
ELA 30-1 Diploma · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension)
Diagnose baseline performance by completing one timed 60-minute multiple-choice reading set and tabulating accuracy by question type (main idea, inference, vocabulary in context, tone, structure).
Annotate three unfamiliar prose passages, marking shifts in speaker, tone, and structure before answering any questions.
Build and apply an elimination routine for the four common distractor types: too broad, too narrow, true-but-not-asked, and contradicted by the text.
Create an error log that records, for every missed item, the line reference proving the correct answer and a one-line reason for the miss.
Your checkpoint
A scored baseline reading set plus a complete error log of every miss with a supporting line reference and a stated reason for the error.
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension)
Analyze two poems and one short story, writing a one-sentence theme statement and selecting three supporting quotations for each.
Label figurative and rhetorical devices (metaphor, personification, irony, juxtaposition) and explain the effect of each in a two-sentence annotation.
Justify both the correct option and one distractor for ten inference questions in writing.
Reduce average time per passage to 12 minutes while holding accuracy at or above the week-1 baseline.
Your checkpoint
A close-reading notebook covering three literary texts, each with a theme statement, three quotations, and device labels with effect notes.
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension) & Writing (Part A: written response)
Outline the argument structure (claim, evidence, counter-argument, rebuttal) of two persuasive or informational texts.
Draft one personal response to a text, establishing a controlling idea in the opening paragraph and sustaining it in the conclusion.
Compare the draft against the personal-response scoring criteria and record three specific revisions.
Write 15 minutes of freewriting on four days to build drafting fluency and speed.
Your checkpoint
An outlined analysis of two informational texts plus a complete first draft of a 500-600 word personal response with a rubric-based self-assessment.
Writing (Part A: written response)
Revise the personal response draft to sharpen the controlling idea and embed two additional specific textual references.
Write a second personal response under 60-minute timed conditions.
Apply a five-minute editing checklist (subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, comma splices, vague pronouns) to both drafts.
Recite and correctly use ten analysis verbs (conveys, undermines, juxtaposes, qualifies) in place of generic verbs.
Your checkpoint
Two finished personal responses (one revised, one timed) with a completed editing checklist attached to each.
Writing (Part A: written response)
Write a defensible thesis stating an interpretation and a line of reasoning for two different analytical prompts.
Embed six quotations across two body paragraphs using a claim-evidence-commentary structure.
Draft a complete critical/analytical essay of 700-900 words in 75 minutes.
Repair two named weaknesses in the draft: an unsupported claim and a passage of plot summary standing in for analysis.
Your checkpoint
A complete critical/analytical essay draft with an annotated thesis and a revision memo listing three specific changes made.
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension) & Writing (Part A: written response)
Write one timed critical/analytical essay in 70 minutes using a four-paragraph planning template.
Complete two 20-minute reading maintenance sets targeting your two weakest question types.
Cut filler and vague language from a prior essay by at least 10 percent without weakening the argument.
Build a personal style sheet of ten sentence patterns useful for analysis (concessive, causal, comparative).
Your checkpoint
A timed essay plus a tightened revision with word count reduced by at least 10 percent, and a log showing accuracy change on the two targeted question types.
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension) & Writing (Part A: written response)
Simulate the written response section by completing both writing assignments back-to-back within 2.5 hours.
Simulate the reading section by completing a full 60-minute multiple-choice set in one sitting.
Mark both simulations against the scoring criteria and rank the three most frequent errors.
Rehearse a 3-minute planning routine for each writing assignment before drafting.
Your checkpoint
Full simulated writing and reading sections with scores recorded and a prioritized list of the three most fixable weaknesses.
Reading (Part B: multiple-choice reading comprehension) & Writing (Part A: written response)
Repair the three prioritized weaknesses from week 7 with three 20-minute targeted drills.
Re-run one timed reading set and one timed essay to confirm improvement over baseline.
Assemble a one-page exam-day plan covering timing benchmarks, the annotation routine, and the editing checklist.
Review ten literary and rhetorical terms most likely to appear in questions and apply each in a sample sentence.
Your checkpoint
A one-page exam-day plan plus final timed scores in both sections compared side by side with the week-1 baseline.
Milestones
Week 2: Close-reading notebook complete for three texts; average passage time at or under 12 minutes with reading accuracy no lower than the week-1 baseline.
Week 4: Timed reading set accuracy at or above 70 percent, and at least one personal response rated proficient in every rubric category on self- or tutor-assessment.
Week 6: Two timed essays and two reading maintenance sets completed; accuracy on the two weakest question types up at least 15 percentage points over baseline.
Week 8: Final timed reading accuracy at or above 75 percent, and both written assignments completed within their time limits using the one-page exam-day plan.