Yeah, it sucks if you have a shitty teacher.
My SoR teaching was particularly engaging either. I didn't do much work in class because it is an easy subject. SoR IA1 is on religious ethics and ethical frameworks so make sure you are over that. Actually, check your emails I'll send through my SoR IAs (your assessment pieces will most likely be different but it's good to have access to a high standard exemplar, nonetheless).
English Question Thread
Classics are a good foundation. At the risk of being repetitive, I'd recommend you continue to read (this stuff or find something else you enjoy reading) because the more information (concepts, syntax, expansion of vocab) you consume (fiction and nonfiction) the better you will be able to articulate concepts without being verbose.