Completely forgot how Yr 10 works. Anyways hsie subjects are pretty fun and helps a lot with English. Also people do look up to hsie kids (at my school anyways). You can always drop again in Yr 11.
I'd say talk with your teachers? What do they think about your performance in each subject? Also I don't believe you "can't find the time" to practise, unless you just hate maths and simply cannot be motivated enough to do questions, in which case, dropping it is your best bet since it's gonna...
Do you take a long time to read the text? Maybe challenge yourself with difficult novels or articles (non-fiction stuff are always good).
Also a tip that may not work for you, read the questions before the text so you know what you're looking for.
My teacher says that they barely ask stuff from yr 11 bio in hsc, like one question at most. Good to know the general stuff but don't worry about every little detail.
I'd definitely write around Winston's individual experiences - what distinguishes him from the rest. I agree with what's been said so far but would add a few more general things you can try to explore:
(note: very general, I haven't really thought through most of these points!)
1. The...