Are extension subjects worth it? (2 Viewers)

[Sarah182]

I think the most useful extensions come from those where the skills can be used in the other units of that subject.
3u maths was useful for my 2u maths because it improved my problem solving and approach to many problems.

English wasn't really worth it.

 

[Essjaybee]

Hi,
I was just wondering whether Extension subjects are worth the marks and scaling (and benefit?) they give you considering how much work they require.

I am currently doing Ext Eng 1, Ext French and Ext History but am considering dropping ext history because of the huge workload. Is it worth doing? Will my ATAR suffer if I drop it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If you're doing more than 10 units (which I assume you are since you're considering dropping something) and hate/are bad at/have a horrible teacher for Advanced English, EE1 can help in ATAR damage control if you screw up

 

[joecarling]

do 4 unit english cos it scales up.

 

[Shadowdude]

Not as much as Maths.

 

[ital101]

Yes, definitely worth it. For sure. I did English Extension 1 and English Extension 2. Got Band E3 in each, if I recall correctly. Might have scraped an E4 in one of them. Boosted my ATAR!

 

[wendybird]

do 4 unit english cos it scales up.

Not really, EE1 scales better than EE2. And 4U English is not comparable at all to 4U maths in terms of scaling benefits.

 

[Shadowdude]

This year they scaled the same I think.

 

[naisAtoN]

I think the most useful extensions come from those where the skills can be used in the other units of that subject.
3u maths was useful for my 2u maths because it improved my problem solving and approach to many problems.

English wasn't really worth it.

I disagree, I thought the 'skills' from EE1 were useful in Advanced - particularly for deeper analysis of texts and comparisons of texts from different form and context. To the OP though, keep in mind that your interest in some extension subjects can hinge greatly on what unit your teacher chooses for you to study and this dislike will creep up throughout the year if you keep a subject you dislike. For example, in EE1 I didn't get a scrap of enjoyment from either my set texts or any related material simply because I had an immense distaste for Crime Writing. As a result I often let the subject slide and much of the time only did the bare minimum in study, other than set tasks and assessments.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that EE1 (and English in general) is very subjective and how you go can often be directly proportional to your interest in the content. Considering extension subjects are worth only 1 unit, if you're not into it, it can end up being a total waste of your time and may not do a whole lot to bring up your marks. I imagine it might be different for Extension History though since you choose your own area of study. If you're enjoying it, aren't finding it takes up all your time, and are going pretty well with it, chances are you'll do well overall and it will be 'worth' doing in the end. If you find you dread it every day (or at least, more than other subjects ) then you might find you'd be better off letting it go.

 

[kiki_koala]

Extension subjects, you must remember that they are 'extension' subjects and that the people who take these subjects are usually very good at them (except in English oddly enough where this is not always the case), so therefore, when UAC does all their scaling of subjects to get your ATAR, if you are below the average then it won't scale.

I had a friend in Extension Latin who received 47...yet this didn't count in her ATAR (the rest of her subjects were band 6 of course!!) because the average in latin ext was fairly high.

I did French extension last year, and on the graphs they gave us in our results, the mode was about 45/50. However, unlike my friend...my 47 saved my ATAR lol

So although extension subjects do scale amazingly if you are above the average, you just need to keep that in mind.

Good Luck.

 

[wendybird]

Wow I found otherwise. EX1 by itself was more work than Eng Adv in year 11 from my experience. 4 unit maths is vastly different from 2 unit lol.

Truth.

And 4U English is a whole different kettle of fish from 3 or 2U English.

If we're talking EFFORT NEEDED + SCALING --> BENEFITS, then if one was good at and liked Maths, I'd say 3U and 4U Maths are definitely worth it.

Slightly less "worth it" in terms of humanities extensions (ie. 3/4U English, or History Extension) because EFFORT needed is relatively more, and SCALING effect is relatively less. But if one is good at and liked it, then it would still be worth it.

Any of the extensions are "not worth it" when one isn't good at or don't like the subjects particularly. In that case its probably wise to just stick to a level that's comfortable.

ETA: I forgot the languages. I'd say that most language extensions are definitely worth it. In the case of Latin or Greek, its simply more of the same - hence not too much extra effort required and great scaling. For other languages, ie French/German/Japanese the focus is more on culture, but it is extremely helpful in increasing your fluency in the language and will probably boost your 2U studies.

 

[ce-silly]

I find english extension to be way too much work for one unit. It definitely isn't worth it imo. Thinking of dropping it after half-yearlies.