Hi there,
First of all, I have to commend you on the fact you realistically confronted a significant root of the problem, which is that you had many absences in this year, including at physics lessons. I think you need to answer the following questions for yourself
1)How many units are you currently on and is HSC physics assumed knowledge for the university degree(s) you are considering of entering into?
2)How has your performance in physics in preliminary been? How many hours do you spend on physics per week?
3)Have you ever asked your teachers for help when you don't understand anything in physics?
4)How much time and effort are you willing to invest into physics to ensure you get a band 5?
I think below are some objective advice I can give you
1)Try to attend physics lessons more often, you need to catch up on lessons you have missed, either by asking your teacher, looking over your friend's notes or even better, do both. Use all resources available to you-including the syllabus-the key document by which you can assess how effective your understanding is
2)You shouldn't start on past papers, because getting 26% indicates you are lacking a fundamental grasp of key concepts and application of these concepts, you need to understand these concepts a lot more, perhaps try to explain these concepts to a classmate or ask a teacher to explain them again, it is only when you can concisely express theories and concepts that shows you understand them thoroughly, do textbook questions before past papers, you need sufficient knowledge to make attempting past papers useful.
3)Motivation comes from yourself, you are only half way, your internal rank, no matter how bad, does not determine your HSC results, half of your mark will come from your own actual performance in the HSC external exam, if you are giving up right now, you have wasted the one and a half year effort you have put into physics, look for intrinsic motivation-no one can motivate you better than you, do you want to have any regrets you would have tried harder by the end of your HSC?
4)One low mark is not the end of the world, I failed my first Maths Extension One exam, got below 50%, and I never let that result defined me, I just kept studying, kept revising my studying method to achieve better understanding, and I came second internally by the end of the year, this story is not meant to be motivational, it is to show you that it is never too late to improve until and unless you think it is and you make it so by continual inaction to change the situation.
5) I have complied a senior study guide that includes sections for science subjects, including physics, that can assist you in your studies
http://community.boredofstudies.org...how-excel-senior-year-studies-yr-11-12-a.html
Feel free to read through it if you haven't.
6) I would strongly recommend you getting a private Physics tutor ASAP if you want to get up to speed and be on track to achieve your goal.
May you define your own results
Best wishes for this year
