The format of the HSC (1 Viewer)

[lepton_index]

While doing some HSC past papers, I realise something:
- question 1 --> 4: test the basic knowledge.
- Question 5 --> 6: test your neatness and carefulness. Most of the time they ask for partial integration, or some monsterous equations.
- Question 7 --> 8: (especially question 8): often harder 3U. The real interesting questions lie here.

So, strategy for managing time in the exam:
- 1 --> 4: do as quick as possible
- 5 --> 6: slow down a bit, take care, make sure everything "looks ok". And think as well --- try to look at the mark and find the most suitable approach.
- 7 --> 8: think! I love these questions.

Above are just some thoughts - want to share with you, that's all. Do you agree?

 

[mojako]

well I agree
but isn't that quite obvious anyway?

 

[SeDaTeD]

I think you're spot on.

 

[CrashOveride]

Can anyone comment on how accurate the graphs have to be in curve sketching. Is it just a general shape that they look for because there are sometimes little things which they seem to highlight in the MANSW book but, for eg, Geha did what i would have done(eg the exponential curve graph of last year).

Also would they deduct marks coz of non-neat graphing?

 

[McLake]

Can anyone comment on how accurate the graphs have to be in curve sketching. Is it just a general shape that they look for because there are sometimes little things which they seem to highlight in the MANSW book but, for eg, Geha did what i would have done(eg the exponential curve graph of last year).

Also would they deduct marks coz of non-neat graphing?

Graphs should be reasonably neat. If there is an obviously imporatant feature (a SP, TP, Inflex, Cusp, Asym, etc) then it should be as accurate as possible.

 

[McLake]

While doing some HSC past papers, I realise something:
- question 1 --> 4: test the basic knowledge.
- Question 5 --> 6: test your neatness and carefulness. Most of the time they ask for partial integration, or some monsterous equations.
- Question 7 --> 8: (especially question 8): often harder 3U. The real interesting questions lie here.

As others have said, I thought that was obvoius. Also note that Q1 is almost always intergration, and it is almost always in the same order in terms of type.

 

[CrashOveride]

yeah only learnt what a cusp was from the 2002 exam i think heh ^^

 

[mojako]

While doing some HSC past papers, I realise something:
- question 1 --> 4: test the basic knowledge.
- Question 5 --> 6: test your neatness and carefulness. Most of the time they ask for partial integration, or some monsterous equations.
- Question 7 --> 8: (especially question 8): often harder 3U. The real interesting questions lie here.

So, strategy for managing time in the exam:
- 1 --> 4: do as quick as possible
- 5 --> 6: slow down a bit, take care, make sure everything "looks ok". And think as well --- try to look at the mark and find the most suitable approach.
- 7 --> 8: think! I love these questions.

Above are just some thoughts - want to share with you, that's all. Do you agree?

Oh BTW.. now that I read and think about it more carefully,
Q7 isn't necessarily hard....
sometimes they give easy stuff.. probably for the psychological wellbeing of the students haha.... Q7 (a) of 2002 HSC for example.
on the other hand Q6 can also be hard sometimes.

 

[McLake]

yeah only learnt what a cusp was from the 2002 exam i think heh ^^

It must be in another exam as well, becuse I learnt it before my exam ...

Q7 (a) of 2002 HSC for example.

Very nice to see when you are in the exam. Stops you from exploding ....

 

[Archman]

cusp?......

 

[shazzam]

cusp?......

Indeed what is a cusp?
Are there any other unusual terms or features of questions that may be shared?

 

[withoutaface]

cusp?......

In one of the exams they had a point at which f'(x) was not continuous, and created a point on f(x) similar to:

../\
./..\
/....\

 

[grimreaper]

In one of the exams they had a point at which f'(x) was not continuous, and created a point on f(x) similar to:

../\
./..\
/....\

Yeah when I did that paper I made it pretty clear on my graph that a "cusp" was there but I didnt actually label it. Do you think I would have lost a mark?

 

[withoutaface]

I don't think you would have lost a mark, but try to label critical points where they are found. as well as assymptotes, turning points, etc.

 

[CrashOveride]

Should the graphs always be to scale? I draw them up as such but then sometimes even though i have labelled important features certain parts of it don't look correct. Redraw or add a note: Not to scale. Heh. ?

 

[McLake]

Draw a sensible scale for that graph. Some graphs are obviously not sensible for linear scales ...