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Tips for 2008 HSC Class/Things You Wish You Knew Before Starting Your HSC (1 Viewer)

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princess_ariel

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Cramming is for stuffing loads of info into your brain and regurgitating them during the exam.
Consistent studying is for actually learning the info and getting educated.
 

Hudson

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Assessment tasks, or more specifically assessments that are of an essay-type form. Put everything that you possibly can into them. Now, despite the promises I made to my parents and myself at the beginning of Year 12, all my assignments were done the weekend before. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as long as you're prepared to stay up until 5.30AM on Monday morning to get the bloody thing done. However I would really recommend to strive and start the assessment from the day you get the notification because, regardless of whatever natural ability you possess, you may just get caught out in the last minute rush.

Secondly, I'd suggest really trying to dazzle the teacher by going beyond the assessment key points or the syllabus (unless strictly forbidden of course or your teacher is notoriously “old school") and demonstrating a wide-ranging knowledge. If you can present information/a point of view that is relatively unique to the assignment then you're on your way to bigger marks. Remember though, keep it all within reason in regards to both the relevancy of the content and the size of the work.

In order to push the boundaries a wealth of resources can never go astray. If you've managed to get a hold of many sources, not only does it (usually) help you to present a variety of points with greater sustainability beyond the teacher's suggestions, but it also demonstrates that you've really put in extra effort. This will doubtlessly impress your teachers and at the higher echelons of class rankings every little bit helps. Thus, to transform your work area into a formidable wall of books that will deter even your most loyal kindred from attending, you need to:

a) raid the school and local library ASAP, but remember to be considerate to your fellow students as well -- nobody likes a selfish hog.

b) this is a no-brainer, but try and grab books by authors that are recognised and praised. A quote from a well-known scholar will hold far more weight than the word of an unknown.

c) refer to only a reasonable amount of sources (i.e. only what you can handle in your allotted timeframe). Overloading yourself with information can be a coup de grace to your efforts, especially if the project is left to the last minute. Becoming depressed and overwhelmed by the workload is a sure-fire way to suffer a percentage loss.

I will stay on the last point for a minute. No matter how many resources you have at your disposal, it will become a struggle to juggle them efficiently. To provide some order and balance to the situation I suggest using one text as an "anchor" from which the other sources will contribute to, counter-point and strengthen. For instance, an essay on the causes of Hitler's defeat on the Eastern Front saw me draw on William L. Shirer's 'The Rise and Fall of the First Reich' as my primary reference point for events and personalities. I found the basis for most topics in Shirer and searched the index of other texts for relevant information. The result of this was the way that I approached many of the paragraphs were defined by ‘The Rise and Fall.’ Consequently, my other texts were utilised largely in a supplementary fashion and served to both reinforce and present contrary arguments to Shirer. I found that this method, when applicable, brought harmony to chaos and made assessment tasks much more manageable.

The following two points are straightforward, but nonetheless worth mentioning. In order to rely on one resource to provide the core of your work you need to weigh up the disadvantages and advantages of the text. In the example above, I knew Shirer's canonical work was biased and dated, but it was very broad and more contemporary accounts, such as Beevor's 'Stalingrad,' were on-hand to balance things out. Also, avoid overcrowding your assessment with quotes from your central author to avoid bias and the implication that your other sources are only for "show." Make certain each text (or the most important ones) gets a balanced look in.

*The preceding suggestion only applies for Ancient History students, so others can skip this paragraph if they wish.

It is worth referring to the primary sources on the topic first-hand rather than relying on your textbook's interpretation and selection of them. Sure, the likes of Herodotus and Plato can challenge Shakespeare's writing in the comprehension stakes but its well worth the effort. Personally, I found a number of useful quotes and perspectives by looking through them. This method can present a dual advantage -- some information in your assessment may differ to your peers and there's more opportunity to draw fresh conclusions or to analyse sources. In addition, this extra exercise shows the teacher that you're a dedicated and interested student, which is always handy. By the way, you can find free e-Book versions of texts at http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristotle/ or through Project Gutenberg.

There is something I have to address that we've all seen happen to ourselves or other students -- don't ever be late with your assessments! While bleeding obvious, this point really can't be stressed enough in Year 12. If it gets to the stage where you risk losing 10% then it doesn't matter that you don't complete the work to your best ability or if you miss some dot points. It's important to keep things in perspective also -- is it worth risking lost marks on an assessment just so you can go earn a diddley bit of cash on Saturday? By the same token, should you stay up until the early hours of the morning to gain a few extra marks when you have a Maths exam the very next day? And don't ever think you have enough time to complete a task because, as countless others and I can attest, things can become a lot more difficult than anticipated. Basically, ensure that you leave sufficient time for error so the idea of getting a doctor's certificate doesn't occur.

What I am trying to say here is that your assessment tasks are always worth the extra little bit of effort. It's vital to look at your assessments not through the mindset of merely completing the task to meet the requirements of the respective band sufficiently, but to approach them with the view of ‘what can I do to give myself an edge over my cohorts?' Indeed, you should be seeking out every possible advantage in terms of not only marks but how can you improve the teachers perception of you and to expand your depth of knowledge (which is always helpful in exams, of course). Whether you like it or not, the HSC is ultimately a competition and as such you should be aiming to do everything possible to improve your assessment mark. Also, if you're anything like me then exams are hardly your forte and perhaps your final HSC results maybe below expectations, but it's always comforting to know that you tried your hardest in assessments.

Well, this little post certainly ended up bigger than intended yet I can't but help feel that I've glossed over some of the finer points. The majority of these recommendations were self-taught by considerable trial-and-error throughout Year 11, so no guarantees they'll work for you. However, I do hope I have shed some new light on approaching assessment tasks and haven't insulted your intelligence in the process. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thank you for reading.
 

Riviet

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Thanks for the advice, greatly appreciated. :)

P.S There is already a thread on this. Enough said.
 

aaaman

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Riviet said:
Thanks for the advice, greatly appreciated. :)

P.S There is already a thread on this. Enough said.

dont you have some dying for you to do then
 

Always

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aaaman said:
For you 06er's i would like to say that the best tip is to listen to your prime minster and that you all should either drop out and get a job, fail your hsc as you all failing life already and that i hope you all become stupid little depressed teens and hang yourself make sure you get a photo for my personal enjoyment. :D its been pleasure giving you these tips, i hate you and i hope you all die


thank you

this is a friendly message from your honestl friend aaaaman :cool:
Awwww, you're too sweet! <33
 

Darkening

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aaaman said:
For you 06er's i would like to say that the best tip is to listen to your prime minster and that you all should either drop out and get a job, fail your hsc as you all failing life already and that i hope you all become stupid little depressed teens and hang yourself make sure you get a photo for my personal enjoyment. :D its been pleasure giving you these tips, i hate you and i hope you all die


thank you

this is a friendly message from your honestl friend aaaaman :cool:
not true... many great people that droped out early have good lives!!! the owner of goodman fielder droped in year 10 and makes millions and owns a company!
 

iheartjm

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Hello future HSC undertakers!

I just stumbled onto this thread. I don't know if this was mentioned but I suppose it could be a reminder (because I'm way too lazy to read through the seven odd pages given). The best piece of advice I could possibly give you as a 2005 HSC completer is when given the syllabus, revise over the learning outcomes on the Right side of the column. This is very important as the questions from the HSC is determined from that side of the syllabus. I know in my CAFS exam, a friend and I intentionally studied the whole of the right hand column and not surprisingly the questions were based upon them.
Also on this topic, think logically... how many questions (that haven't already been used) can they ask from a concept/topic/core? Exhaust all possible questions that could rise as a potential HSC, trial question.

Use and abuse your resources.. (moreso use, less abuse... but depserate times call for desperate measures I understand) This means techers, peers, study days. librarys, internet sites, old records i.e. past papers... use them until they are exhausted and literally near beating you to death. I did that with my teachers and don't regret even one bit of it. (the marks could beg to differ however)
Past papers help. Don't just go through them, but time them, get them marked and redo them. Sounds like a lot but really helps. Also get those example answers from previous years and read the markers notes. That way you gain a better understand of what they are looking for in an answer. And look to teachers who are markers in your school. Ask, push and prod them about the topic and what exactly the markers are looking for.

Old habits die hard... mine was the old little saying that I have grown very fond of "procrastination is the key to sucess." Now... in some cases... yes... in that it makes you stress and become more alert filling your bloodstreams with adrenaline. But also no... in that you will become most anxious in our upcoming assessment. My only realistic advice for this is be weary of it. I know you can't change it. Believe me I tried... but I soon learnt to acknowledge me faults and embrace them as my own. So just be weary that you are procrastinating or whatever the chosen dirty closet secret and try hard to stay on task.

Respect those who want to learn and those who want to teach. Don't jeopardise others who are worthy of learning by your own unwillingness to. Nothing annoys me more than an arrogant student who disrupts the class in their own callousness. So be respectful and mindful of those who want to be there to learn and let them do their full potential. A lot of people say that the stuff you learn will never be applied in "real" life, e.g. year Ten algebra and trig. But believe you me there are some subjects worthy of the thought. English... many of you cringle at the thought and word, teach fundamental concepts that can be applied to life in becoming a more worldly/better person. Humanities subjects are also very useful, and enlightening. So if you've learnt anything in your most hated subjects, learn the concepts. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

For goodness sakes talk about it! There is nothing worse than a bottle of overdue anxiety that smells like sour cream. Get the load off. If there's too much pressure talk to someone about it, your best friend, your parents, your teachers, your dog, a random person. You can only change what you've acknowledge. And even though it still sticks on you like one of those bindies at least you've gotten it off your chest. There is nothing worst than a pessimist cramping your style... and hey that very person could be yourself. Don't become self-deprecating... because you'll only then start to believe in your own inabilities. So for the sweet mother of God go talk to someone!

And I know you'll probably think, "why are you telling me this biatch?" But try to relax. I know, they say it's not the end of the world, what's done is done, try to relax... yada yada yada you don't understand the situation so go stick a syllabus up your aaaa........ but believe me relaxing does help, even though you mightn't see it at the given time because everyone working had gone home from the late shift and had turned off the lights, but there is a light at the end tunnel ... even if it's dim and a canary has died.

And I suppose finally, be proud of your achievements. Give it your all and have something to be proud of. You are the only one who can control your failure. If you make a habit of it you'll come out of the year either not given two fff... cares or disappointed that you didn't seize the opportunity. But proud of what you've done. 6 years in high school is a tremendous feat so radiate and the world will follow with you.

Good luck 06ers.... enjoy the ride coz it's hella bumpy. (click clack, front and back)
 

iheartjm

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Darkening said:
not true... many great people that droped out early have good lives!!! the owner of goodman fielder droped in year 10 and makes millions and owns a company!
Yes and just look at Paul Keating!

(Paul who now??)
 

stryder_au

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Think about what you wanna do after year 12 NOW! Early preparation for things such as UMAT, STAT, scholarships etc. are crucial! For example, if you want a good chance of receiving a UNSW Co-op scholarship, extra curricular activities/communication skills/leadership skills are very important!
 

tennille

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iheartjm said:
Yes and just look at Paul Keating!

(Paul who now??)
Actually, many millionaires today dropped out of school. Peter Spann, for example, dropped out and he is one of Australia's richest men.
 

Sparcod

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That's in the business world where school dropouts become billionaires
Let's not forget that the harder you study and the more you study, the more money you'll earn.
This is mostly true.
 

tennille

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Smart_Dunce said:
That's in the business world where school dropouts become billionaires
Let's not forget that the harder you study and the more you study, the more money you'll earn.
This is mostly true.
It's not just based on study alone, but yes, that can be the case. It is also based on determination. You could be studying pharmacy and get no where. You may get 60 for your UAI but get a job that you have passion for and therefore do well. If you have passion for what you study and want to go well, than you most probably will and most likely get a job that will earn you a large income.
 

dimu2

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Re: Tips for 2006 HSC Class

thanx 4 this thread u guys, its much appreciated
 
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