There is no denying that the HSC is a crazy time for year 12 students. It is a year long marathon that requires discipline, focus and accountability.
I could probably make this a 10 part series, but I want to just give you one tip that I see as the main mistake HSC students make:
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
It is a simple, if not unusual metaphor, but one that is absolutely true in the HSC.
You will find that everything comes at once. You will have a few weeks of peace, followed by a few weeks of madness as every assessment task from every subject comes rolling in.
The key is to avoid looking at everything you have to do, and approach each task in baby steps. Sometimes I sit down with a student and they tell me how stressed they are as they list all the things they have to do. I stop them and I ask them what the most important thing for right now is. What is the most urgent task, or the most valuable. By breaking giant tasks in to small, achievable and manageable tasks, you will prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed and find you actually get a whole lot more done.
If you are getting overwhelmed, create a list of a everything you need to do, number them in order of priority or importance, and just chip away at them one at a time.Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
This article, originally published in 2016 continues to be one of our most read posts in our blog. Given the recent changes to the 2021 Selective School Test, we thought it was time for an update. You can check out the recent changes below!
There is no denying that the selective school entrance exam is a tough test. If you have tried to go through it with your child you will know what I am talking about. We get calls from parents all the time saying “Help! I tried to do it with my daughter, but I couldn’t even work it out!”.
This is all for a reason of course. The selective school entry requirements are fiercely competitive because they want to ensure only the most advanced students succeed.
In certain areas like the Northern Beaches, things are made even harder by the sheer volume of students competing for a place in just one selective school (or 2 if your child is willing to take the long ride to North Sydney).
I’ve been helping students prepare for the selective school exam for the last ten years, and in that time I have come to learn that sadly, it is not about how smart a student is, but how well they prepare. The just-above-average student who follows a preparation program will always outperform the top of the class student who relies on natural ability, hands down. I wish it wasn’t like this – I almost wish it was a surprise test that no student could prepare for, so that it would be based on ability alone, but sadly (although to the advantage of many students), it is an exam format that can be learnt and mastered.
Here are the 5 strategies I share with my students before the exam:
Practice is everything
Ok, I don’t tell them this before the exam – I tell them this 6 months before so they have time to do it. Understanding the layout of the exam, the style of questions they ask and the best way to approach questions they don’t understand is crucial to success. I recommend students take a practice paper – or at least one section, weekly for the 6 months before the exam, increasing as it gets closer. That might sound like an outrageous demand on an 11 year old, but you need to remember we have students who start seeing a tutor more than a year ahead of time – so in many situations it is actually behind the ball.
If you are only a few weeks out from the exam and you have yet to do much about it, then cram as much practice in as possible – do a different section each afternoon. I don’t usually recommend cramming, but in the selective school exam, crammed preparation is better than nothing at all.
Challenge yourself
There will be words in the exam that you don’t understand. Hey, even words that I don’t understand.
The best way of reducing the number of these words is by challenging yourself daily. My best recommendation is for students to read books that are beyond their comfort level each day. Expanding vocabulary happens in little increments – not all at once. By reading daily, students will encounter words and phrases that they may not have seen before and file them away for later use.
Increasing reading speed will also be advantageous in the comprehension section – but it is also important to ensure this speed doesn’t replace the ability to absorb what is being read.
Become a problem solver
A large part of selective exam strategy is knowing the best answer when you don’t necessarily know the correct answer. This is fundamentally problem solving – a skill that will carry through long in to adulthood. In both the exam and life, you won’t always have an obvious choice – so you need to use your skills of deduction to choose the next best option.
Start by crossing off the answers you know it isn’t. Of what is left, which one makes the most sense? Think about the root or similar words. Try substituting the number in the question. Are there similar patterns you have seen before?
Pay attention to time
40 minutes for each section (and 20 for the written) is tough. Watch that clock and ensure you are ahead of it – track where you are at the halfway mark – and then the three quarter mark.
If you run out of time before you get to the end of each section, don’t leave questions unanswered. The exam does not punish you for getting questions wrong, so just fill those little circles in – you have a 25% chance of each one being right – which is much better than a 0% chance if you don’t answer them at all.
Know when to move on
The general ability section in particular will have some serious brain melters. You have 45 questions in reading, 40 in maths and 60 (!!!!) in general ability, all to be complete in 40 minutes. That means that based on these number you can’t spend more than 40 seconds per question in general ability. That is insane!
Remember that each question is weighted equally – you won’t earn more marks for that really hard question that you spent 5 minutes solving than you would for the one that took 30 seconds. If you are stuck on one, move past it and come back to it if you have time.
Your writing component will also be a test of time. Learning to maximise 20 minutes is something that takes practice. You don’t want to finish too early and then sit there watching the clock tick. But nor do you want to be only halfway through when your time runs out. Practice this – see how much you can comfortably write in 20 minutes. Then ask your parents for topic ideas and go for it. Don’t be afraid to spend a few minutes at the start thinking about your response – as Erwin Rommell once said, ‘Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted” (homework: find out what that means!).
A few extra practical tips:
Keep track of what number question you are doing, and match it up to the multiple choice sheet regularly. There is nothing worse than discovering you have missed a question and all your answers are out of sync!
Have a big, nutritious breakfast before hand. It is a long day of exams – probably the longest a year 6 student would have had up until then. Ensure there is plenty of fuel to burn.
Arrive early at the exam centre. I had a student a few years ago, and we had been working on exam prep for at least 6 months. The students was doing great and I was really confident that he would do well, but the morning of the exam, the parent forgot it was on! We might wonder how that was possible, but we’ve all done things like that when you are juggling multiple kids and work. The student ended up being late to the exam, and they still let him take it, but he missed out on a large chunk of time, and subsequently narrowly missed out on his entrance. The exam will not wait for you if you are late.
I hope these help. To all the students getting ready to take the exam – good luck. Do your best, practice hard and remain confident. Whatever the outcome, if you carry forward that same attitude to high school you will do very well indeed.
At Alchemy, we have been helping students get into selective schools for more than 15 years. Our preparation program has proven successful for thousands of students over the years. The best part is that it is one-on-one, so every lesson is tailored around your child’s unique needs. Don’t let your child do it alone – the support of a private tutor is invaluable. Learn more here.
2020 updates: The Board of studies recently announced that from 2021, the selective school test will take on a new format and they have partnered with a UK testing company to deliver the test. The new format replaces mathematics with mathematical reasoning and general ability with thinking skills. In addition, the most significant change is that from 2022, the test will be fully online and taken through a computer rather than using pen and paper. You can purchase newly formatted practices papers here.
Alchemy are fully equipped to help your child prepare for this new format test. Our tutors are the best at what they do and bring more than 15 years of experience to helping students success in the selective school test. Learn more and book your first lesson with an Alchemy tutor here.
I am not American, so I don’t really care much about NFL. But I married an American, so I guess I have to. My father-in-law was born in Denver, and has hardcore Bronco blood. He is so passionate about the Broncos that he won’t even watch a game. Seriously. He gets too nervous watching a game live that he will only watch a game after if he knows they have won. It makes no sense to me but it works for him…
With the Superbowl happening right now, I can’t help but draw a few comparisons to the HSC. Plus, writing this post gives me a reason to watch it in the office.
Here are 5 reasons I think the HSC is like the Superbowl:
It all leads up to this point.
The NFL season transfers started in March. That is almost a whole year. But for most players in the Superbowl, it would have started years ago. They would have practiced their throws and runs when they were still in little league with the dream of one day winning the Superbowl.
The HSC draws upon all the work you have done over the last 13 years. You can’t turn up to the HSC with minimal practice and expect to do well. It tests everything you have done up until this point, and it all comes to the surface in the final exam.
It might not be as exciting as the Superbowl – but all the work you have done over the years leads up to this moment.
It writes history
At the start of the game they introduce every Superbowl MVP that ever was – starting with the MVP of the 1st and 2nd games, 50 years ago. Winning or losing the Superbowl will get you in the history books. It will determine the future for each player in the team.
The HSC, while perhaps not as significant on a nation-wide scale, will still determine what happens in your future.
It is a team game
I went to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii once and I was completely blown away by how many people were involved in each team. In Australia, when you go to an NRL game, there might be 20 players plus coaches in the team. But in the NFL, there are well over 100. It is insane. It is because they have a person for everything – they have coaches who have support staff and a guy just to massage the quarterbacks shoes.
The HSC is absolutely a team game. You don’t want to do it alone. You have your teachers, your parents, your friends and your tutor. Each one has a unique role – but all are just as crucial. (Don’t have a tutor yet? We can help.)
It is a long, long game
I’m pretty sure each game comprises of four 15 minute quarters – an hour of game play. But, if you’ve ever watched a Superbowl, it goes for like 5 hours. Seriously. It is a day long activity. It’s because of all the in-between segments – the half time performances and the time outs after every play. It is a serious commitment to watch a whole game.
Likewise, the HSC is a long year. I always tell our students that the HSC is a marathon and not a sprint. It is easy to have bursts of motivation – but the best students are able to sustain that effort throughout the year by making it last.
Settle in for the long game.
Every second counts
We’ve all seen those movies where they score at the final second. And they are awesome and triumphant and glorious. In sport, every second counts.
In the HSC, how you use your time is crucial. Time management is key – and the best students are those who are on top of their schedule and prioritise time to study.
Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
Todays guest post comes from our friend, Glen Gerreyn of The Hopefull Institute. Glen speaks to thousands of students in schools around Australia each week, delivering solutions for the whole school community through powerful seminars that shift individual thinking and inspire audiences to navigate the complexity and disruption of contemporary society.
I have had the privilege of working in schools around the world for 10 years, visiting and actively engaging in the social fibre of over 500 hundred schools in every state, across a wide ranging spectrum including; Public schools, Private schools, Christian Schools, Catholic, Jewish, Steiner Schools, Comprehensive and Selective Schools, Single Sex and Co-ed Schools, Specialist Schools which House Sporting Academy’s and Schools specialising in the Performing Arts, to name a few.
Not only have I been employed to visit such schools but I have noted tremendous differences in student’s behaviour, their attitude to learning, school culture, staff commitment to their students and have observed leadership structures of varying degrees. I have been privy to staff room chatter and what really happens in day to day school life.
As a speaker my primary focus is to connect with my audience. I need to have an understanding of who they are and what they stand for and believe in. I have developed a high level of discernment so as to ascertain how to scratch where my audience is itching. So it is with this level of experience I would like to share with you my top ten tips in choosing a school for your child.
To answer this question most effectively for your child, I need to first ask you a question, “What is your vision for your child?” The answer to that question could be the most significant thought you receive from this article. By vision I mean, what kind of person are you endeavoring to raise? What kind of person do you want them to become? Not just in terms of academic results but character traits.
Parents need to have a vision in their minds eye, of what their child could become, notice I said ‘become’ and not ‘do’. We are not raising human doings but human beings. The clearer the vision, the easier the decision will be on which school fits the vision.
1. Leadership: Everything rises and falls on leadership. While sadly the debate on private and public schooling will continue to distract us, the real issue about what makes or breaks a school never gets discussed, and that is leadership. I have seen both private and public schools become elevated through strong leadership and come to utter demise because of lack of leadership. Be open to all forms of schools; choose schools based on leadership rather than type. The easiest way to critique a school in this manner is to see how well the school receptionist greets you. If leadership is strong it will echo throughout every facet of school life.
2. Values: Does the school you choose for your child share the same values as your family? Are you clear on what values you want passed on to your children? Each and every school in Australia has their core values displayed somewhere in the foyer. The question to ask is how these values are instilled in the students. When you find a school with a similar value set, make sure they are reinforced at home. If the school has a set value position and policy in place regarding behaviour, punctuality and dress code, make sure these same values are bolstered in the home. If you don’t share the same values as the school, send your child to a school that does.
3. Opportunity: What sought of opportunities are available for your child to pursue at the school of your choosing, not just in terms of subjects, although that’s important, but extra-curricular activities? I strongly believe that every child has a unique talent or gift. Our role as parents is to provide a place for those talents to be cultivated. Talents without opportunity to germinate are destined to be lost forever.
4. Discipline: What are the procedures regarding the schools disciplinary issues? How are disputes handled? How will I be notified as a parent if my child has behavioural issues or is a victim and what can I, as a parent do to support the school in these matters? As a warning to parents, your child may at times be unjustly punished. Life is unfair and not everything will go their way however help them to develop resilience and allow them to serve the given consequence.
5. Sense of Community: Everyone wants to belong; it is a fundamental human need. Social networking is trying to achieve what in the olden days only family could, a sense of connection with others who are like minded. Make this one a priority. It will improve the wellbeing of your child and help build resilience in ways you couldn’t imagine.
6. Openness to Spirituality: Please don’t misread this. I am not talking about religious fundamentalism or militant atheism, either side of these pendulums are dangerous and both preach intolerance. We want to raise open-minded children, who become seekers of truth. Information fills our heads with knowledge, but leaves our psyche empty. Life’s mysteries must be reflected on and contemplated in order to develop a healthy soul.
7. Commitment to Social Justice and Community Service: No parent wants to raise a self-centred, narcissistic child. We live in a global community, and as global citizens it is vital that we foster empathy. Empathy is more than a feeling, it creates a desire to take action on behalf of those less fortunate. It is an emotion that must be taught and developed in order to bloom into full scale social transformation.
8. Tradition: Sadly a sense of tradition has been lost in our throw away consumer society. Nothing gets passed or handed on because everything is consumed and thrown away. Whether it’s a story, a poem or a custom, as humans we need to connect with those that have gone before us. It fortifies us and helps motivate us to continue to learn, grow and move forward.
9. Distance: Be practical where possible, with the time involved in getting to and from school. Your child will spend 78,000 hours at school from K-12. Adding to this unwanted travel, probably does not instill in them a lifelong commitment to learning. If you find yourself with little choice as to the distance you have to travel, be committed to your child’s education and find ways to make the travel time fun and use this time effectively.
10. Cost: A practical consideration, but obviously very important. There will always be costs to consider and I am not just talking about school fees, because public education is free but it’s not cheap. There are uniforms, textbooks, excursions, and extra-curricular activities, but I personally couldn’t think of a better investment than our children.
Additional information regarding data on individual schools is available from the much advertised myschools website. Whilst there is some very good information on this site, I personally would not recommend making such an important decision solely on this information. Data is important, if I were raising a robot, this would be all I would need. However I am parenting a human, whom is complex and profound and multi-dimensional.
Choosing your child’s school is an important decision. The environment, in which your child learns and grow, will play a significant role in their attitudes, beliefs and behaviour. However the most essential environment for your child is a home that is loving, supportive and committed to setting them on the pathway of a life of learning.
Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
The mind is a muscle and just as if you were to avoid the gym for 6 weeks (which I’ll admit, sums up my Christmas break well), it takes a while for the blood to get pumping again. So most students start back at school and it takes them about 2 weeks to wake up to the realisation that they are sitting in a classroom and not watching Netflix or playing Xbox.
With just under 2 weeks to go until school resumes, now is a great time to get your kids prepared for school so they arrive at the first day in the zone and ready to go.
Here are 4 strategies I recommend to parents:
Get them reading daily
There is no better way to stimulate young minds than by reading. Whether your child is 7 or 17, try to get them to sit down for an hour each day and read something that will interest them. It could be a novel or a biography, or even the sports section in the local paper – just something that will get their minds working again.
I’m a huge advocate for reading. I don’t have a scientific test to support this, but over the last ten years I have identified a strong link between academic success and those that read for leisure. Inversely, those students who rarely read are often the ones that get left behind. Reading is something that we need to fight to protect, with video games, on-demand TV and smart phones demanding more attention than ever before. If you can encourage your kids to read, then please, for their future, do it.
Start to regulate bed times now
There is an old saying that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Let’s hope this isn’t true – because there are only about 13 days until school resumes, and far more than 21 have passed since school ended. That means that if your children are in the pattern of staying up late and waking up later, you need to start breaking that cycle now.
This is the one that affects parents the most – especially with teenagers.
They might fight you on it – and getting them to go to bed by 9pm might seem a bit unrealistic – but just make some changes to limit the activities that keep them up late. Introduce a no electronics rule after 9pm (and turn the wifi off as a way of enforcing it). Get them reading at night as a natural way of calming the brain. Then the next morning, wake them up 15 minutes earlier each day until you arrive at the time they need to be up for school.
Establish routine
Separate from bed times, there are a lot of everyday routines that go out the window during school holidays. Try to bring those back in to the picture. Things like breakfast, recess and lunch times – just like they would at school. You don’t want to send your child back to school to have him starving by mid-morning because he is used to eating at that time. Make every routine regular now so it isn’t a fight when school comes around.
Spend time revising school content from last year
I understand that this might be a bit of a chore for many students, but it is a great way to refresh them on what they have learnt and need to remember. This could be half an hour each day looking through last years textbook, or revising their end of year exam results. Get them to spend some time with their tutor, who will be able to give them a head start on the new year.
School is built on foundations – so it is crucial that your child has a strong understanding of everything they learnt last year – including everything they struggled with. If there was a subject or topic they struggled through, we can send one of our tutors to you before school goes back to ensure they have the foundations in place to learn new topics without getting left behind.
I’ll be starting back with my students the week before school resumes to do exactly that – give them a refresher on last year and give them a head start on 2016.
Good luck with the preparation – and may 2016 be a great year for you and your family!
Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
This is one of my favourite videos – and I watch it to remind myself that we each have the power to change the world around us.
In this video, Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, does something to the Olympic volunteer that would have changed his life forever:
That look on the volunteers face afterwards is one of pure and absolute joy. At that moment he feels like the luckiest man alive.
We might not be Usain Bolt, but we all have the power to impact the world around us.
He acknowledged
I wonder how many other athletes had stood before that volunteer getting ready? Most of them would have their earphones in, getting pumped up for the race ahead. But Bolt noticed him there.
We spend our days surrounded by people – and yet it is so easy to get caught up in our own worlds that we neglect to acknowledge those that we encounter. Make it your goal to acknowledge the people around you.
He connected
A simple fist bump that symbolised his recognition of the volunteer. It cost him 2 seconds, but that will forever stay with that guy.
Sometimes connections with others involve effort – but that effort may be multiplied and become something incredible.
He created value
He turned that volunteer in to someone that other people wanted to be. His acknowledgement and connection created value in that individual.
Too many people look to take value – but be someone that creates value for those you encounter.
Every interaction you have is an opportunity to change the world.Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
If I am being completely honest, I think 6 weeks is far too long for holidays. I know – that’s probably an unpopular opinion amongst school students – but I am sure there are many parents around the country who would agree with me!
6 weeks is almost one eighth of the year, and that is a long time to go without learning. The mind is like any muscle, and if it isn’t being used it is going backwards. All those hours your children spent learning their times tables or remembering important historical dates will be wiped out by Netflix and Xbox. Mental stimulation fires up those brain cells, and without daily challenges the sparks get dimmer. It even becomes physical – go ask your child to write something with a pen and I bet you that within 5 minutes they will be complaining that their hand hurts!
Perhaps the biggest consequence of the 6-week long Christmas break is that it takes even longer to get going again when School resumes at the end of January. I remember when I was in school that it would get to week 5 of term 1 and it would only hit me then that school was back. I spent those first few weeks warming up because I had spent so long cooling down.
If you can get your children training their brain now with 3 weeks left of the holidays, it will make a huge difference when school goes back. Here are 5 of the best ways to get them learning (without them feeling like they are actually learning).
Get them reading
This is my number 1 tip for any student who is struggling with English based subjects – start reading. I don’t have a scientific study to support this, but in the last 10 years I have noticed that time and time again, the students who excel at school also read as a hobby – and inversely those who struggle never touch a book. Reading opens our minds up to new possibilities and perspectives of the world and develops vocabulary, spelling and grammar skills. Young people should see it as an enjoyable activity and not a chore. If they hate it – they probably haven’t read the right book yet.
To get this ball rolling try to find them a novel that connects with something they are interested in. If they are ultra sporty there are plenty of books that feature athletes as the main stars. If they like video games, many of the most popular video game series have books or graphic novels to go with them. Try to choose books that are appropriate to their level – if it is too hard they may get frustrated and throw it across the room in a fit of rage (I’ve seen it before…)
Watch documentaries together
Most young people under the age of 18 will laugh at the idea of watching a documentary in the holidays – but this is because most documentaries they have seen at school are terribly produced and were made in the 80’s. Documentaries these days are awesome – and at times they can get so intense they’ll even think they are watching a movie!
Find some great docos, sit down with a big bowl of popcorn and use them as a starting point for a research project for your kids to do on a rainy day.
Netflix has a pretty good range of documentaries. For primary school students, explore things like dinosaurs, animals, science and shows like Myth Busters and Shark Week (if they are a bit older). For High Schoolers, they usually find things about space, history and natural disasters really intriguing. Ultimately you will know your children, so try a few different shows until you find something that works for them.
Projects and experiments
This might lean more towards primary aged children, but it is a great way to get them using creativity to solve problems.
Come up with a simple challenge and get them to solve it for you. A good one is telling them you are going to drop an egg, and they need to build something to stop it from breaking – give them limited resources to do it. Or create a bicarb volcano. Experiments like these will make the summer holidays memorable – but also teach valuable lessons about science and technology.
Use creativity
I’ve got a 2 year old and she can spend hours playing with play dough or colouring, but I know too well that as we get older we lose this ability – which is such a shame. I am a firm believer that creativity is one of the greatest skills we have – and that the unique creative abilities we possess are a reflection of who we are.
If you can encourage your children to use their creativity over the holidays they will start the school year with their mind warmed up and ready to go. Anything will work – music, dance, art or writing. Creative writing is a particularly good one, can be enjoyed by students from K-12 and may provide an outlet to release some of that teenage angst that has been building up over these rainy days.
Make the most of technology
Whilst technology might be doing its best to cripple the social skills of the younger generation, it provides an abundance of learning opportunities that make it a great educational resource. Learning potential exists on most tech platforms: even on the Xbox or Playstation. If your kids play Minecraft it isn’t all bad – It teaches them how to manage resources and think creatively. There is a console game called Portal that is a great platform puzzler without any violence. On the iPad and iPhone you can play Heads Up (one of my personal favourites to use with students) or quick draw.
Chances are that if you have teens, they are staring at a screen 80% of the day, so you may as well find a way to turn that in to a learning experience.
The holidays are a long few weeks – probably more for parents than anyone else – but if you can turn them in to an opportunity for your children to learn they will start the year strong and ready to go at the end of January.
Good luck!Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
This is one of the most common questions I get from HSC students:
“What are some good related texts for Discovery?”
It is a question I get almost daily. And it is not a bad question, but I feel like it is asking a doctor for a prescription without telling him the symptoms.
There are so many things that will influence the value of a related text – and what might be a killer RT for one student will be terrible for another.
A related text for ‘discovery’ as a concept is too broad. You need to consider 3 things before choosing your related text:
The details of your prescribed text
You need to know what your main text is – in as much detail as possible. You need to consider the context of your composer, the choice of text type, the overall message and how this text relates to Discovery.
All of these need to be considered when selecting your RT as your RT needs to complement your PT – and not the other way around.
The themes or characters you are going to focus on
This is crucial. If you are doing The Tempest I want to know which characters you are going to draw upon and why. If you are doing Robert Frost I want to know which poems you are choosing and how they will link to potential questions.
This is where I see many students go wrong – they choose an RT because it has strong connections to Discovery, but when I ask them how it shares similar ideas to their themes or characters they don’t know what to say. Ensure that there are direct parallels between the themes or characters so you can use your RT to support your thesis.
What component of the rubric you are going to address
The Area of Study Rubric needs to be the guidebook to your essay writing. If you break down the rubric you will get between 5 to 10 solid thesis ideas – any of which can serve as the question in an exam. This might be the sudden and unexpected vs. deliberate and considered nature of Discovery, or the profound insights gained in the discovery process.
You need to work out which thesis ideas are most prevalent in your prescribed text, and then choose a related text that shares the same ideas.
So for example, if you are doing the Tempest, you might want to focus on Prospero and how discovery leads to a greater understanding of self, and then Miranda and how Discovery can lead to renewed insights of others. You would then find an RT that shows this process in the characters.
Moral of the story: Don’t just choose an RT that features discovery. It has to be able to support your main ideas. You ultimately use your RT to support your argument, and if it can’t do that you need to find another one.
Also – try to choose related texts that are different mediums to your prescribed to demonstrate your understanding of different textual/visual features. And avoid RTs that could be considered too simple – your markers want to see great depth of analysis (this is why you might have heard it is best to avoid Disney movies etc).
This is the same for all modules, not just Discovery. Advanced; you need 2 related texts for Module C. Standard; both Module A and C. Make sure your related texts support your arguments – otherwise they are a waste of time.
Good luck! Make good choices!
Ps. Have you checked out our free guidebook to writing the world’s best essay? It is ultra free. And ultra awesome. Download it now at https://incredibleessays.alchemytuition.com.au
How good are school holidays? 6 weeks of sleep-ins, video games and Netflix.
But if you are in year 12, you might have noticed an annoying little someone nagging at your conscience. This guy sits on your shoulder each day and whispers sweet nothings to you that go a little something like this:
“You shouldn’t be playing FIFA – you should be studying”
“You don’t need to go out tonight – you need to revise legal studies”
“That major work might be due in 6 months, but you should really get started on it now”
And you laugh and you brush that little guy away. You tell yourself that it is your holidays – that you deserve your time off. ‘Next week’ you say, ‘It’s Netflix and Chill time’. And you repeat it each week until it is mid-January and you haven’t touched a pen in 5 weeks.
I want to be real with you. I’ve been in this game for over a decade, and time and time again I see that the best performers in the HSC are those that maximise every opportunity they have – those that make the most of the school holidays.
Yes you deserve a break. Yes this will probably be the last break you will get. But there is no reason you can’t spend a few hours a day getting your affairs in order. Or if you haven’t read anything more than status updates and Reddit since you finished in December, there is still time to make these holidays count.
Here are the 5 biggest mistakes I see HSC students make in the Christmas holidays and how to avoid them:
Failure to read/watch/explore their English texts.
This.
Do you know how much you can achieve in 6 weeks? Put aside an hour a day to watch/read/explore your upcoming English texts. You might have smashed your discovery text already, and if your teacher is on the ball, maybe even your next module, but it still leaves a handful of texts you need to cover. Don’t waste this time! Read your books, study your poems and speeches and watch your movies. You don’t have to know them well, but if you have at least covered them once you will be in a much stronger place when you cover them in school.
Also, choose your related texts! (if you need ideas, just ask me!)
Neglecting your major work.
I was guilty of this in my own HSC (who knew you had to do a major work in History Extension?). I know how easy it is to think you’ve got more than enough time to nail those major works but trust me – you don’t. The HSC comes in waves – you will go from feeling free to feeling like the busiest person on earth.
In a space of weeks. Seriously.
Understand that the HSC is a marathon and not a sprint – you need to sustain yourself through the year, and if you don’t get started soon it will hit you like a ton of bricks.
Please, if not for yourself, for me, get started on your major works now.
Forgetting year 11 content
This is especially relevant for subjects like maths that include prelim content in the exam. Use this time to go back over the year 11 stuff that you have already covered and cement it. Get it locked in. That way you don’t have to worry about it later.
Lack of practice
Learning is 100% a muscle. If you stop, the muscle shrinks. And you want dem gainz right? Don’t let this 6 week block mess you up. Do essays and exercises. See your tutor. Go to seminars. This is the best time for you to get the edge on everyone else.
Embracing opportunities
This is a great time to do things like smashing your AOS creative writing. It is an often neglected section in class, so use this time to come up with 2 or 3 stories that you are really happy with and get someone to read them. Someone good. Not your mum. Unless your mum is an HSC marker.
Make the most of this time by doing everything you will wish you had done in 3 months.Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
“Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.”
– Stephen Covey
I’m gonna be real with you; sometimes life throws you curveballs. And for some of you, one of those curveballs might have arrived by SMS at 6am this morning.
Maybe the news wasn’t what you had hoped. Maybe you’d had a bad exam and it had cost you.
If you had hoped for a higher ATAR than you received, it is ok for you to feel disappointed.
When I got my ATAR ten years ago (or a ‘UAI’ as it was called then) I was pretty bummed out. The day before I had got my HSC marks and they were good. But then the UAI came and it was lower than I felt I deserved – and perhaps more importantly, lower than I needed to get in to the University course I wanted to do (even if that course was insanely high).
That feeling of disappointment is one that I know well.
But ten years on and I promise you – it is not the end of the road. Like removing a bandaid, the initial sting may hurt, but with each day it will hurt less and less.
The beautiful thing is there are many ways to get in to University that aren’t dependant on your ATAR. That 4 digit number will not determine the rest of your life. Some of my most successful friends went terribly in their HSC, and inversely some of those with the best ATARs began pursuing the ivy league careers before deciding they were happier working jobs that didn’t need a degree at all.
HOW TO GET INTO UNIVERSITY WITH A BAD ATAR:
Note: These are all purely opinions and suggestions. You should speak with your University about the options available to you.
HOW I DID IT
Ok, I should preface, that my ATAR (UAI) wasn’t bad by any means – but it was lower than I needed to get in to my first course preference. But, I waited it out and lo and behold, on UAC offer day, that very course had dropped down and become the EXACT mark I got. I’m not even kidding – it was exact – down to the nearest 0.05.
The moral of my story is that even if you feel the ATAR doesn’t fairly represent your effort, wait it out before you stress, as the University entry marks change every year (and sometimes pretty significantly) so you might still get in to that course you want.
If you do find yourself falling short of the entry requirements then you should consider alternate pathways:
PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
There are about a billion of these colleges around, and they will give you direct access to University for a bit of extra cash (although still usually FEE-HELPED). One of my best mates missed out on his dream course at Macquarie University, so he enrolled at a private college that was on the Macquarie campus and then after finishing the first year he got spat out in to 2nd year Uni. No time lost. Great friendships gained. I think they even had the same lecturers teach him that taught the main University, so it was exactly the same. The only difference was the price. A year at a private institution will usually cost more than a year at University, but as mentioned, most of them are usually government supported so you won’t feel the pinch right away. They also usually don’t require an ATAR to get in.
I don’t want to plug any individual colleges, but they aren’t hard to find. As mentioned, they are everywhere, and provide a great pathway to getting in to the University course you want.
MID-YEAR TRANSFER
If you do a semester at University and maintain good enough grades they will allow you to transfer in to almost any degree you want. So you could enter in to a course with a low ATAR, nail those first 3 or 4 subjects and then transfer to the course you really want. The only disadvantage is that the subjects you do might not match up with your new course requirements, so potentially you may have to do an extra semester at the end of your course to make up on lost ground.
This is one I saw done a lot at University. There are limitations – I don’t think you can just freely transfer in to Law or Medicine, but check with your University about the options available to you.
NON-AWARD
Much like a mid-year transfer, but this one you do the course you want, only the first semester marks won’t count. You just need to prove you can get high enough marks to stay in that course, and then from there, they let you in. Similarly, it might put you a semester behind, but in the scheme of things that is not a big deal to enable you to pursue your dream career.
OTHER OPTIONS
UNPOPULAR IDEA TIME
Do you really need University? Of course, if you are going to be a doctor or an accountant or a lawyer or a teacher – or any job that specifically requires formal education – then of course you do. But for those who don’t, have you considered the other options available to you? I’m talking in particular to those thinking of entering the business or marketing world. I reflect on my time at University and wish I had instead approached businesses that I was interested in and asked to intern there for free so that I could learn exactly what was involved. Most people will turn their nose up at unpaid internships, but hey, it is much cheaper than University and often much more productive because you are building the relationships and learning the tools of the trade that are relevant to that industry or job. Other than the class I did on DJing and Mixing, very little of what I learnt at University has helped me run an actual company. I learn from doing it – making the mistakes and learning from the experience. That is what I would do if I could do my early 20’s all over again.
TAFE
Once reserved for high school dropouts, TAFE has really lifted its game in recent years and is now an excellent alternative to University, especially in anything trade or creative. Don’t reject TAFE just because your friends might joke about it – it is a great and affordable way to get ahead.
GET A JOB
There is nothing wrong with going out and getting a job first year out of school. Depending on what you use as an indicator for success, there is no reason someone who gets a job straight away can’t find as much success as someone who goes through Uni. Imagine first year out you become a real estate agent, and that whole first year you hustle hard and make your first sale. The next year, you make ten sales. The next, it is 30. By the time your mate graduates University you could be making 50 sales a year which would earn you some great money and give you a huge head start on life. Meanwhile your friend takes a graduate position where he is earning what you earned in your first year, and it will take him a long time to match what you are earning – especially if you keep hustling.
Working different jobs can give you a great idea of what you really love. My best mate had no idea what he wanted to do after school, so worked a ton of different jobs before realising working with young people was his thing, so went to University in his mid-twenties to study education. He has never been happier!
Your ATAR will not define you. If it was a disappointment, try not to worry yourself – you still might get in to the course you want – and if not, there are plenty of ways around it.Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!
