HSC Stuff > New South Wales Education Discussion
HSC Subject Reviews and Ratings
Joseph41:
We have hundreds and hundreds of university subject reviews (template largely taken from those threads), which help students select their subjects. It makes a whole heap of sense to have a place where past HSC students can review their HSC subjects.
Review Index
Current Totals
Creative Arts Subject Reviews: 4
English Subject Reviews: 6
Health and Physical Education Subject Reviews: 1
Humanities Subject Reviews: 13
LOTE Subject Reviews: 0
Maths Subject Reviews: 5
Science Subject Reviews: 7
Technology Subject Reviews: 3
VET Subject Reviews: 1
Total: 40 Reviews
Total: 29 Subjects Covered
(2) (3) etc. denote 2nd and 3rd reviews.
Creative Arts Subjects (4)Drama - HSC, 2017
Music 1 - HSC, 2017
Photography, Video and Digital Imaging - Preliminary, 2016 [Board Endorsed Course]
Visual Arts - HSC, 2017English Subjects (6)English Advanced - HSC, 2015
English Advanced - HSC, 2018 (2)
English Advanced - HSC, 2018 (3)
English Extension 1 - HSC, 2017
English Extension 2 - HSC, 2018
English Standard - HSC, 2017Health and Physical Education Subjects (1)Personal Development, Health & Physical Education (PDHPE) - HSC (Compressed), 2017
Humanities Subjects (13)Ancient History - HSC, 2017
Ancient History - HSC, 2017 (2)
Business Studies - HSC, 2018
Economics - HSC, 2017
Geography - HSC, 2017
History Extension - HSC, 2017
History Extension - HSC, 2018 (2)
Legal Studies - HSC, 2017
Legal Studies - Preliminary, 2018 (2)
Legal Studies - HSC, 2018
Modern History - HSC, 2017
Modern History - HSC, 2018 (2)
Society & Culture - HSC, 2017LOTE Subjects (0)Maths Subjects (5)General Mathematics 2- HSC, 2017
Mathematics - HSC, 2013
Mathematics - HSC, 2018
Mathematics Extension 1 - HSC, 2014
Mathematics Extension 2 - HSC, 2015Science Subjects (7)Biology - HSC (Compressed), 2018
Chemistry - HSC, 2015
Chemistry - HSC (Compressed), 2017 (2)
Engineering Studies - HSC, 2017
Physics - HSC, 2015
Physics - HSC, 2017 (2)
Physics - HSC, 2018 (3)
Technology Subjects (3)Food Technology - HSC (Compressed), 2018
Information Processes and Technology (IPT) - Preliminary, 2017
Software Design and Development - HSC, 2018
VET Subjects (1)Hospitality - HSC, 2016/2017 [VET]
This is a thread for subject reviews only. If you have any questions, then please PM the member who wrote the review. The views expressed are those of the authors. Keep in mind that, despite best efforts, information provided may not be accurate.
We encourage you to review the subject(s) you have completed, even if someone else has already reviewed your subject(s). The more reviews we have, the more helpful this resource will be. Please do not name teachers or denigrate your school.
Please use the following template for subject reviews:
--- Code: ---[b]Subject Name:[/b]
[b]Level:[/b] (Prelim or HSC?)
[b]Workload:[/b]
[b]Assessment:[/b] (Outline the various assessments which make up the subject and how much each counts for)
[b]Exam Thoughts:[/b] (What's the structure? How hard was it?)
[b]Textbook Recommendation:[/b] (What did you use? How much did you use it?)
[b]Recommended Other Resources:[/b]
[b]Year of Completion:[/b]
[b]Rating:[/b] out of 5
[b]Your Mark/Grade:[/b] (Optional)
[b]Comments:[/b] Give your overall opinion of the subject, content, assessment etc. and a recommendation, plus anything else which you feel is relevant.
--- End code ---
Updated as of reply #041
fantasticbeasts3:
Subject Name: Modern History
Level: HSC
Workload:
There is a lot of content in this subject, and constant revision is needed so you can keep up (syllabus points are mostly in chronological order. Practice is also key in Modern, especially with essay writing, so writing practice responses is a little time consuming, and not to mention keeping up to date with your notes!
Assessment: (Outline the various assessments which make up the subject and how much each counts for)
At my school, they tried to mimic sections of the actual HSC exam. First assessment was 20%, a WW1 source analysis exam; second was 20%, with a WW1 source analysis section and national study essay; third assessment was also 20%, but a personality study split essay; and the fourth assessment was HSC Trials, weighted 40% and was a 3 hour exam, just like the HSC. And of course, there's the HSC exam, which is 50% of your entire Modern History mark. School assessments make up the other 50%.
Exam Thoughts: (What's the structure? How hard was it?)
The HSC exam is 3 hours, with 4 sections - the recommended time for each section is 45 minutes. The 4 sections (at least until 2018) are WW1, which is a source analysis; the national study essay; personality study 'split' essay; and the Studies in Peace and Conflict essay. Trials and HSC are an absolute killer, because there's so much you need to know, and they could ask about anything, especially in the National Study and Peace and Conflict essay. You do have a choice of question there though, and it's usually split between the first and second half of the topic. Your hand will die at the end of the exam. You thought English Paper 2 sucked? Try the 3 hour Modern exam.
Textbook Recommendation: (What did you use? How much did you use it?)
- WW1 // Retrospective Year 11 Modern History. There was a section at the back of the book all for WW1 stuff. Quite detailed, lots of statistics.
- Germany // Republic to Reich. This one had a lot of historiography (great for essays!) and lots of other details.
- Gorbachev (personality study) and Cold War // Contested Spaces: The Cold War. Takes a bit of getting used to because the wording is a bit confusing at first, but this book was great! Lots of detail, historiography, sources, etc.
I personally didn't use textbooks very much, as my teacher wrote out notes for us. It was only when I thought there wasn't enough detail in the notes I consulted textbooks and the Internet.
Recommended Other Resources: None
Year of Completion: 2017
Rating: 5 out of 5
Comments: Give your overall opinion of the subject, content, assessment etc. and a recommendation, plus anything else which you feel is relevant.
I loved Modern History. So much. I had a really great time in the subject. I think some of that comes from having a really great teacher in both years 11 and 12, who was super passionate about history, and taught it really well, but the content also speaks for itself - it's very interesting. Content-wise, it is quite full on, and you need to make sure you're ready to put extra time and effort to read widely, because it does show in essays! Practice is also important in Modern, because it does show when you read responses - your preparation is veeeery evident. The exams aren't too bad, except for Trials and HSC, you need to plan out how you're going to do the exam, because timing is everything!
fantasticbeasts3:
Subject Name: Legal Studies
Level: HSC
Workload:
Legal's workload is a lot - mainly because it's very content-heavy. Notes need to be kept up to date and researching recent LCMs are super important!
Assessment: (Outline the various assessments which make up the subject and how much each counts for)
School assessments were weighted 50%, and the HSC exam is 50%. Like Modern, my school tried to mimic sections of the HSC in assessments. My assessments were all in-class exams. I can't remember what they were weighted individually but: first assessment was Crime multiple choice and 15 mark essay; second was Crime/HR multiple choice and 30 marks worth of HR short answers; third was a Shelter option essay; and the fourth was Trials, so the whole 3 hour exam.
Exam Thoughts: (What's the structure? How hard was it?)
The HSC exam is 3 hours, structured like this:
1. Crime and Human Rights multiple choice (recommended 30 mins)
2. Crime 15 marker and Human Rights short answers (also 15 marks) (recommended time: an hour for both)
3. Two options essays (45 mins each)
The Legal Studies exam isn't too bad compared to other subjects. However, you need to have a lot of evidence ready to back up your arguments, especially in the written parts (everything except for the multiple choice hahaha) so there's a lot to remember! Sometimes there are questions that will throw you, so you have to be super prepared, i.e. knowing your syllabus and content very well. Timing is also quite important, because while a lot of time is recommended for the MC, there isn't a lot of time for the Crime 15 marker and HR short answers. Planning ahead works well!
Textbook Recommendation: (What did you use? How much did you use it?)
I almost never picked up a textbook in years 11 and 12, because my teacher wrote out notes for us. I did use a bit of HSC Legal Studies (Pearson) and HSC Legal (Cambridge).
Recommended Other Resources:
The State Library (NSW) website is amazing for Legal! There's some really great cases there for Crime, and lots of resources for Human Rights.
Year of Completion: 2017
Rating: 4 out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: (Optional)
Band 6: my overall HSC mark was 91 and my actual mark in the HSC exam was 94.
Comments: Give your overall opinion of the subject, content, assessment etc. and a recommendation, plus anything else which you feel is relevant.
Legal Studies was an awesome subject! Like Modern, I had a really great time in the subject. Some of it does come from having an awesome teacher and equally awesome class. At times, Legal can be a bit dry, as some Options topics are crap. Content-wise, there is a lot, but you need to be ready to invest time and effort into researching LCMs, as these are very important when writing essays - evidence is necessary to back up your argument! Assessments aren't too bad either. The content is also quite straightforward as well. There is a lot to remember, but it's just as important to remember where the content you're learning is going to go in an exam.
RuiAce:
I want to make a disclaimer before my first review: Many (but DEFINITELY NOT ALL) reviews posted at this time will soon become outdated, due to the changes in the new syllabus. Whilst they aren't always drastic, they do change the nature of the subject itself a lot, especially the content and consequently how students would cope with it.
Subject Name: Chemistry
Level: HSC
Workload: Varies from person to person, but tends to be fairly demanding. Can be a bit more of a struggle for students that dropped maths entirely, or didn't pay attention to little subtleties (e.g. sulfate vs sulfite) in prelim. Since you're allowed to answer extended responses using dot points/tables, the writing aspect isn't too bad for people who hate essays (even though I always wrote paragraphs anyway) so that slightly reduces 'extra' workload.
Assessment: At my school, we had...
- 15% Practical Assessments x2
- 15% Half Yearly
- 20% Research Assignment
- 35% Trial HSC Exam
Note that NESA requires a minimum of 30% of all assessment for science subjects to be practical based. The exact amount may vary a little.
Exam Thoughts:
- 20 Multiple Choice
- 55 marks overall for the core topics
- 25 marks for the option topic
The 2015 paper was fairly straightforward. Whilst I didn't come out really satisfied about it, I felt it was mostly really fair. The only bit I'm not sure about (from memory) was my option topic (industrial chem); it felt long.
Textbook Recommendation: Jacaranda textbook (forgot its full name) - I used it quite a fair bit as I was learning the course, since it did have some nice content in it. But arguably it overkills the content and some of the things mentioned there is just not necessary. (Also, the textbook was pretty.)
Recommended Other Resources: Excel chemistry is decent if you're having trouble with chemistry as a whole. Some people use the "Dot-point" series textbook because it forces them to make notes for each syllabus point separately. EasyChem also has nice videos.
Otherwise, just rely on notes. (AN notes are brilliant but I can't review them from first-hand experience, since they weren't out in my HSC year.)
Year of Completion: 2015
Rating: 4 out of 5
Your Mark/Grade: 92 B6 (93 Ext, 90 Int)
Comments:
Perhaps what really distinguishes HSC chemistry from its prelim predecessor is that it takes away about half of the focus on actual chemistry and shifts it to its role in society. For this reason, content wise I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did in prelim. Still though, chemistry is chemistry, and seeing explosions and stuff happen is always fun. Chemistry will always be chemistry.
Now, what's really nice for some people (not so much myself but definitely a lot of my peers) is that you can kinda get away with HSC chemistry without fully understanding all the prelim background. In prelim, you had to understand how and/or why a specific process happens, but in HSC chem all that they care is that you know it DOES happen. The rules of thumb introduced in HSC chem just take prelim for granted (e.g. we care a lot about a catalyst in prelim, but for the sake of LCP we just care that it doesn't affect the equilibrium because blah).
I've found that the main reason I managed this band 6 was because I found studying for it easier. The reason why I found studying for it easier is because unlike most of my peers, I just retained all of the previous information I learnt (well, at least a significant portion of it). So if you have a sound memory, and put that to use in this course, it can be really surprisingly helpful.
Whilst I enjoyed pracs, I was always shit at them. (A running joke in my chem class was that if I ended up becoming a chemist, I would definitely be a theoretical one.) Pretty much, pracs are divided into 1. the write-up, and 2. the actual experiment. Most people seem to be worse at the former, but for some reason I was worse at the latter. I just seemed to always run into accuracy problems with quantitative experiments (especially titration).
Other than that, assessment was generally fair.
You know you're prepared for the exam when you've done a bunch of past papers (duh), but you know you're ready for past papers when you pretty much have necessary and sufficient information for every syllabus point. Think about this before you dive into the papers.
(Oh, and also make sure you know how to use chemical equations. In fact, you should be writing chemical equations in your extended responses as well, not just your calculations questions. And with the calculations, never throw in unnecessary shit like 2U maths; try to visually picture what's going on and make deductions using relevant formulae based off that.)
katie,rinos:
Subject Name: History Extension
Level: HSC (it is only available in yr 12).
Workload:
The subject does have quite a bit of work but I always found it to be manageable as I was very interested in it. Before the lesson each week we would get some readings (sometimes textbook, excerpts from historians works,etc) and need to do a table on a historian. We would sometimes have questions to do as well (mainly for JFK). Throughout the year you would also need to work on your major work at home as well (whether researching, drafting or editing your essay).
Assessment: (Outline the various assessments which make up the subject and how much each counts for)
I had the major work (proposal 10%, draft essay 20% and final submission (essay, synopsis, bibliography, logbook, source analysis) was 50%.
Half yearly exam was 5% and the trials were 15%.
Exam Thoughts: (What's the structure? How hard was it?)
The HSC exam is 2 hours long and has 2 essays.
What is history?:
An essay on the historians/schools of history and how aspects such as their methodology and purpose have changed throughout history. Section one of the exam always has a source that you will need to extract the main arguments from and consistently reference throughout your essay. It is normally about ½ to a page long. They will require a judgement throughout the essay and a developed argument/voice. You need to know your historians and quotes really well to use them as examples throughout your essay.
Case study:
Study a historical event/personality and the different (sometimes conflicting) interpretations surrounding it. Usually smaller source then section one, sometimes only one sentence or a short paragraph. You must refer to the source in your essay.
Textbook Recommendation: (What did you use? How much did you use it?)
What is history:
⁃ History and the Historians: John Warren
⁃ Fifty key thinkers on history: Marnie Hughes-Warrington
I used them as readings before class for some of my historians and to make study tables out of. They weren't the easiest books to read at times but contained a lot of important information. I used the textbooks more at the start of the year to make notes then towards the end.
JFK: Excerpts from John F. Kennedy and the Historians by Peter Bastian
We used this for the context of JFK's life/events that occurred and a broad overview on each of the historians interpretations.
Recommended Other Resources:
Wide reading of excerpts from your historians works so that you can understand them better.
Atar Notes: Debate thread, question thread, guide to the major, guide to planning/writing essays.
Year of Completion: 2017
Rating: 5 out of 5 :D
Comments: Give your overall opinion of the subject, content, assessment etc. and a recommendation, plus anything else which you feel is relevant.
I went into extension not really knowing much about historiography at all, and I really loved the course. It is very different to a 2 unit history course as it is much more concerned with the historians and how history has been written over time. It challenged me to think about the way our history is produced and changed my views on many different issues. My major work was something that I researched heaps throughout the year and was incredibly interested in. I would definitely recommend history extension to anyone who has a passionate towards history and would like to learn more about it.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version