ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Biology => Topic started by: HERculina on November 29, 2010, 03:22:09 am
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sooooooo whose doing biol next yr?
Meeeeee! :D
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yep i am :D lmao
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Does vicariously count?
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lol i dont think so!
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YES, 2011 BIOLOGY STUDENTS UNITE!
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thats meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee im doin bio let us die nxt year
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I'm going to do it if I don't get into Uni Math... (did the 1/2 though)
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hmms i probs should do that but i dont want to go home late from uni maths and get kidnapped by someone
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hmms i probs should do that but i dont want to go home late from uni maths and get kidnapped by someone
?
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hmms i probs should do that but i dont want to go home late from uni maths and get kidnapped by someone
?
i think he means that he should do uni maths? lol
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:| im not a he
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:| im not a he
sorry :)
lol its so hard to distinguish when you dont have the gender sign...
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Yeah me!
Im so pumped I already started writing AOS1 notes :D
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Me too! Who's aiming for a 50?
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Me too! Who's aiming for a 50?
ah, more like 40 :D
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haha same, ill be ecstatic if I even get a 40...
if i get a fifty ill piss my pants 100%
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haha same, ill be ecstatic if I even get a 40...
if i get a fifty ill piss my pants 100%
if i get a 50, i would shart my pants ;D
only kidding...eew.
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haha same, ill be ecstatic if I even get a 40...
if i get a fifty ill piss my pants 100%
if i get a 50, i would shart my pants ;D
only kidding...eew.
Well, maybe 50 might be too much... but still, i'd like 45!
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hat the... u guys are crazy to start writing AOS notes.. if u start now ull be so unmotivated nxt year
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Seriously guys aim for 50. It is approx ~12 marks lost across both exams, which is quite doable.
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In terms of the sciences, how would you rank the subjects in terms of:
Workload, 'hardness' of content and 'hardness' to get a high score?
(Chemistry, Biology and Physics).
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hat the... u guys are crazy to start writing AOS notes.. if u start now ull be so unmotivated nxt year
a lot of negativity, i see?
but being or feeling prepared would make me motivated, not unmotivated.
Seriously guys aim for 50. It is approx ~12 marks lost across both exams, which is quite doable.
ok then, ill aim for 42? :D
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personally id say that your better off aiming for a higher score, especially if your capable of achieving it.
I was aiming for a 42ish this year, but because it was my first yr 12 subject i didnt exactly know how i much i needed to study and effort was required. If you are scoring high scores in your outcomes etc it doesnt give you an excuse to slack off. lol i did this unit 3 and it backfired.... mid year: B+
seeing that it's your first 3/4 WORK REALLY HARD and you will be rewarded, i know it's quite cliched but it works, when i realised that i got a B+ for mid yr i was pretty devo. I studied consistently in unit 4 and i am hoping for an A+ this time around, only had trouble with a few questions.
good luck :)
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Reporting for duty :D
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In terms of the sciences, how would you rank the subjects in terms of:
Workload, 'hardness' of content and 'hardness' to get a high score?
(Chemistry, Biology and Physics).
Well I did Biology 3/4 this year and I think the subject is a lot of work. The content is not necessarily difficult, however, there is A LOT to remember in both units. Chemistry on the other hand, has less content but the content is more difficult. I know nothing about physics.
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I don't see anything wrong with starting prep from now. If you become demotivated watch some David Attenborough or something to be re-motivated :)
Aim for 50, but don't disappointed to receive a 40+, or whatever you feel happy about.
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what did you do last year in terms of preparation for biology aleitu?
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It was just reading through the textbook... Not sure if that's useful for everyone.
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For prep, remember to do biozone!
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well ive gone ahead learning AOS 1, and completed notes for it yesturday. Probably gna start AOS 2 in a week or so..
Whats biozone like? I saw it yesturday at A&G but didnt bother opening it lol
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It's sort of like comprehension, there is a page of information then questions about it.
It's pretty good, there are stuff in there that arent in txtbooks and it explains some concepts better
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It's sort of like comprehension, there is a page of information then questions about it.
It's pretty good, there are stuff in there that arent in txtbooks and it explains some concepts better
+1. It has a lot of really good examples (mostly Australian examples too) which have been pulled out of nation-wide yr12 bio exams that are explained really well. As well as good comprehension, there is also plenty of application questions to do as well. Highly recommended by most schools.
Also listen to Douchy. ;)
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I wouldn't spend too much time on BioZone questions. It is more or less good for reading.
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Oh yes, and how could I forget - listen to Douchy. Try and download them now if they're still there. He is great for introducing concepts. Later on some might not find it as useful, but definitely good for starters.
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yeah douchy lol. I downloaded the new introductory podcast he made for next year, but unfortunately he took down the previous unit 3 ones.
He sounds pretty good!
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Does he make new podcasts every year??
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Oh damn, just missed out...
Yeah he does :)
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Dayum, Douchy is a very dedicated teacher and a very, very good one. He will probably win another one of those awards :)
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Yeah, love the bloke :)
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Really genuine guy, he also does a lecture a week or so before exams so you might be intrested in that :)
I went for Unit 3 and it was alright, most the stuff he said was already on the podcasts but the notes he hands out are pretty good. I felt that i knew most of the stuff he was talking abuot already but it's good because it reinforces what you already know. Costs around $35 from memory and it was at Monash Clayton.
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Can anyone upload his podcasts from 2010 unit 3&4? That would be great :D
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I have them... But I'm not sure if he would approve of me uploading them... So, sorry, unless you can get his permission :)
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I have them... But I'm not sure if he would approve of me uploading them... So, sorry, unless you can get his permission :)
I still don't get why he takes them down and doesn't put them on rapidshare or something similar ehich is 100% free.
The only reason I can think of is because it would hinder peoples participation throughout the year if they just listen to them all at once.
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Yeah I agree stonecold. There are plenty of free ways to allow students access to them without taking up bandwidth on his podomatic account. What you said is definitely part of the reason. He likes do a fresh batch every year so that the podcasts are relevant and so people are more involved. But it can be pretty frustrating waiting for new material when you are well ahead and are sick of reading the textbook or whatever it is that you do.
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Who is this guy, Douchy? Is he a teacher? and can someone link me to his site or watever =D
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Who is this guy, Douchy? Is he a teacher? and can someone link me to his site or watever =D
http://vcenotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,23630.0.html
Has all the relevant information there.
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Yep :)
Just a question, which is the best textbook to work from?
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Nature of Biology apparently.
im using nelsons though.
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I don't know about others, but after a chapter of textbook questions I was all meh, and just stopped doing them.
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Yeah, same here stonecold, very unrealistic, annoying questions.
I think NoB is slightly better than Heinemann, however it's poorly laid out and you need to filter away a lot of unnecessary information. I used both texts for reference. Stonecold also used Biozone (and I've used some of their worksheets). They're really in-depth, but sometimes they're too in depth.
Nelson, I have never tried, but word is that it's pretty basic.
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Agreed with what has been said about chapter questions, not really worth doing. You may as well just do exam questions.
But if you do buy the biozone book it's worth doing some of the questions in there
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Do Neap questions as well, there are a lot in those booklets (written by chief assessor as well)
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i disagree with Neap, i think they have a lot of poor questions,
the chief examnier does not write the exam he simply is the one who makes the marking scheme after its been written
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i disagree with Neap, i think they have a lot of poor questions,
the chief examnier does not write the exam he simply is the one who makes the marking scheme after its been written
There were a few ambiguous MC questions, but I though that some of the short-answers were pretty challenging and 'out-of-the-box' (eg. the octopus eye one in unit 4 NEAP). Worked for me, but it may be a personal thing...
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Whatever you do- please don't use the Nelson text book, if your school is using it I'd highly recommend using Heinemann or Nature of Biology alongside it! For unit 3, I felt as if the Nelson text book left out heaps of important information whereas the other textbooks were more thorough! Good luck for next year guys, aim high :)
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Whatever you do- please don't use the Nelson text book, if your school is using it I'd highly recommend using Heinemann or Nature of Biology alongside it! For unit 3, I felt as if the Nelson text book left out heaps of important information whereas the other textbooks were more thorough! Good luck for next year guys, aim high :)
+1
NoB is the way to go. I thought Hein was kinda average, and it left out important gene tech stuff and evolution in it is a joke.
NoB goes so in depth it is really good. Plus there is a free copy on here for download. :)
http://vcenotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,8366.0.html
This, BioZone and Douchy. You are set for 50!!! :P
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Whatever you do- please don't use the Nelson text book, if your school is using it I'd highly recommend using Heinemann or Nature of Biology alongside it! For unit 3, I felt as if the Nelson text book left out heaps of important information whereas the other textbooks were more thorough! Good luck for next year guys, aim high :)
+1
NoB is the way to go. I thought Hein was kinda average, and it left out important gene tech stuff and evolution in it is a joke.
NoB goes so in depth it is really good. Plus there is a free copy on here for download. :)
http://vcenotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,8366.0.html
This, BioZone and Douchy. You are set for 50!!! :P
Speaking from experience, I see haha :P
I found that from all the subjects I did this year, Biology was my favourite, it's really interesting :)
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Textbook: Nature, hands down. Excellent resource which precisely explains the concepts in depth. However, like all textbooks it does have its errors and missing parts. I used Nature as my main textbook and Heinemann (which is quite detailed in some respects, yet extremely brief in others) as a supplement.
Supplementary resources: A+ Notes are excellent, Lisachem Biology 12 Student Study Guide, BioZone
Lecture Programs: TSFX. Ian Macdonnell is an excellent lecturer; he taught in such a way that it was fun to listen and you learn a heap. The notes were my main resource for study.
As I said in another thread, Andrew Douch is a brilliant teacher, and his podcasts were quite detailed and clear - the main reason I did well in biology. Listen to him on your iPod in the train - seriously. You find that in SACs and the exams his voice sometimes goes through your head.
Past Papers: STAV ones are very good, NEAP decent, LisaChem decent, TSSM atrocious. For unit 3, do VCAAs from 2006-2010 (I'd do 2006 last, it was the most difficult unit 3 paper, A+ was 72%) and for unit 4 from 1997-2010, as the course hasn't changed. The 1997-2001 papers your school may give you, or you can find on VCEnotes.
Keep an ear out for exam technique, because in Biology wording is extremely important and the examiners are pedantic.
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Yeah I'm doing biology next year as well. :D
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I'm doing bio :)
Hopefully I can get high 40's, if not 50 :D
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YAY JOIN THE BIOL CLUB.
and im sure youll get a 50 with that score for methods! :)
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i disagree with Neap, i think they have a lot of poor questions,
the chief examnier does not write the exam he simply is the one who makes the marking scheme after its been written
I agree. That Hugh Latimer Cheif Assessor guy doesn't really impress me.
Most of his exam questions were ridiculous.
And VCAA will NEVER put a question on contractile vesicles in the exam. (Probably because he put them in all of his exams) It is also unlikely that they will test CAM or C4 photosynthesis either, which this book has questions on.
Biggest waste of money the NEAP Unit 3 book was. Just do VCAA exams back to 1997, and then the company ones if you have time.
I'm assuming the Unit 4 book will be of similar standard, so not worth it.
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For those doing Biology next year, i was wondering what you've got up to in the holidays so far and what you guys are planning to do for the rest of the holidays. :)
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AOS 1 notes, read through abit of AOS 2---> (unit 3)
Have a Sac to complete.. so probably gona start on that soon
i plan to also complete notes on the rest of unit three..
not sure if i should read any unit 4.. should i leave it till straight after the mid year?
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Good luck people next year! :)
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thanks pi.
AOS 1 notes, read through abit of AOS 2---> (unit 3)
Have a Sac to complete.. so probably gona start on that soon
i plan to also complete notes on the rest of unit three..
not sure if i should read any unit 4.. should i leave it till straight after the mid year?
nah i think its too early to read unit 4, mite end up forgetting stuff and itll be no point.
so yea leave it till after mid year, thats my plan.
how long did ur notes end up being btw
Moderator action: removed real name, sorry for the inconvenience
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Don't read Unit 4 now (unless you are thushan), just do AOS 1 for now and don't overwork yourself. That's what I should have done (I did no work on the holidays -big mistake).
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thanks pi.
AOS 1 notes, read through abit of AOS 2---> (unit 3)
Have a Sac to complete.. so probably gona start on that soon
i plan to also complete notes on the rest of unit three..
not sure if i should read any unit 4.. should i leave it till straight after the mid year?
nah i think its too early to read unit 4, mite end up forgetting stuff and itll be no point.
so yea leave it till after mid year, thats my plan.
how long did ur notes end up being btw
yeah thats true
Um about 13-14 pages hand written for AOS 1
Moderator action: removed real name, sorry for the inconvenience
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Don't read Unit 4 now (unless you are thushan), just do AOS 1 for now and don't overwork yourself. That's what I should have done (I did no work on the holidays -big mistake).
LOL shut up pi :P :P
Moderator action: removed real name, sorry for the inconvenience
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hahaha
you know its true ;)
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hm yours must be very short and concise then :)
good jobs
MrTO11, if A0S2 more interesting than AOS1
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yeah i tried to keep it brief and to the point.. rather than adding information that isn't needed.. it also mainly consisted of concepts that i didn't know 100%. I'm gona go back to them and add various info that i know, but is pretty important.
well i havent touched on viruses or anything, but yeah homeostasis, endocrine and nervous systems, are probs my favorite parts of biol, and all i've done is read through any newer stuff related to those, havent gone into much detail
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i am :)
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yayayay!! me too! :)
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Thushan did you type up your own notes or did you rely on the notes from the materials provided from TSFX/ online stuff. Just curious to know if you think its wasting your time to write your own notes from scratch.
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Thushan did you type up your own notes or did you rely on the notes from the materials provided from TSFX/ online stuff. Just curious to know if you think its wasting your time to write your own notes from scratch.
He's got chem olympiad summer school atm.. wont be back till 23rd?
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Aiming for 50 and looking forward to bio (kinda)
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Thushan did you type up your own notes or did you rely on the notes from the materials provided from TSFX/ online stuff. Just curious to know if you think its wasting your time to write your own notes from scratch.
He's got chem olympiad summer school atm.. wont be back till 23rd?
Am back now.
I compiled all the resources I had - TSFX, Nature, Biozone, etc. and wrote my own notes that I could easily understand and follow. I'd say it's good to write them as the year goes - then it's not "a waste of time" because come revision time, you'll find that you'll already have written your notes!
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I'm doing bio this year too!!! :D
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Count me in aswell :D
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Count me in aswell :D
This guy is a shoe-in for 50.
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Yeah bio 3/4 :)
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Yeah I'm in... a bit late to turn up though
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me! not late at all.. >.>
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hey whats the Aos1 or watever? :D