HSC Modern History Question Thread

[~BK~]

hey....
i would REALLY appreciate an answer on this one...
should we include historians views in our personality study answers!??
just fyi i did albert speer, really enjoyed the topic i was just a bit confused as to how much to include as they are only smaller mark q's.
thanks ppl

[dancing phalanges]

hey....
i would REALLY appreciate an answer on this one...
should we include historians views in our personality study answers!??
just fyi i did albert speer, really enjoyed the topic i was just a bit confused as to how much to include as they are only smaller mark q's.
thanks ppl

Put simply no need for the first part, it's just a narrative. For the second part, the 15 marker, it is an absolute MUST! I would use at least 4 historians and a couple of quotes from each if you can! Just also don't forget that you should be also evaluating what they are saying not just putting in the quotes and leaving them unevaluated/unexplained. Hope that helps

[sudodds]

hey....
i would REALLY appreciate an answer on this one...
should we include historians views in our personality study answers!??
just fyi i did albert speer, really enjoyed the topic i was just a bit confused as to how much to include as they are only smaller mark q's.
thanks ppl

Hey! So a slightly different perspective to dancing phalanges Though I definitely think that including historians is great, and I would recommend it - it is not "necessary", at least in regards to the final HSC exam (schools sometimes have different policies in regards to their internal marking). Historians count as detail, which is why they are great, but many students end up relying on historians, providing more of a shopping list of interpretations, rather than their own analysis. Though it is important for the personality study to understand the themes of the historiography, in regards to the differing interpretations you are asked to discuss (eg. Good Nazi? for Speer), if you really don't know an exact quote or historian, you can still get a good mark Remember to only use historians to back up your own arguments, rather than making them the form of your argument. Defs agree with dancing phalanges though about making sure you analyse the quote, rather than just dropping it in - that is why I personally liked paraphrasing, rather than direct quotes (though I did both in the exam)! You can use quotes in Part A as well

[dancing phalanges]

Hey! So a slightly different perspective to dancing phalanges Though I definitely think that including historians is great, and I would recommend it - it is not "necessary", at least in regards to the final HSC exam (schools sometimes have different policies in regards to their internal marking). Historians count as detail, which is why they are great, but many students end up relying on historians, providing more of a shopping list of interpretations, rather than their own analysis. Though it is important for the personality study to understand the themes of the historiography, in regards to the differing interpretations you are asked to discuss (eg. Good Nazi? for Speer), if you really don't know an exact quote or historian, you can still get a good mark Remember to only use historians to back up your own arguments, rather than making them the form of your argument. Defs agree with dancing phalanges though about making sure you analyse the quote, rather than just dropping it in - that is why I personally liked paraphrasing, rather than direct quotes (though I did both in the exam)! You can use quotes in Part A as well

Yeah sorry just what our teacher told us but I can see why you can do well without them as long as you use detail but definitely dont just quote historians for the sake of it. just got back english advanced citizen kane essay and i got 19/20 and lost a mark for using too many critics opinions/analysis to the extent that my own voice/opinion was hindered so that was a big lesson for me!

[sudodds]

Yeah sorry just what our teacher told us but I can see why you can do well without them as long as you use detail but definitely dont just quote historians for the sake of it. just got back english advanced citizen kane essay and i got 19/20 and lost a mark for using too many critics opinions/analysis to the extent that my own voice/opinion was hindered so that was a big lesson for me!

Definitely don't need to apologise! Not as if you gave them bad advice at all - historians are still a great addition to any essay, and I'd recommend using them! You just won't lose a mark for not doing so And that is a fantastic mark!! Phenomenal stuff - great work!

[bun00]

Heya!
sorry not sure if this has already been asked....but..
could anyone give me a guide on how many pages i should be writing for each essay in my modern history trial?
fyi..i do Germany, albert speer and conflict in the pacific if anyone has any tips
tks hps and ATB with ure exams everyone
chz

[sudodds]

Heya!
sorry not sure if this has already been asked....but..
could anyone give me a guide on how many pages i should be writing for each essay in my modern history trial?
fyi..i do Germany, albert speer and conflict in the pacific if anyone has any tips
tks hps and ATB with ure exams everyone
chz

Hey! You want to fill up the booklet. In the HSC you will get an 8 page booklet for each section, so you want to be writing about 7-8 pages for each essay, 3-4 pages for part A of the personality study, and 5-6 pages for part B Roughly 1000+ words for each section. If you struggle to fill the entire booklet, I suggest attempting to make your handwriting a bit bigger! That is what I had to do last year

[dancing phalanges]

Heya!
sorry not sure if this has already been asked....but..
could anyone give me a guide on how many pages i should be writing for each essay in my modern history trial?
fyi..i do Germany, albert speer and conflict in the pacific if anyone has any tips
tks hps and ATB with ure exams everyone
chz

I would say you'd be aiming to do at least 6 pages for each essay and then 2 pages for part a of personality study and 3-4 pages for part b but i aren't too sure, theres no magic formula haha! also wanted to ask susie, i have paper 2 tomorrow and art wednesday then modern thursday (dont do maths) would you recommend starting modern study tomorrow (really want to focus on paper 2 today if i can) or wednesday after art... like how should i prioritise seeing there is so much for me to learn and shove in before thursdau thanks!

[dancing phalanges]

Hey! You want to fill up the booklet. In the HSC you will get an 8 page booklet for each section, so you want to be writing about 7-8 pages for each essay, 3-4 pages for part A of the personality study, and 5-6 pages for part B Roughly 1000+ words for each section. If you struggle to fill the entire booklet, I suggest attempting to make your handwriting a bit bigger! That is what I had to do last year

Whoa haha! A lot to write in 40 minutes! With the personality section, since it is also 40 minutes, should I be aiming to just fill up 7-8 pages like the essay or is it expected you write more. I am really not looking forward to thursday haha

[sudodds]

also wanted to ask susie, i have paper 2 tomorrow and art wednesday then modern thursday (dont do maths) would you recommend starting modern study tomorrow (really want to focus on paper 2 today if i can) or wednesday after art... like how should i prioritise seeing there is so much for me to learn and shove in before thursdau thanks!

Definitely focus on paper 2 today (congrats on getting over the first hurdle, I hope Paper 1 went well)! Tomorrow, prioritise Art, but definitely try and squeeze in some Modern as well!

Whoa haha! A lot to write in 40 minutes! With the personality section, since it is also 40 minutes, should I be aiming to just fill up 7-8 pages like the essay or is it expected you write more. I am really not looking forward to thursday haha

Yes, you should be aiming to fill the entire 7-8 page booklet for Section III as well - you don't need to write more than that, but tbh I always ended up going over with the personality section, just because it is really hard to condense yourself, as the part B structure is essentially the same as a full 45 minute essay, but you only have 30 mins. For me, that meant using the 5-10 minutes I gained from completing WW1 under time, and devoting that to the personality study

Good luck

[dancing phalanges]

Definitely focus on paper 2 today (congrats on getting over the first hurdle, I hope Paper 1 went well)! Tomorrow, prioritise Art, but definitely try and squeeze in some Modern as well!
Yes, you should be aiming to fill the entire 7-8 page booklet for Section III as well - you don't need to write more than that, but tbh I always ended up going over with the personality section, just because it is really hard to condense yourself, as the part B structure is essentially the same as a full 45 minute essay, but you only have 30 mins. For me, that meant using the 5-10 minutes I gained from completing WW1 under time, and devoting that to the personality study

Good luck

ah okay true ill try smash out the ww1! since i wont have heaps of time to study all my essay plans and content do you have any tips on how to study it all effectively and to the detail i need to do well? i remember you said something about detail tables? how did you lay them out again?

[sudodds]

ah okay true ill try smash out the ww1! since i wont have heaps of time to study all my essay plans and content do you have any tips on how to study it all effectively and to the detail i need to do well? i remember you said something about detail tables? how did you lay them out again?

Tomorrow, get one of the sections sorted and out of the way (probably WW1 or the personality study), then the next day focus on the others. I would be looking at different essay questions, and seeing if their were any gaps in my knowledge, and also attempting to find patterns - do you always do x type of essay thematically, and then y type of essay according to factors? That kinda stuff can help you prepare more universally. Detail tables are FANTASTIC. I've attached mine as an example. I've also attached my Trotsky argument table, because for the personality study I think they are one of the most effective ways of learning the content (aside from practice papers).

[~BK~]

Whoa haha! A lot to write in 40 minutes! With the personality section, since it is also 40 minutes, should I be aiming to just fill up 7-8 pages like the essay or is it expected you write more. I am really not looking forward to thursday haha

i am going to have a VERY sore hand by the end of it....   

[sudodds]

i am going to have a VERY sore hand by the end of it....   

pro tip: put a bandaid around your middle finger - kinda acts as padding for your hand ahaha. Especially important if you have a pen with an abrasive grip at the end - I did and my hand was literally bleeding after Ancient, because it cut into my skin. The bandaid tip was something that I did during HSC, and it helped immeasurably

[dancing phalanges]

Tomorrow, get one of the sections sorted and out of the way (probably WW1 or the personality study), then the next day focus on the others. I would be looking at different essay questions, and seeing if their were any gaps in my knowledge, and also attempting to find patterns - do you always do x type of essay thematically, and then y type of essay according to factors? That kinda stuff can help you prepare more universally. Detail tables are FANTASTIC. I've attached mine as an example. I've also attached my Trotsky argument table, because for the personality study I think they are one of the most effective ways of learning the content (aside from practice papers).

Please don't tell me you memorised all of that  But nevertheless thank you so much!

Hey Susie, just with memorising detail, do you think it's fair to spend a lot less time on WW1 as you are given the sources anyway and although you need to show your own knowledge, a lot of what you write is based on what is in the sources? Should I also do a timeline for WW1 to know? Thanks

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