Hey!
so excited for you that you are almost done and I wish you the best of luck for your HSC. I am almost in year 12 (like 3 weeks to go), do you possibly have any organisational or study tips. i want to walk into year 12 prepared and with a system, but I'm kinda struggling. i also am doing SAC and Hist ext, so if you also have any tips for those major works, please share them!!
Hi Nomsie!
Thank you! I am definitely ECSTATIC for the end of HSC. And now it's time for you to enter Year 12 awwww
I would love to share some tips with you! Would you also be able to tell me how exactly you are struggling?
Well since you're almost starting year 12, I think you would have begun to grasp your preferred studying and learning styles, etc. Everyone studies differently, but I have found that I prefer verbalising and presenting content to help me learn (teaching others is a great way to study!). I know there's a bunch of categories on 'what type of learner are you' on the net, but I don't think it's efficient to take all of that into heart. Ultimately, everyone benefits from a mixed learning approach. It also depends on the subject. You probably wouldn't be drawing up mindmaps for Maths; that would be more useful for Modern History or something more conceptual/thematic.
But definitely organise some group study sessions and teach the content to each other; this is the most effective, proven way to study! You could perhaps do this every 2 weeks or so; gather a few people from each class (they don't have to be your friends! In fact, it's probably better you don't talk to them as often, since you'll learn new things!), make it a habit. Always try and help each other, so everyone gets boosted up. If you know the ranks, try and get advice from those of a higher rank; see what they are doing different and whether you can try implement it in your study too.
One really useful thing a few students did for English in our grade was to create a Google Classroom for the whole Advanced cohort (personal accounts). We share resources, exemplar essays, etc. to help elevate everyone. This might not be as helpful with a smaller cohort; instead, try a Google Drive folder (I did this for SAC). Yes, I think everyone has a Google Classroom for each subject set by their teacher, but with your own you can upload all types of resources and not clutter the Classroom and the teachers' announcements.
Here are some things I did at the start of year 11/12 and have continued:
- Update notes everyday/every week. I did it every day since I knew I wouldn't be bothered to do it on the weekend. I wasn't always consistent on it, but I used the holidays to catch up. I have all my notes done now for every topic of every subject! I would STRONGLY suggest you finish all your notes before Trials so you don't have to do them after (it's really unmotivating afterwards). But also if you don't think you need notes, that's fine too. Just make sure you have a consistent source for your syllabus content.
- Print out the syllabus for every module/topic/depth study et. of every subject. Glue these in your book as you're going through it in class, makes for a quick and easy reference. Always follow the syllabus!!! Really know what the syllabus is asking you to do.
- Print out another copy of the syllabi and stick it in a binder. I chose to organise each binder as one topic/module etc. of each subject, as I received so many handouts and papers. I think it's easier this way than to have a super big binder for each subject, as you would have to flip through to find a specific topic.
- With any handouts you're given, as soon as you have taken all the information from them (for me, synthesising it into my notes), stick it in your binder! You'll never be scrambling to find them ever again if you ever need them!
- Colour coding!!! I have colour coded all my subjects since the start of year 12. I think it helps me a lot because I also enjoy learning visually. It helps you find things better, also colour code WITHIN your books too; e.g. red for main heading, yellow for subheadings, blue for key concepts, etc.
- Also I printed out the NESA key verbs glossary and I stuck that on my study wall so I always know what the question is asking me
- I recommend a 'past papers tracker' -> a bit extra, but I like to keep track of all past papers (including other schools' trials) that I have done
- An internal assessments tracker! Also a bit extra, but I set out my subjects and each assessment result in table form to see how I'm going (also include ranks)
- I recommend you make a study plan for each subject, since they're all different and require different study methods
- A study timetable might help you if you really try and stick to one; but I couldn't and still can't. I just do whatever feels right to me, say I don't think I've gone over Power and Authority for Modern in the past week, then I'll go revise that. So if you do decide to stick to one, make sure it's as flexible as possible!
- I have monthly calendars stuck on my wall, for both the current month and the next -> I like seeing the bigger picture, it helps to visualise the time. I also made termly planners; during the holidays, before each term, I mapped out everything that I knew for sure; check your assessment schedule! Put those assessments in. See if there are any school events; incursion, club events, etc. Also put your extracurriculars, weekend commitments. Put everything in there (not just school). I had Monday-Sunday for each week, and also another column for goals -> things I wanted to have completed by then. I ALSO have a whole year schedule thing; basically I just took out the assessment schedule, which has every single term. Again, it helps me visualise the time passing.
- I have mini filing cabinets; I use one for each subject, I also have ones designated for extra stationery, spare paper (I accumulated a crap ton since year 10 for math working out, but now I don't do math and don't use the spare paper at all), school notes and stuff. My dad just had some lying around and they turned out to be the absolute best! I'm lucky my study desk is quite long, so there's space to fit. What I store in each drawer is the schoolbooks, any current handouts/booklets etc. that I need to reference regularly, and current things to do (homework). As I mentioned before, as soon as I don't need the handouts anymore, I transfer them to the binder. This way your drawer isn't chock full of unnecessary things.
- Keep a journal/diary thingo! My school gives out diaries each year, but I like to customise my own. I keep it pretty simple, I just make to do lists for each day. Make sure not to have unrealistic, super long to-do lists. Prioritise the top 3 things, then write down the next 3. This way you don't get unmotivated. I also like to do weekly reflections sometimes; write down my achievements, write down what I could have done, write down things to do for next week. This doesn't have to be the only school-related! It can be personal too.
- Make use of study apps and nifty little tools on your devices! I made a post a while ago about useful study apps:
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=190925.msg1165266#msg1165266- Whiteboards are pretty cool. So are flashcards, post it notes, etc. They're not for everyone. I like post it notes the most; for Japanese, I stick Kanji around the house so I learn from exposure. I also like to have a bunch of post it notes next to me as I study; sometimes I'll randomly think of something that doesn't really 'match' anywhere (idk if that makes sense?), and so to prevent me from forgetting, I quickly scribble it down and go back to studying. Flashcards I use liberally for Japanese vocab. Whiteboards I use for upcoming assessments etc.
- For English, I preferred to purchase my own copy of the prescribed text. This way you can write all over it as much as you want. (or you can use post it notes like a normal person)
One thing I wish I did: do practice questions every single week!!! Just finished a syllabus dot point? Do a past paper question on it. I didn't start regularly doing this until Trials, which I highkey regret.
For the PIP...oh boy.- You MUST work on it consistently. I only really started doing proper work on it in March, and from then it was a stop and start situation. Don't be like me; do it every week. Every period you're given to work on it; actually work on it. You can talk to your friends any other time! And don't spend an exorbitant amount of time doing research; if you're like me, you'll end up over researching and wasting your time. Get your topic and every part of your PIP structured and planned before the summer holidays. I went on holidays during the summer and so I didn't spend much time on it (except I don't think anyone will be going anywhere these holidays lmao, so may as well use this time to work ahead).
- Make sure you annotate as you go! I did this and it made things so much less stressful. I saw my friends frantically trying to write up their annotated sources the day the PIP was due; not only did they have to write all of it at once, they also have to keep going back to the sources to remind themselves of what it provided. If you do it as you go, you won't need to waste this time.
- Ultimately, do not stress about the PIP. Looking back, it was actually extremely manageable, and you could have produced a solid PIP with 2 weeks of solid work. It isn't actually that much. 5000 words isn't much at all; I went over the word count by basically double (oops). As long as you consistently work on it, you'll be stress free and ready to hand it in.
For History Ext:- Again, it's not as much as it seems. 2500 words is equivalent to 2 normal English essays. Don't waste your time over-researching!!! Once you start finding sources that repeat the same info, it means it's time for you to start writing. Albeit my History Ext class was quite disrupted due to COVID; no assessments until Trials, so we never really had essay practice.
- There is no structure for the History Project; it's so vague, you'll either love it or hate it. I personally hated it. There really are no rules for it; it's not a traditional essay. As long as you're getting the point across, and your teacher agrees, I think you'll be fine. MAKE SURE TO GIVE IN AS MANY DRAFTS AS POSSIBLE.
I hope this helped you!
Alice : D