ATAR Notes: Forum
HSC Stuff => HSC Science Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC Physics => Topic started by: jamonwindeyer on July 10, 2015, 03:44:15 pm
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You’ve finished your assessments for the course. Trials are around the corner, and before too long, the HSC will be too. And, in what could be a massive conspiracy, uni applications are closing in the next month or two as well. Or maybe interviews for colleges. All of it is screaming, “I need a Band 6 in Physics.” Or at least, it was for me. And I managed it! I scored a Band 6 in all my subjects, including Physics, got a 99.8 ATAR and am now studying at the uni that I wanted.
A Band 6 in one of the “deadly three” sciences is sometimes viewed as a bit of an impossibility. A lot of people aim for Band 5. You shouldn’t! A Band 6 for Physics is achievable and well within reach with a bit of hard work and study. Sure, it’s hard, but the benefits are well worth the work you put in! A Band 6 in Physics is an awesome accomplishment, and here are my tips to get you there.
Do Study Notes Week by Week
This is obviously much more useful for any Year 11/early Year 12 students reading, but this is probably one of my biggest tips. Don’t leave all your notes until the two week break before Trials. While writing notes is a good way to revise, there are much better uses of your time. You are much better off doing your notes week by week (this goes for all subjects).
Take an hour every weekend to read over your work for the week in Physics. Summarise it all in a page, less if you can. Obviously the shorter your notes are, the easier it is to revise, but don’t leave out important detail. This way, come Trials, you will already have a 40 page set of notes to use for revision.
This is the biggest mistake people make. Study Notes are NOT Study. They are a tool to help you study, the means to an end. But don’t think writing notes is all you need, and don't think they are something you must do either.
Know Your Terminology
In any science subject, half of the battle is knowing your jargon and terms. Physics is an exemplar of this.
You CANNOT get full marks in a relativity question without correctly defining a frame of reference.
You CANNOT get full marks in a cathode ray tube question without mentioning a cathode and an anode.
You CANNOT get full marks for a question on the ultraviolet catastrophe without mentioning (and possibly defining) a black body.
Knowing your terms is vital, and shows the marker that you know your stuff. Further, they are actually an awesome way to learn course content.
Instead of learning concepts, learn terminology. Knowing what a photon is ultimately means revising quantum theory. Knowing what back emf is means revising Lenz’s Law. Etc, etc. Terms are the starting point for everything. In fact, just making a list of all the terms, and memorising what they mean, with NO other study (and a bit of luck), would likely guarantee a Band 4, even Band 5 mark in Physics. No kidding.
So, in summary… Terms are super important. Learn them! Make lists, use study cards, make a crossword… All that sort of stuff.
Use the Syllabus
Physics is one of those subjects where not knowing a dot point will punish you. I fell for it in Trials. “Don’t worry about studying the contributions of a scientist to space travel!” I said. Guess what was worth 4 marks. This could be a conspiracy too, perhaps they are watching us, picking the dot points that we all miss…
Whatever the case, I strongly recommend making a checklist out of your syllabus. Both columns; they love to ask about practicals in the exam. Go through the checklist a week or two before the exam and check it off if you know you have studied that dot point. Use what’s left to form a study plan for the next day or two. Be sure that, by the morning of the exam, you have at least a basic understanding of everything in the syllabus.
BOSTES seems to always put questions on the ‘stranger’ parts of the syllabus in the exam. Einstein vs Planck on politics and science. Contributions of a rocket scientist. The connection between theory and evidence. The small, weird dot points that don’t get much attention. Give them that attention again, and it might just save you a couple of marks.
Don’t Stress About Your Trial Mark
Big big tip. Sure, Trials are important. But you need to remember, it isn’t your HSC! Your mark will, 99.9% of the time, improve. Often substantially. My mark in my HSC Trial would probably have given me a low Band 5 result for my HSC. But I didn’t panic, and nor should you.
What you should do is see what you need to improve on. For me, it was time management. I rushed through multiple choice to get to the bigger questions, which caused a lot of little mistakes. I also recognised that I needed more study in a few certain areas. And of course, it is great practice of exam technique. The Trials should be your learning curve, your measuring stick. Of course, be happy if you do well, but don’t stress if you don’t.
Practice, Practice, Practice
When it comes to studying for the HSC, there is only one method I recommend above all others. Practice. Get your hands on every past paper you can, and do as many as possible under exam conditions.
Perhaps even more important than doing the past papers, is marking them . This is when you get most of the benefit from them! Say you do a past HSC paper, and don’t mark it. Sure you might have a rough idea, but how do you know what you are getting wrong? Where to improve? Be sure to mark, even just quickly, all the past papers you do.
Of course, you have 5 or more subjects to study for. You might not have time to do too many past papers. There are two things that you can do to speed the process up.
1- Grab a massive stack of HSC papers, and spend 10 minutes reading through each one. Circle the questions which you think you’d have trouble answering. These questions form your practice bank, do half an hours worth every day through September and October, and by the exam you’ll have done the equivalent of half a dozen HSC papers. Obviously this is just one target, by all means do more or less!
2- Go back to your past papers that you’ve already sat (class tests, your Trial, etc), and circle questions you got wrong. Add these to your bank as well.
Doing these things will mean that you focus on the areas which are difficult for you, not the areas you already know. This is much more effective use of your time.
How Much Study Should I Do?
This is a difficult question. It depends on your other subjects, your academic ability, and a whole host of other factors. I am hesitant to give a specific amount of time; you should study until you can look at a past HSC paper and be confident that you could answer the questions confidently, and correctly, the majority of the time. This takes a lot of time. I personally studied about the equivalent of one hour a day for Physics, probably equating to about 25 hours over the HSC period. This is definitely too much for some people, who may remember things faster or understand things more easily. But this is what I needed. I would say aim for at least 15 hours, or half an hour a day, to be fully prepared for a HSC Physics Exam. Add more time if you have difficulty with any concepts.
Exam Tips
Okay, the time has come. You’ve studied, you’ve worked hard. What can you do to help your chances of smashing the exam? There is a massive amount I could write here, but here are a collection of my favourite exam tips for Physics:
- Create a little formula sheet/summary sheet to glance over before the exam, one last chance to get those concepts into your head.
- Walk into the exam confident and head held high. Pretend you’re about to sit a Year 6 Spelling Test. Strut into the room if you have to. The weird looks are worth it; that physical and mental confidence will translate into improved exam results! You’ll think more clearly, calm yourself down, and remove nerves which could impact your performance.
- Use the reading time effectively! That doesn’t mean speed reading the whole paper. Nor does it mean doing multiple choice questions in your head. Read each question slowly; I completely skip the multiple choice. Make note of difficult questions; your brain will remember them and work to solve them subconsciously. Get a feel for how you should allocate your time (EG- are there long questions at the end you need to make time for?) Don’t forget to check your elective questions.
- Do the multiple choice first. It can be argued that it is best to leave it until last, since you can guess answers if you have time. However, Physics papers are designed so that, if you work at a decent pace, you will have 15 minutes left to check your answers/fill in blanks at the end. So this is irrelevant. Do the MC first; it gives you a warm up and jogs your memory for the harder questions in the next Section.
- Do Section 2 next; leave the elective until last. No sense jumping back and forth. For Section 2, be clear and explicit in what you are saying. Show the marker that you know your stuff by defining any Physics terms you use, drawing diagrams, anything to prove to them that you understand what is in front of you.
- Reread your answers. Does it answer the question? Can you tell roughly what the question was just by reading the answer?
- Don’t be afraid to add dot points to your answers if you think of extra stuff. Further, I recommend answering extended responses in dot points . Either way, don’t waste time with topic sentences. Content, facts, equations, anything that relates to the question, as many as you can in the space they give, plus more!
- Keep a spare eye on the clock, and have an idea of whether you are on track, too fast, or too slow (aim for 15 minutes to check over answers at the end)
- For the elective section, you should aim to write as much as you have time to write (without waffling). You have the free space, use it! Draw big awesome diagrams. Draw tables. Basically, you have the room, show what you know however you feel comfortable doing it.
- Leave questions which prove difficult until last, so you can let them sit in your mind for a while, and come back at the end when there is less pressure
- Make sure every diagram is labelled!
- At the end, check over your answers. Check simple things like; SI Unit Conversion , have you given a direction in your answer if required, does the answer make sense , have you given units , some easy checks that could save you some easy marks.
These are just a few of my favourite tips, but there are many many more. If anyone out there has other exam tips, post them below for everyone to see! If everyone in Physics does well, it does really good things to how it is scaled, so helping each other is in your best interests!
One of the best ways to help each other is through forums like this, be sure to register for an account and share any tips, experiences or questions you have. Until next time, happy studying!
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Personally did you think practice exams were better than study notes?
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Personally did you think practice exams were better than study notes?
Any good student knows how to use both.
However at the very least of all of my subjects (except English - I reckon yes but you should ask others for opinions) past papers are way superior over ANY other form of study. Reason? They train you like how you're supposed to in the actual EXAM.
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Any good student knows how to use both.
However at the very least of all of my subjects (except English - I reckon yes but you should ask others for opinions) past papers are way superior over ANY other form of study. Reason? They train you like how you're supposed to in the actual EXAM.
Definitely I agree with this. That being said, I do think that you are talking about two stages of study here. The notes are kind of like the initial stages of synthesis and understanding, creating a document to help you with the latter stages, where it is all about practice, practice, practice ;D absolutely though, practice papers are the best way to study for any subject ;D
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In physics extended responses, is it always necessary to include formulas?
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In physics extended responses, is it always necessary to include formulas?
I'm actually talking about this sort of thing for quite a bit at our FREE LECTURE tomorrow! Basically, if you CAN use a formula in an extended response question, you should. Even if it doesn't REALLY add to you answer, just throw it in; it takes two seconds, and can really impress the marker. Generally, you can always include at least one formula or diagram (both are really important).
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I'm actually talking about this sort of thing for quite a bit at our FREE LECTURE tomorrow! Basically, if you CAN use a formula in an extended response question, you should. Even if it doesn't REALLY add to you answer, just throw it in; it takes two seconds, and can really impress the marker. Generally, you can always include at least one formula or diagram (both are really important).
Thanks
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Hi Jamon,
I was just wondering after reading your post what you were internally ranked in your trials, and how your internal ranked affected your overall ATAR.
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Hi Jamon,
I was just wondering after reading your post what you were internally ranked in your trials, and how your internal ranked affected your overall ATAR.
Hey Mark!! I was ranked 1st heading into all of my Trials, except:
- 2nd in Legal Studies
- 2nd/3rd for Extension 1 (can't remember which)
I got the highest mark in my school for every Trial exam, got myself into 1st place for Extension after falling majorly behind at the start of the year ;D
Your internal ranks are only part of the story for your ATAR though, you can do really well even if your internal ranks aren't the best!! Check out this article I wrote on how your ATAR gets worked out, and what you'll find is that the rank just determines how much you need to rely on your cohort!! This is why working together with everyone in your class is so important ;D
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Thanks heaps Jamon, very impressive ::) . Also about how many hours did you do studying in the lead up to trials?
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Thanks heaps Jamon, very impressive ::) . Also about how many hours did you do studying in the lead up to trials?
Thanks Mark aha!! To be honest, not that much, I couldn't put a number but it wasn't excessive. Probably maybe a couple of nights worth per exam on average? Trials is a hectic period, you likely won't get as much done as you like, and that is okay!! ;D
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Hi Jamon!
I have a just less than a week until my physics trials, what do you recommend as a way of study at this stage? doing past papers or consolidating my knowledge about the content?
Cheers
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Hi Jamon!
I have a just less than a week until my physics trials, what do you recommend as a way of study at this stage? doing past papers or consolidating my knowledge about the content?
Cheers
Hey Alice! I think it depends where you are at!! I'd do something like this:
- For some of the time, consolidate the areas of your knowledge that need some extra work. If there are concepts that are giving you trouble, revise them, and do extra questions from those sections.
- For the rest of the time, practice papers!
Make sure you mark your practice papers to try and notice trouble areas; if you do a paper and lose a lot of marks for Cathode Rays (for example), then go back and revise that chapter! It should be a continual process of doing past papers, identifying weaknesses, and addressing those areas! ;D
Practice is the absolute best use of your time, but you should also use it to notice areas to focus on. Besides that, just keep working, and I bet you'll smash the Trial! ;D
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DO we have to do study notes ? Is that mandatory ? I read over the school textbook and excell guides and watch videos if I don't get anything. Other than that all I do is past papers. Do I have to make notes ?
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DO we have to do study notes ? Is that mandatory ? I read over the school textbook and excell guides and watch videos if I don't get anything. Other than that all I do is past papers. Do I have to make notes ?
Definitely not! ;D as long as you have resources you can turn to that let you revise/relearn/understand your content then definitely don't have to do notes yourself ;D
Also like, just my opinion: It's not like people who don't write notes aren't allowed to get a Band 6, nothing is every mandatory in terms of "how to achieve" ;D
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Hi,
How many hours a week should I be aiming for to achieve a band 6 in physics? What is the minimum?
Thanks
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Hi,
How many hours a week should I be aiming for to achieve a band 6 in physics? What is the minimum?
Thanks
Hey frog! It is pretty much impossible for me to quote a number, everyone is different. There is certainly no minimum either! Some people need just a few hours a fortnight to really understand the content - Some need a dozen! It is completely up to you to work as hard as you personally need to, to be able to understand and apply the content in an exam scenario ;D
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Hey frog! It is pretty much impossible for me to quote a number, everyone is different. There is certainly no minimum either! Some people need just a few hours a fortnight to really understand the content - Some need a dozen! It is completely up to you to work as hard as you personally need to, to be able to understand and apply the content in an exam scenario ;D
Ok, I understand. Is there anyway to "guarantee" you will go well in the physics exam? Or not really?
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Ok, I understand. Is there anyway to "guarantee" you will go well in the physics exam? Or not really?
You can never 100% know for sure - Stuff happens! But the more practice you do, and the more experience you have applying your knowledge in an exam scenario, the closer you get to 100% ;D like, if you practice heaps and put a lot of work in to understand your content, then you can be 99% sure you are going to perform well in your HSC ;D
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Hi Jamon,
I just wanted you to shed some of your godly advice on me about physics :).
My current problem is that I cannot seem to get full or close to full marks on long responses. I am always currently around the 60-75% within my long response answers, and this is what is basically distinguishing me from getting into the top 3 (i am currently 6th out of around 70).
I have started to highlight key terms and right out a plan, and i have seen a lot of improvement, but i just wanted some of your advice. My physic trial is tommorow :P.
Thanks :)
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Hi Jamon,
I just wanted you to shed some of your godly advice on me about physics :).
My current problem is that I cannot seem to get full or close to full marks on long responses. I am always currently around the 60-75% within my long response answers, and this is what is basically distinguishing me from getting into the top 3 (i am currently 6th out of around 70).
I have started to highlight key terms and right out a plan, and i have seen a lot of improvement, but i just wanted some of your advice. My physic trial is tommorow :P.
Thanks :)
Hey John! You are doing the two things I'd definitely recommend doing - Ensuring you understand exactly what is going on (pay special attention to the verb used, this is a helpful guide on them) and planning your approach accordingly. From here it is just practice!! Make sure you are looking at exemplar/sample responses, checking your answers, making special notes of the things you missed. By the time the HSC rolls around, you should be able to write a dot point list of what you'd include in your answer as soon as you see the question - This comes from having done enough questions and knowing the syllabus to such an extent that you know what needs to be included ;D
That's the HSC, this is Trials - Do the best you can here and then build from it! You are still smashing it with that rank ;D
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Hey Jamon and peeps in general.
CSSA paper had a question on the work energy theorem, it could only be solved with
qv = .5mv^2
However that cannot be derived from any of the formulae in the formula sheet, it was pretty out of syllabus ?
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Hey Jamon and peeps in general.
CSSA paper had a question on the work energy theorem, it could only be solved with
qv = .5mv^2
However that cannot be derived from any of the formulae in the formula sheet, it was pretty out of syllabus ?
I heard about this question (I think at least) - It was definitely a unique and interesting one! However, definitely assessable - I had a 10 minute brainstorm with my brother who sat the paper about the reasoning behind how you could crack it. I'm not sure of the exact question/wording though, if you give me the gist of the question I can try and step through it for you, if it would be helpful? :)
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Hi, :)
Thanks so much this was so helpful. I am currently in yr 11 and i am a average physics student but next year I want to be achieving a band 6. DO you have to be naturally good at physics to excel in it?
Is it possible even if you are not the fastest learner and take time to learn concepts to get band 6 with hard work and practice , or is it not worth the time?
Please suggest how many hours a week I should be studying physics, I know you have mentioned above but I just wanted more detail. Also importantly in these September holidays before yr 12 what should I be doing + the Dec holidays as I have heard most band 6 students finish the whole syllabus?
Would appreciate if you could answer as soon as possible?
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Hi, :)
Thanks so much this was so helpful. I am currently in yr 11 and i am a average physics student but next year I want to be achieving a band 6. DO you have to be naturally good at physics to excel in it?
Is it possible even if you are not the fastest learner and take time to learn concepts to get band 6 with hard work and practice , or is it not worth the time?
Please suggest how many hours a week I should be studying physics, I know you have mentioned above but I just wanted more detail. Also importantly in these September holidays before yr 12 what should I be doing + the Dec holidays as I have heard most band 6 students finish the whole syllabus?
Would appreciate if you could answer as soon as possible?
Hello :D
Firstly, welcome to ATAR notes!
To answer your first question ( 'do you have to be naturally good at physics to excel in it?')
I would argue NO you do not have to be 'naturally good' at physics. The physics syllabus in my opinion is relatively simple, HSC physics is rather limited in the amount of mathematics and 'true physics' that is involved. With a good study ethic and if you put the time into the subject you can definitely excel in the subject. In the end the HSC comes down to exam technique and honestly (this goes for almost all hsc subjects) natural talent will only take you so far, in the end the band 6 students may not be the most 'naturally talented' students they are in most cases hardworkers who are consistent throughout the entire year.
To answer your second question ('Is it possible even if you are not the fastest learner and take time to learn concepts to get band 6 with hard work and practice , or is it not worth the time? ')
It is 100% possible to get a band 6 in physics. Being a fast learner can be helpful, however if you are not that is not a worry, as long as you work hard on the subject anything is possible ;D
To answer your final question and in-terms of how much study you should be doing now, I would argue that at this stage you don't worry too much about it. By all means start learning ahead. The summer holidays can be very valuable for getting ahead of your classmates, but honestly you don't want to burn out too early. I would say learning at least 2 topics in the syllabus before next year and during the summer holidays would put you ahead of the majority your classmates (and the state). Don't stress now :D
I hope this information helped, always feel free to come back to ATAR notes if you have any other questions. From personal experience i can tell you this site has definitely made my year 12 journey 100 times easier ;D
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Hi, :)
Thanks so much this was so helpful. I am currently in yr 11 and i am a average physics student but next year I want to be achieving a band 6. DO you have to be naturally good at physics to excel in it?
Is it possible even if you are not the fastest learner and take time to learn concepts to get band 6 with hard work and practice , or is it not worth the time?
Please suggest how many hours a week I should be studying physics, I know you have mentioned above but I just wanted more detail. Also importantly in these September holidays before yr 12 what should I be doing + the Dec holidays as I have heard most band 6 students finish the whole syllabus?
Would appreciate if you could answer as soon as possible?
Love the response from Maraos above ;D just wanted to stress:
- Yr 11 performance is no indicator of Yr 12 performance unless you let it be an indicator, you can absolutely improve. And you definitely don't need to be a natural, you just need to be willing to invest the time, even if that is more time for you than it would be for others.
- No one does the whole Physics syllabus in the September holidays. Can't be done - Not effectively anyway. You should definitely not be putting that much pressure on yourself, that's nuts. Do some early reading on the first topic, attend the ATAR Notes Head Start lecture, and that's it. You need to rest too! :)
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Hey!
What's the main difference between year 11 and 12 physics in your opinion? Was there a general consensus on the hardest topic or did it vary for most people? What did you guys enjoy/hate?
Personally, most people at my school, including myself. found Moving About to be the hardest topic, while Electricity (as it was really a revision of previous year's) and Cosmic Engine (lots of memorisation but not a lot of skills) were said to be the easiest. Are the year 12 topics a lot different from these (regarding the amount of calculations, extended responses, and not so much the actual content)?
Thanks :)
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Hey!
What's the main difference between year 11 and 12 physics in your opinion? Was there a general consensus on the hardest topic or did it vary for most people? What did you guys enjoy/hate?
Personally, most people at my school, including myself. found Moving About to be the hardest topic, while Electricity (as it was really a revision of previous year's) and Cosmic Engine (lots of memorisation but not a lot of skills) were said to be the easiest. Are the year 12 topics a lot different from these (regarding the amount of calculations, extended responses, and not so much the actual content)?
Thanks :)
Hey, this is just my experience, (it could be much different for you!)
Year 11 was more difficult, and yes I agree, moving about was the most difficult.
The general outline of Year 12 is the same, the type of questions and the setting out for calculations are almost identical, especially with key terms such as explain, compare and analyse. The way you set out an 8 marker in year 11 will be the same setting out for an 8 marker it year 12 (just different content!)
The main difference as a whole (that I found anyway) was that Year 11 was just content (ie the cosmic engine) But year 12 more focuses on CONCEPTS, and that was the thing I enjoyed the most about year 12, the concepts.
On the hardest Year 12 topic, I personally found Ideas to Implementation the most difficult and Space to be the easiest (but that might be due to having more/less time on them) However mark's wise, out cohort lost the most marks on the Motors and Generators as it can have many tricky concepts!
Out of everything, the AC induction motor was the content I did not enjoy (Took forever to get it fully understand it)
HOWEVER!!!!!!!
Year 12's content is FAR easier
I've gone from mid 60's in year 11 to low 90's in year 12
This was my outlook on the course, and it could be completely different to someone else though!
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Are there any concepts I should completely master? Also, I'm fine at the theory section of the exams, but when it comes to the maths, I tend to make silly mistakes. I know the test is tomorrow but any tips on how to combat this isuue? I really want to get a Band 6, and I've been averaging in the 80 percentile for this whole year, so hopefully I improve in the exam.
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Are there any concepts I should completely master? Also, I'm fine at the theory section of the exams, but when it comes to the maths, I tend to make silly mistakes. I know the test is tomorrow but any tips on how to combat this isuue? I really want to get a Band 6, and I've been averaging in the 80 percentile for this whole year, so hopefully I improve in the exam.
Hey! Here is a guide on smashing those maths questions ;D
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Why are you getting below 10?
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Sorry for the late reply!! But it is definitely very possible to still get a Band 6 in Physics, but you'll have to work really hard to improve a heap from this point forward. You really won't be able to afford to get another score below a pass :) good luck!
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I had a look at the 2015 past hsc physics paper... It somehow reminds me of 'The World Communicates' module from year 11... My year 11 physics is terrible and I heard that most of the year 11 stuff won't come out... How much of the prelim knowledge do I need to excel in physics?
Hi! They'll never assess prelim content directly, you only need as much of it as is necessary to understand the Year 12 content. So, some of your formulas from Moving About (that are on your reference sheet anyway), some basic ideas on things like energy, what a wave is, etc etc. But nothing substantial - You could skip the Prelim course altogether and still get a Band 6.
What question(s) in the 2015 Paper had you concerned? :)
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Hi, I was just wondering whether extensively using past papers is a good idea or not in 2019, considering that the physics course has changed a fair bit.
Is it still useful to do a lot of past papers, and is there other ways to find practice questions?
Thanks in advance,
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Hi, I was just wondering whether extensively using past papers is a good idea or not in 2019, considering that the physics course has changed a fair bit.
Is it still useful to do a lot of past papers, and is there other ways to find practice questions?
Thanks in advance,
Hey there Joseph! So it's true that there isn't as much useful practice out there now as there was last year, but yep - Past papers should still be your primary go to. There is a lot of overlap; get a teacher or someone else knowledgeable to pick out the relevant questions from old exams and use those as revision. NESA also released a sample exam here. Beyond that, your textbook should have a tonne of useful exercises in it - I'd be going to those if you get stuck ;D
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Ok, thanks
Also, do you know if topics such as electric circuits which we covered in yr 11 and only briefly revised in yr 12 are examinable?
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Ok, thanks
Also, do you know if topics such as electric circuits which we covered in yr 11 and only briefly revised in yr 12 are examinable?
They aren't directly examinable but are allowed to be assessed indirectly - For example, you can be asked to use Ohm's Law in a HSC exam, but you won't necessarily be asked to do detailed circuit analysis ;D