ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Science Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC Biology => Topic started by: studybuddy7777 on August 11, 2016, 04:31:36 pm

Title: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on August 11, 2016, 04:31:36 pm
The exam for me was today, not sure when everyone else has it, some might not have had it yet so please do not put up anything that gives away a question until the security period is over in week 5 or i WILL flex moderator muscle!!

Anyway what did everyone think?
Over studied? Under studied?

Tricky or easy?
What did you expect? Did you get what you expected?

I'll go first:

I thought it was on the whole pretty okay but as with always a couple of doozies (Did everyone see the mistake on Q8 of the multichoice?) wasnt really happy with the 8 marker at the end, but besides that i cant really complain all that much :)
Still reckon i did alright though, although im being careful not to jinx myself!
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 11, 2016, 05:27:22 pm
Q8 my school did an Errata (or as I call it Erre-ta) and pointed out the mistake in 8.

Overall, I can't say I overstudied cause you can never be TOO prepared, but overall easy exam

(2hrs to do :) )
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on August 11, 2016, 07:55:31 pm
Q8 my school did an Errata (or as I call it Erre-ta) and pointed out the mistake in 8.

Overall, I can't say I overstudied cause you can never be TOO prepared, but overall easy exam

(2hrs to do :) )
What do you mean by errata/erreta? We do a "page by page check" and the mistake was identified, outlined, explained and replaced then :D

Too true you can never be too prepared, but i was expecting worse..
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 11, 2016, 08:08:59 pm
It's a sheet saying there's a change in the paper (like a different question or an error in a question)

Also I agree, that it was much easier, like my chem was heaps easier than I thought

Moderation action: Merged double post.
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on August 12, 2016, 07:41:19 am
Oh right, we just got a verbal notification and a reference to the whiteboard where it was written up. No amendment papers for us :D

Also Senior Science (not wanting to jinx myself) was actually much easier than i thought it was going to be.
Fingers crossed that SOR II will be easy as well!
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 12, 2016, 07:49:08 am
It won't be, unless you know your stuff then it should be fine
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: CinnamonTea on August 12, 2016, 08:25:47 am
Did you guys like the chromosome question which involved drawing?? Those questions always stump me! My teacher tried explaining it but it wasn't very clear. Any advice for future exams?

Mod Action: Just modified this post to not give away the question for those still yet to sit it :)
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on August 12, 2016, 02:28:24 pm
Omg my chromosomes looked so mutated!! I cannot draw for the life of me! Hopefully theyll actually know that they are supposed to be chromosomes and not bananas or a scribble on the page ;D

My advice is to get every diagram you are asked to do in bio (starting with the feedback mechanism onwards) and just make a booklet of them to remember before the exam. Helps me anyway and i hope it helps you! :D
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: melprocrastinator on August 12, 2016, 03:42:57 pm
i thought that there was quite a bit of actual experiment questions, especially since i do communication. MULTIPLE CHOICE... ive seen easier questions FOR SURE. Some short answers were very "waffly" answers, you know when you have to go on quite a bit about small things to build up the marks.
I could have studied the experiments a bit more. But overall i think it was a fair exam, (excluding some multiple choice)
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 12, 2016, 07:23:24 pm
The last question for communication was pretty good cause it was just subheadings --> what should be done --> what you did for your experiment and Justify, easy marks
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Ragdolls on August 14, 2016, 07:49:08 pm
The trial was alright overall, not too challenging. But unfortunately, a lot of the concepts i took a lot of time studying a few weeks prior didn't even come up, especially from the module search for better health...
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 16, 2016, 05:04:13 pm
That's to be expected though, you can't have ALL the content from three modules for 75 marks, 20 of which is multiple choice, so it can be difficult
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Bparker on August 16, 2016, 05:39:28 pm
I found it to be a pretty good test on the whole, didn't think I'd end up needing the whole 3 hours but I found myself writing til the last minute going over answers for extra detail haha! I agree with melprocrastinator about going over the experiments, I definitely privilege content and information over the practicals  :-\
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Gregs on August 18, 2016, 04:20:04 pm
Anyone got any marks back?
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on August 18, 2016, 08:00:30 pm
We should be getting ours back on Tuesday. Have you got your marks back yet?
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 18, 2016, 08:41:39 pm
I think my teacher is only just starting to mark bio after finishing physics
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Gregs on August 19, 2016, 06:33:19 am
Yeah our schools marked them, got 83% and 20/20 in multiple choice
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 19, 2016, 10:45:51 am
Yeah our schools marked them, got 83% and 20/20 in multiple choice

Brilliant work Gregs! Top stuff ;D
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on August 19, 2016, 07:11:31 pm
I dunno if my finishing heaps early is a sign of knowing the content or not knowing it enough
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on September 03, 2016, 10:38:11 pm
After getting my results back, and also getting 20/20 for multiple choice, I topped my class with an 81, not too bad but it could've been better
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: studybuddy7777 on September 05, 2016, 06:55:13 pm
After getting my results back I realise the stupidest mistake I made. The last question (write about a prac you performed in this option) I wrote about a similar prac I did in senior. Lost me 7 marks.

Besides that, got a 70 (ranked 7th) but a 77 wouldve got me up to 2nd. Extremely frustrating...

Hopefully ill do better in the hsc lol
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on September 06, 2016, 06:04:21 pm
Yeah that PFA is tough and lost me a few marks
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: karenc. on September 18, 2016, 04:58:07 pm
Hi guys, I got 91 for the bio cssa exam. Anyways, how did you guys find the 8 marker about the question that science solves problems about disease.
I got a 4/8, highest for our grade was a 6. I have no idea where I lost 4 marks!
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: conic curve on September 18, 2016, 06:04:37 pm
Hi guys, I got 91 for the bio cssa exam. Anyways, how did you guys find the 8 marker about the question that science solves problems about disease.
I got a 4/8, highest for our grade was a 6. I have no idea where I lost 4 marks!

Congratulations on the 91 for bio  ;)

TBH it's all about looking at the marking criteria and whether or not it addresses the question directly
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: lha on September 25, 2016, 03:44:54 pm
Is the cssa usually harder than normal exams?
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: marynguyen18 on September 25, 2016, 03:52:38 pm
usually CSSA is a harder paper but sometimes independent papers can be harder, trials are meant to be harder than the HSC
Title: Re: CSSA 2016 Biology Thoughts?
Post by: Skidous on October 02, 2016, 02:50:08 pm

Hi guys, I got 91 for the bio cssa exam. Anyways, how did you guys find the 8 marker about the question that science solves problems about disease.
I got a 4/8, highest for our grade was a 6. I have no idea where I lost 4 marks!

That 8 marker is a Prescribed focus Area (PFA) and you'll find those in textbooks and in the syllabus (though I'm not sure where) and it is in the wording of Nature and Practice of Biology, so if you don't state the scientific method or the field of biology it is associated with you cannot get many marks. And as always you can lose marks for not answering the question