ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Maths Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC Mathematics Advanced => Topic started by: jamonwindeyer on August 03, 2017, 01:13:48 pm

Title: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 03, 2017, 01:13:48 pm
Here's a space for you guys to discuss the 2017 CSSA 2U Exam! Were the questions kind? Did you study the right things? How would you change your approach for the real thing in October?

Papers were required to be held until today (Thursday 17th) so we can now chat about the questions and the approaches we took. However, please do not share copies of the exam or anything similar!
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: Annie657 on August 03, 2017, 01:58:07 pm
I thought it was pretty tough- q14 and q15 had some tricky elements, but I found 16 not that bad!
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 01:59:46 pm
I thought it was pretty tough- q14 and q15 had some tricky elements, but I found 16 not that bad!

Always nice when you can handle Q16 regardless of the rest 8)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: blasonduo on August 03, 2017, 02:03:43 pm
q 15 was oddly simple, the last question, good grief, I've lost all marks there.

Overall, for a CSSA exam, and the difficulty I've heard about them, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Still not a good mark, but better.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 02:17:01 pm
Yeah, q 16 was oddly simple, the last question, good grief, I've lost all marks there.

Overall, for a CSSA exam, and the difficulty I've heard about them, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Still not a good mark, but better.
What do you hear about the difficulty of CSSA exams?
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: beatroot on August 03, 2017, 02:19:27 pm
Multiple choice, question 11-13 and 15 were not that bad. Question 14 confused me a lot!! Took me a long time to figure out how to do the last part for question 16. Just realised how to do it in the last five minutes and didn't finish my answer :(. Honestly don't really mind if I get 70%-80% for this exam, cssa maths exams are quite tricky!
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: blasonduo on August 03, 2017, 02:21:58 pm
What do you hear about the difficulty of CSSA exams?

"Stupidly difficult" :P
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: winstondarmawan on August 03, 2017, 02:31:42 pm
When can we start discussing the answers?
Just want to know if what other people got for a few questions...
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: blasonduo on August 03, 2017, 02:39:52 pm
When can we start discussing the answers?
Just want to know if what other people got for a few questions...

I feel you, discussing answers and how to get to them would be cool!
Sadly, for some reason, others schools do these papers later (makes no sense to me) so I'd guess a week or further.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: Witchypoo on August 03, 2017, 02:44:30 pm
Ok so I'm a little confused - I'm on here for my son - why is this only a CSSA discussion ? Is there a separate one for public schools and again for independent schools ?? Doesn't everyone sit them at the same time and the same exam ????
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 02:53:49 pm
When can we start discussing the answers?
Just want to know if what other people got for a few questions...
There is a security period that you're not allowed to openly discuss the paper with. Jamon will have the actual date for you.
"Stupidly difficult" :P
Lol. I reckon that's the independents papers, not CSSA.

CSSA ain't easy but they're not that bad imo.
Ok so I'm a little confused - I'm on here for my son - why is this only a CSSA discussion ? Is there a separate one for public schools and again for independent schools ?? Doesn't everyone sit them at the same time and the same exam ????
Short answer - No.

That's only the case for the actual HSC exam, not the trials.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: rodero on August 03, 2017, 03:42:15 pm
Ok so I'm a little confused - I'm on here for my son - why is this only a CSSA discussion ? Is there a separate one for public schools and again for independent schools ?? Doesn't everyone sit them at the same time and the same exam ????

The trials are still considered an 'internal assessment', so the school can pick which trial paper to use. From what I know, all Catholic schools use the CSSA paper, whereas other schools will either purchase a different paper or make the trial paper themselves. The reason this is called the CSSA discussion is because there is such a majority of students who do this paper. The final HSC paper is the only 'external assessment', where every student who studies the subject will take the same paper, at the same time
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: georgiia on August 03, 2017, 03:45:21 pm
I thought it was pretty tough- q14 and q15 had some tricky elements, but I found 16 not that bad!

16 was fine, the integration with the trig graphs was confusing... i think that was in q14 but i'm not sure
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: georgiia on August 03, 2017, 03:46:14 pm
q 15 was oddly simple, the last question, good grief, I've lost all marks there.

Overall, for a CSSA exam, and the difficulty I've heard about them, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Still not a good mark, but better.

Which was the last?
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 03:51:28 pm
Which was the last?
Please do not ask for questions on this thread - as mentioned in the opening post, some students have not completed the paper.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on August 03, 2017, 05:33:25 pm
i was definitely not a fan of this exam at all... i found it quite difficult. everything up to question 11 was okay, 14 was alright, and the rest was for lack of other words, terrible. i don't think i prepared enough but that's always something to improve on in the lead up to the hsc. :-)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: bun00 on August 03, 2017, 06:16:30 pm
pretty much......wth?!..i thought the exam was pretty ridiculous tbh and definitely played up to the description of a 'cssa paper'  ??? ???
there were a fair few questions i didnt attempt but nothing like a challenge to get us going for the hsc :)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: 12070 on August 03, 2017, 07:19:40 pm
Wasn't a great paper. Feel a little deflated that I did the most study for Maths and it will probably be my lowest percentage. I know it's all relative but it's hard to be happy with yourself after leaving a lot of questions blank. I remember on one question I couldn't do the very first part and they didn't have 'show that...', I looked at the next parts and you needed part (i) which I would have been able to do if they had of given it to us. From memory, there were 6 marks following part (i) that all needed the value. Thought that was a bit harsh. Just hoping my rank doesn't change much now.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 07:21:05 pm
Does anyone want to PM me some of the questions and unleash some rage that they can't otherwise do in public?
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on August 03, 2017, 07:25:12 pm
Does anyone want to PM me some of the questions and unleash some rage that they can't otherwise do in public?

nah sorry i think i'd rather leave that pain in the past
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on August 03, 2017, 07:27:38 pm
nah sorry i think i'd rather leave that pain in the past
Which is fair enough. Nobody's obliged to, especially when the remaining exams should be the priority right now.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: ekhan_01 on August 05, 2017, 12:16:49 am
I found q14 a mind killer, the rest was pretty okay! I was on the right track for q16 but stumbled across a few errors along the way, which I hope to eradicate by HSC  ;D
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: dan964 on August 05, 2017, 05:10:39 pm
Please do not post the specific questions - Some students are yet to complete the paper and we want to keep it fair!
Note: Also not just a matter of fairness. There is a security period on CSSA papers :)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 06, 2017, 11:07:09 am
Note: Also not just a matter of fairness. There is a security period on CSSA papers :)

Yeah precisely ;D I think there were people above wondering when we can discuss fully, that's when the security period finishes, which is Thursday 17th ;D
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: georgiia on September 11, 2017, 05:21:40 pm
I was wondering if anyone knows their schools' average for the CSSA? Also, is 86 a good mark for the 20177 CSSA paper? I'm happy because i kept my rank, but want to know how this compares to other schools. What was the highest at other schools?

Thanks!!
:)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on September 11, 2017, 05:35:35 pm
I was wondering if anyone knows their schools' average for the CSSA? Also, is 86 a good mark for the 20177 CSSA paper? I'm happy because i kept my rank, but want to know how this compares to other schools. What was the highest at other schools?

Thanks!!
:)

i don't know the average for mine, but it's somewhere between 55-60. 86 is a great mark! our highest was 89. (i think)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: pikachu975 on September 11, 2017, 08:01:18 pm
Average at my school was probably 70s or 80s but my brother got 100 (yr 11)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: beatroot on September 11, 2017, 08:51:29 pm
I was wondering if anyone knows their schools' average for the CSSA? Also, is 86 a good mark for the 20177 CSSA paper? I'm happy because i kept my rank, but want to know how this compares to other schools. What was the highest at other schools?

Thanks!!
:)

Our average was around 75-80. Highest was 99 (don't even know how that's possible)
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on September 11, 2017, 08:59:46 pm
Our average was around 75-80. Highest was 99 (don't even know how that's possible)
Pretty much always, the person who comes first in the state (or people who tie it) get 100 raw in the final exam. 2U is designed so that this certainly isn't impossible.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: georgiia on September 11, 2017, 09:19:43 pm
Average at my school was probably 70s or 80s but my brother got 100 (yr 11)

I wish!!

Pretty much always, the person who comes first in the state (or people who tie it) get 100 raw in the final exam. 2U is designed so that this certainly isn't impossible.

Yeah but HSC is significantly easier than CSSA

Mod edit: Posts merged
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on September 11, 2017, 09:28:17 pm
Yeah but HSC is significantly easier than CSSA
Is it?

I can see how it's easier but I never felt it was "significantly" easier
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: georgiia on September 11, 2017, 09:33:35 pm
Is it?

I can see how it's easier but I never felt it was "significantly" easier

Well not necessarily the entire thing, but for HSC you very much know what to expect with the style of questions so if you practise a lot you are good to go but I think with CSSA at times there are questions that throw you off if you haven't seen that style before or aren't great with thinking on your feet.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on September 11, 2017, 09:48:03 pm
A small barrier gets drawn by the fact that CSSA papers are copyrighted, so students have a lack of past papers. At the end of the day, if there were just as many CSSA papers available as is NESA papers, and of course the student has enough time, they would just as well be able to excel at CSSA papers also. It's just about training your abilities to adapt.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: EEEEEEP on September 11, 2017, 09:50:30 pm
Well not necessarily the entire thing, but for HSC you very much know what to expect with the style of questions so if you practise a lot you are good to go but I think with CSSA at times there are questions that throw you off if you haven't seen that style before or aren't great with thinking on your feet.
This. The style of q's are not like common and they do test your knowledge. They were designed to test your knowledge and be " harder" than the HSC.
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: pikachu975 on September 11, 2017, 10:21:34 pm
A small barrier gets drawn by the fact that CSSA papers are copyrighted, so students have a lack of past papers. At the end of the day, if there were just as many CSSA papers available as is NESA papers, and of course the student has enough time, they would just as well be able to excel at CSSA papers also. It's just about training your abilities to adapt.

Idk about that cause so many people have copies of CSSA
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: RuiAce on September 11, 2017, 10:42:23 pm
Idk about that cause so many people have copies of CSSA
Forgetting that most of the time it'd be most likely illegally obtained, it's quite hard to find people who have almost all of them (or have the time to do them as well).
Title: Re: 2017 CSSA Mathematics Discussion
Post by: 12070 on September 11, 2017, 11:00:11 pm
A small barrier gets drawn by the fact that CSSA papers are copyrighted, so students have a lack of past papers. At the end of the day, if there were just as many CSSA papers available as is NESA papers, and of course the student has enough time, they would just as well be able to excel at CSSA papers also. It's just about training your abilities to adapt.

I fully agree with this. Throughout the year our papers were very similar to HSC and I went into the trials with 140/147 9my study was solely HSC past papers). I  assumed this method would work for CSSA but lost a lot of confidence when I couldn't do the early questions. I only just scraped a pass in the CSSA paper and I put it down to lack of familiarity. Under different circumstances, I could have probably gotten >75%. The very next paper I did was 2011 HSC and I didn't drop a mark until question 9. I can guarantee that there isn't that big of a disparity between CSSA and HSC and I feel my trial result reflected mindset rather than ability.