ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Biology => Topic started by: happyhappyland on May 13, 2010, 05:54:35 pm

Title: Using past papers effectively
Post by: happyhappyland on May 13, 2010, 05:54:35 pm
How are you going to do your bio past papers?

Im going to do 2002-2007 VCAA ones and then do around 10 or so trial exams then do 2006-2009. And maybe repeat some of them
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: Transcendent on May 13, 2010, 08:28:50 pm
I did bio last year and regret doing only two past exam papers before the mid years, netting a low A+ (3 marks from A cutoff). I'd highly recommend that you do at least 10-20 past exam papers, doing the VCAA ones last.
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: akira88 on May 13, 2010, 08:40:10 pm
I did bio last year and regret doing only two past exam papers before the mid years, netting a low A+ (3 marks from A cutoff). I'd highly recommend that you do at least 10-20 past exam papers, doing the VCAA ones last.
Yeah I'm going to mix up other companies' and VCAA's exams up, but doing the more recent ones (2008,2009) a bit closer to exam time. I don't want to do all the VCAA ones first which my teacher told me because it'll feel like I am wasting a resource that I could do when I am more practised... if that makes any sense :P
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: Greggler on May 13, 2010, 10:23:32 pm
save up the vcaa's for sure

they give you the best gauge of how you are going
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: slothpomba on May 13, 2010, 10:58:54 pm
Apparently students at my school last year did 50 exams... seems like over kill and maybe the teacher was talking them-self up but they were a very good teacher... shame they left when i was just starting yr12 bio..
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: simpak on May 14, 2010, 12:35:50 pm
Plz see my post.
Don't just do VCAA.
Bai now.
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: stonecold on May 18, 2010, 09:40:59 pm
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/statistics/2006/gradeassess/vce_biology_ga06.pdf

Am I reading this properly???

I just did the 06 exam, and got 62/75, which I'm not all that happy with.  Am I going blind, or was I still in the A+ range.

I double my score and that becomes 124/150, which falls into A+ range for GA1.  I cant believe you can drop so many marks and still get an A+!
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: shinny on May 18, 2010, 09:43:37 pm
I think Biology is the subject (or one of the subjects) with the lowest A+ threshold. It's lower than spesh IIRC.
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: happyhappyland on May 19, 2010, 10:20:48 pm
I think Biology is the subject (or one of the subjects) with the lowest A+ threshold. It's lower than spesh IIRC.

Chem was also low low low last IIRC.

whats IIRC?
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: shinny on May 19, 2010, 10:23:58 pm
I think Biology is the subject (or one of the subjects) with the lowest A+ threshold. It's lower than spesh IIRC.

Chem was also low low low last IIRC.

whats IIRC?

If I remember/recall correctly.
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: happyhappyland on May 19, 2010, 10:32:49 pm
I think Biology is the subject (or one of the subjects) with the lowest A+ threshold. It's lower than spesh IIRC.

Chem was also low low low last IIRC.

whats IIRC?

If I remember/recall correctly.

Oh, and btw how many marks in the exams did you lose in the whole year for your biology study score?
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: Greggler on May 20, 2010, 05:02:31 pm
biology is awesome. you can get like a solid high 70% and still make A+ cutoff.

 
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: tram on May 20, 2010, 05:32:35 pm
save up the vcaa's for sure

they give you the best gauge of how you are going


i don't do biol but this holds true for all subjects, defs ao all the commercial papers first, then the vcaa ones last. Made the mistake of doing commercial ones after the vcaa ones last year with methods and it caused me to rush thu the actual exam too fast cos the commercial papers were harder than the vcaa ones
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: Greggler on May 21, 2010, 07:25:47 pm
however. by saving up you dont want to be leving them till the day or two before hand.

Because especially for subjects such as biol, you want to see the exact kind of answers you need to use for definition or explain questions from the examiner's reports.
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: tram on May 21, 2010, 09:52:39 pm
well yes.....defs do them AT LEAST a week before hand.......then re-do exams that you didn't do that well in....i.e. you SHOULD be getting 100% if you ahvev truly learnt from them
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: gmx on May 22, 2010, 07:34:56 pm
Plz see my post.
Don't just do VCAA.
Bai now.

link please
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: tram on May 22, 2010, 07:48:10 pm
^lol, just google it
Title: Re: Using past papers effectively
Post by: vea on May 22, 2010, 08:11:20 pm
Mavis's post is one of the stickied threads in the biology forum-hard to miss.