BIOLOGY sSAC HELPPPPP

[Frog824]

I just received my result for my last sac and did very terrible. Is there any structure or a way to write a great sac. I didn't get it, I mean I understood all the questions. Also, is there any way it will jeopardise my overall sac score by a great amount

[alondouek]

What type of SAC was it? Experimental design or test?

[Jayward]

make sure that you are incredibly specific and precise in your answers. thats a fool proof mark-gaining technique in biology
Eg.
Q) Describe an orange.
Bad A: A fruit that is also orange
Good A: A spherical citrus within which the orange pigment lutein and vitamin C are abundant. The outer skin is rough and coarse, while the inner flesh (mesocarp) is softer and sweet, making it appealing to many fauna

Edit: BTW! You will NEVER get the above question in bio haha. but this is kind of what you need to do to get a 38-50 ss IMO

[Frog824]

What type of SAC was it? Experimental design or test?

It was kinda like a test. It had discussion questions and stuff,

[alondouek]

It was kinda like a test. It had discussion questions and stuff,

Hmm. Biology has a very set language structure for answering questions. Make sure you keep your tenses constant throughout your answers, use the proper biological terminology everywhere. Don't go overboard with theory when answering a question, and don't 'waffle' - just answer the question; the more extraneous material you write, the more chance you'll lose marks through error.

Also, given the large amount of theory in Biology, make sure you don't get your concepts mixed up. For example, a lot of the VCE biology students I've tutored or assisted have had a great deal of confusion when asked to draw or explain the difference between DNA replication and cell replication.

If you ever have any specific Biology-related questions, feel free to PM me

[kerry.j]

Always include relevant keywords! Like if you're answering a question asking why a chemical reaction wasn't catalysed (enzymes), used words like "active site", "denatured", "temperature", etc.
Also when you're asked to define a term make sure to define each part of it, e.g. defining "intracellular enzyme", you have to define "intracellular" and enzyme". Last time on a SAC a lost a mark because I only define intracellular and not enzyme. :')
If you already know the content then it's your method of answering questions that needs working on, as practice for SACs you should do questions (even if you already know the answers) and take it to your teacher to mark.