Rank 2

[sarangiya]

Hi everyone,
Even though it's toxic to my attitude, I can't help but worry about my ranking and SAC marks this year.
I'm doing Japanese SL 3/4 and am ranked 2 in an overall weak cohort with a strong top (me and Rank 1).
I was fairly glad with being rank 2 because I wouldn't have the pressure of dictating my class's SAC scaling, and hopefully Rank 1 can do better than I do, which would push me up, right?
I dropped 4 marks in SACs this year, and to be honest it was a little unfair. Rank 1 may only have dropped 3, and I feel that I was disadvantaged because the teacher says to me constantly "it doesn't really matter for you because you can do it again next year". I'm sorry but anyone who has done VCE (especially a language) will sympathise with me when I say I would rather die than do the subject again.
Reading the SAC rankings thread on this board, I was very worried because it looked although Rank 2 was the most adversely effected. However, that's because rank 1 did the 3rd worst in the exam, right?
In my cohort, the gap is too large for rank 3 to rank above 1 or 2.
So, if rank 1 did the best in cohort (and hopefully we'll on a larger scale) on the exam, their SAC score AND my SAC score (provided it was lower) would go up right? And even if I, Rank 2, did better, rank 1 would get my exam score as a scaled SAC mark and I would get their exam score (hopefully not too different to mine) as my scaled SAC score?
Is this correct?? I guess what I want to say is, provided Rank 3 doesn't do better than Rank 1 or 2, their exam score won't become Rank 2's scaled SAC, right? *prays*
Thanks 

[_fruitcake_]

Hi everyone,
Even though it's toxic to my attitude, I can't help but worry about my ranking and SAC marks this year.
I'm doing Japanese SL 3/4 and am ranked 2 in an overall weak cohort with a strong top (me and Rank 1).
I was fairly glad with being rank 2 because I wouldn't have the pressure of dictating my class's SAC scaling, and hopefully Rank 1 can do better than I do, which would push me up, right?
I dropped 4 marks in SACs this year, and to be honest it was a little unfair. Rank 1 may only have dropped 3, and I feel that I was disadvantaged because the teacher says to me constantly "it doesn't really matter for you because you can do it again next year". I'm sorry but anyone who has done VCE (especially a language) will sympathise with me when I say I would rather die than do the subject again.
Reading the SAC rankings thread on this board, I was very worried because it looked although Rank 2 was the most adversely effected. However, that's because rank 1 did the 3rd worst in the exam, right?
In my cohort, the gap is too large for rank 3 to rank above 1 or 2.
So, if rank 1 did the best in cohort (and hopefully we'll on a larger scale) on the exam, their SAC score AND my SAC score (provided it was lower) would go up right? And even if I, Rank 2, did better, rank 1 would get my exam score as a scaled SAC mark and I would get their exam score (hopefully not too different to mine) as my scaled SAC score?
Is this correct?? I guess what I want to say is, provided Rank 3 doesn't do better than Rank 1 or 2, their exam score won't become Rank 2's scaled SAC, right? *prays*
Thanks 

Worry about yourself not others, do your best.

[sarangiya]

If anyone cares at all, I managed to get a better score than Rank 1.
So anyone fretting about the same thing, have faith 

[JellyBeanz]

If anyone cares at all, I managed to get a better score than Rank 2.
So anyone fretting about the same thing, have faith 

Thanks for your experience sarangiya,

But you ended up doing Japanese 3/4 again this year? How's that going?

[HasibA]

If anyone cares at all, I managed to get a better score than Rank 2.
So anyone fretting about the same thing, have faith 

congrats!! How did rank 1 go? Do you know if you were scaled down (sacs) ? thanks

[HopefulLawStudent]

Reeeeeaaaalllly dumb question here but...

How do you guys know your ranks? Like my school generally doesn't tell kids their rankings. I begged and begged and begged my spec and methods teachers to know but they never told me. I guessed and made assumptions throughtout last year but I'll never know for sure, y'know? And I have no idea how accurate my assumptions are because come unit 4, we didn't get numerical marks. All we got was a dodgy scale that told us whether we did "good", "very good", "bad" or "very bad".

Apparently it's a school policy and all teachers are (in theory) supposed to not disclose rankings.

[Swagadaktal]

Reeeeeaaaalllly dumb question here but...

How do you guys know your ranks? Like my school generally doesn't tell kids their rankings. I begged and begged and begged my spec and methods teachers to know but they never told me. I guessed and made assumptions throughtout last year but I'll never know for sure, y'know? And I have no idea how accurate my assumptions are because come unit 4, we didn't get numerical marks. All we got was a dodgy scale that told us whether we did "good", "very good", "bad" or "very bad".

Apparently it's a school policy and all teachers are (in theory) supposed to not disclose rankings.

Ew - no numerical marks? That's disgusting.
TBH my school doesn't unveil the exact rankings but you cant kind of estimate where you are. I was fairly accurate in my prediction, however I was higher than what I thought I would be.

But yeah most schools at least give a numerical mark for sacs so from there you can give yourself an indication

[JellyBeanz]

Reeeeeaaaalllly dumb question here but...

How do you guys know your ranks? Like my school generally doesn't tell kids their rankings. I begged and begged and begged my spec and methods teachers to know but they never told me. I guessed and made assumptions throughtout last year but I'll never know for sure, y'know? And I have no idea how accurate my assumptions are because come unit 4, we didn't get numerical marks. All we got was a dodgy scale that told us whether we did "good", "very good", "bad" or "very bad".

Apparently it's a school policy and all teachers are (in theory) supposed to not disclose rankings.

Yeah what Swagadaktal just said, That's how i estimate my ranking.

But what do you mean no numerical marks? Do you not get numerical marks for SACS at all?

[HopefulLawStudent]

Yeah what Swagadaktal just said, That's how i estimate my ranking.

But what do you mean no numerical marks? Do you not get numerical marks for SACS at all?

No. We got our actual percentages for Unit 3 SACs + we got to look at our marked SACs (never got to keep them though). For Unit 4, didn't get back any SACs (which is apparently the norm for math subjects @ my school)or any percentages in Unit 4 (so like someone could have gotten 98% or 80% but they wouldn't be told what they got exactly cuz they'd just get a piece of paper saying they did "very good" which pretty much sums up the amount of feedback we'd get from that SAC). It's supposed to diminish the competition a little and eliminate the need for students to frequently compare themselves to others. 

Apparently our school's English faculty does the same during Unit 4 as well. 

[sarangiya]

Thanks for your experience sarangiya,

But you ended up doing Japanese 3/4 again this year? How's that going?

Yeah, I decided to do it again in hopes of getting a higher SS this time. I hope I do or I will have really wasted my time haha.

congrats!! How did rank 1 go? Do you know if you were scaled down (sacs) ? thanks

Thanks. I laugh reading back on this post because I remember how stressed I was. But yeah if you're in a similar situation: just take a breath and try beating yourself instead of the other person.
They got a 40.
I'm not sure actually. I was actually in Japan and forgot to send for the detailed results. As far as I could tell, they weren't scaled down. I think -2 points in GA1 and GA2 respectively was an A+ at school as well as after moderation. I'm not sure whether it was moderated to a high/med/low A+ though.

Reeeeeaaaalllly dumb question here but...

How do you guys know your ranks? Like my school generally doesn't tell kids their rankings. I begged and begged and begged my spec and methods teachers to know but they never told me. I guessed and made assumptions throughtout last year but I'll never know for sure, y'know? And I have no idea how accurate my assumptions are because come unit 4, we didn't get numerical marks. All we got was a dodgy scale that told us whether we did "good", "very good", "bad" or "very bad".

Apparently it's a school policy and all teachers are (in theory) supposed to not disclose rankings.

I never actually knew my ranking for sure but I had a small cohort, so I could accurately predict my position. And then Rank 1 would occasionally share results so we knew where we were. After the final SAC we actually told each other every SAC score and so I definitely knew I was Rank 2. As for your comment:

It's supposed to diminish the competition a little and eliminate the need for students to frequently compare themselves to others. 

I can relate. It really did create tension and competition to know the ranks (between 1 and 2, idk if the ranks below knew). Although, the teacher and the both of us saw the competition as a healthy thing and it did motivate me for a great portion of the year. In the end, I focused more on myself but up until then it was beneficial.
Having ambiguous SAC results is probably good in an ideal world - but it doesn't give you a great gage on where you could improve. Like, wanting to make a 'very good' and 'excellent' is probably harder than a '80%' to an '95%'. And because the scope is so big, you may be more likely to slack on small marks which make big differences in GA3. A lack of feedback also is probably not great,
Anyway, I'm sure it won't be a disadvantage, so don't worry. Just soldier on haha

[HopefulLawStudent]

Yeah, I decided to do it again in hopes of getting a higher SS this time. I hope I do or I will have really wasted my time haha.

Thanks. I laugh reading back on this post because I remember how stressed I was. But yeah if you're in a similar situation: just take a breath and try beating yourself instead of the other person.
They got a 40.
I'm not sure actually. I was actually in Japan and forgot to send for the detailed results. As far as I could tell, they weren't scaled down. I think -2 points in GA1 and GA2 respectively was an A+ at school as well as after moderation. I'm not sure whether it was moderated to a high/med/low A+ though.

You are officially my life goal right now. I wanna be able to look back on Year 12 and laugh about all the stress I'm feeling right now.

[sarangiya]

You are officially my life goal right now. I wanna be able to look back on Year 12 and laugh about all the stress I'm feeling right now.

Wow, how flattering haha :OO
You absolutely will. I guarantee. I mean, I say I'm laughing now but as soon as Term 3 hits I'll be eating my words lol.
But you look like you're on a sure path to success (!!) and the stress you deal with during VCE will only increase your capacity to deal with increasingly stressful situations to come down the track. It's probably shitty right now, but it's all for something and it will shape you into a better, more mature and brighter person. 

[Swagadaktal]

Wow, how flattering haha :OO
You absolutely will. I guarantee. I mean, I say I'm laughing now but as soon as Term 3 hits I'll be eating my words lol.
But you look like you're on a sure path to success (!!) and the stress you deal with during VCE will only increase your capacity to deal with increasingly stressful situations to come down the track. It's probably shitty right now, but it's all for something and it will shape you into a better, more mature and brighter person. 

I'm really curios as to how you're doing so many 3/4s before your grad year :O. You're doing 3 this year and you're not even in year 11? What on earth are you going to do in year 11 and 12?
Grats on your score btw - hopefully this year pays off though! I would've recommended focusing your energy on a completely new subject but I'm gathering the feeling that you're going to do at least 7 subjects sooo

[JellyBeanz]

I'm really curios as to how you're doing so many 3/4s before your grad year :O. You're doing 3 this year and you're not even in year 11? What on earth are you going to do in year 11 and 12?
Grats on your score btw - hopefully this year pays off though! I would've recommended focusing your energy on a completely new subject but I'm gathering the feeling that you're going to do at least 7 subjects sooo

Lmfao, how awesome would that be? do 1 subject each in year 11 and 12. That would be such a laugh.

[sarangiya]

I'm really curios as to how you're doing so many 3/4s before your grad year :O. You're doing 3 this year and you're not even in year 11? What on earth are you going to do in year 11 and 12?
Grats on your score btw - hopefully this year pays off though! I would've recommended focusing your energy on a completely new subject but I'm gathering the feeling thrat you're going to do at least 7 subjects sooo

Haha thank you. Well, to cut a long story short, I got very good at Japanese very quickly in Year 7 and thanks to a particularly great teacher and my school being tremendously supportive, in semester 2 of year 8 they suggested I go to Unit 2 classes when I had Year 8 Japanese classes. I of course accepted, and ended up doing maybe 2 SACs even though I wasn't supposed to. I did reasonably well on them, and when my teacher gave me practice exams to do in my free time I did pretty well on those too. She said that I ought to do 3/4 in Year 9. I was of course ecstatic. So I knocked off the last SAC, and organised to do 3/4 Japanese.

 Another teacher was worried I was too focused on Japanese, and wanted to 'broaden my horizons'. Not opposed to the proposition, I agreed to try a 1/2 with DECV. I chose philosophy (god why lol). I went pretty well, and my teachers concluded that since I had done the 1/2, I may as well do the 3/4 in Year 10.

I was then told by yet another support teacher that the psychology study design was changing and she thought I would be capable enough to do 3/4 psychology without the 1/2, and urged me to try it this year (the last in which 1/2 knowledge isn't necessary). Obviously a yes.

Japanese was only settled when I got my score back and wasn't satisfied. I was happy, but not satisfied. Plus, my teacher said she wanted me to (note me whining about being told "I could do it next year") and I thought it was - good idea too, eventually.
There was of course a bargain, so I'm not burdened too much by a repeated subject.

But yeah, I failed to cut the long story short but tl;dr I had great teachers, a good attitude, a good academic record and good luck I guess.

As for coming years... I'm not really sure. There was talk of graduating a year early but that didn't work out because I wasn't allowed to do a 1/2 of an English this year (overloading). And since 3 units of English is required to receive an ATAR, I will be at school for the same duration as everyone else. But I'd like to pursue university extension if I can, and hopefully more science-based subjects to open a few more doors.

Lmfao, how awesome would that be? do 1 subject each in year 11 and 12. That would be such a laugh.

I've been told both that "you'll probably be a part-time student in year 12" and "you'll end up doing 9 subjects."
I don't know which I prefer lol.
Probably the former. There's only so much secondary education that one should attempt If I could move on to some sort of tertiary education that'd be ideal, but that'll be something to organise down the track.
(Actually definitely the former haha — the potential 1 subject per year is too appealing haha)