Revolutions advice 2018

[lukem2017]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to undertake History: Revolutions as a 3/4 in 2018 and I'm utterly terrified!! I'm only aiming to achieve a SS of between 29-33 (as I don't want to be completely overwhelmed, I'm told that it is a very difficult subject). How hard is it to achieve this? How much work will this take? I'm freaking out   

[Sam M]

Definitely don't be terrified. Also, I suggest aiming higher than 29-33 -- it doesn't hurt to have high ambitions. Considering 30 is the average score, if you put in the average amount of work for a history student in the state, this should be very achievable. However, you've made it sound like you're doing history 3/4 in year 11, which is such a benefit for you, as this means you can devote more study time to it ( = better score).

Also, history is often called a difficult subject, as you have mentioned, however I think this is more due to the amount of content that you need to memorise/be familiar with, rather than the pure understanding side of it like in a subject such as methods. Thus if you can stay on top of it throughout the year and start memorising information early on instead of cramming before the exam, you can make it easy for yourself. A subject is only as difficult as you make it.

At this point in time, you are not behind, and even have the potential to get ahead. So don't freak out. Just put in the work, like any subject, and you can do well -- even much better than what you hope right now.

[K888]

Just adding on to the amazing advice Sam M has already provided

I really want to emphasise that Revolutions is considered a "difficult" subject because of the amount of content it has, not how hard it is to understand. In fact, I'd say it's one of the more straightforward subjects! This is purely anecdotal evidence, but I think it was probably the subject I found easiest to understand (and was also my best scoring subject) out of the six subjects that I did (Revolutions, English, Biology, Chemistry, Methods and French). It just made sense! And I found it more engaging as well because I felt that it was a bit more relevant than a lot of the other subjects I was doing!

It's also a subject that rewards effort. If you put in the effort to not only remember but understand the content and how to answer questions, you're all set for success!

In terms of study scores - why not aim to do your best possible effort and absolutely smash it out of the park? It sounds a bit cliché, but believe in yourself and you'll be able to do well. For the record, the range you've stated is very achievable, and I know a lot of people who have scored into this range and beyond without too much effort. Obviously it's all subjective, but provided you put in effort through the year, there's no reason why you can't aim much higher.

Go into the year with a good attitude, and good things will come. All the best.

P.S. I'd recommend having a chat to your teacher and let them know about your concerns! They'll be able to reassure you and fill you in a bit more about the smaller details of the subject.

[courtney2502]

I too did Revolutions as my 3/4 as a Year 11 this year, so I want to give you my advice and the things I wish I did and didn't do.

First of all - aim high! At the start of the year I said to myself I would be happy with just a 25, because I didn't believe I actually had the ability to get any higher. That's not to say I didn't try, but I definitely did not put as much effort into it as I should have, simply because I thought I would just be disappointed in the outcome, and 'what was the point?'

Another regret I have was not asking questions. For me at first I didn't really enjoy Revolutions - not because of the content or the teacher, but my class was half Year 11's and half Year 12's therefore we were too embarrassed to say anything in front of the Year 12's as they were unfriendly and unapproachable. As a result, I did not look forward to the lessons and I subsequently did not put in the effort I should have. That is, I should have asked my teacher during the lessons things I didn't understand straight away, rather than forgetting about it later and ultimately, having gaps in my knowledge.

I also wish that after every lesson, or at least at the end of every week, I typed up summaries of things we had learnt that day/week, about things such as events and their impacts and the influence of significant individuals. This would have saved me so much more time before all the SACs and the three exams I sat for it, and I know for a fact I could have done so much better in Revs if I had just done this simple step.

Also - make sure you cover the whole study design. I mean all of it - SERIOUSLY. I did the Russian Revolution for Section B and my teacher did not once cover in class women of the Revolution and individuals such as Alexandra Kollontai. I didn't know until about a month before the exam that this was on the study design, and since we never covered it, I completely disregarded it. And what happened? Part 2 of Section B for the Russian Revolution on the exam was all about women and Kollontai - I easily lost at least 15 marks in this section, and I am so disappointed because if I did actually have some knowledge, I would have gotten an A on the exam easily.

Also make sure to read- not just absent mindedly though. I found if I went through my books without highlighting information as I read it, I forgot in a matter of seconds what I had literally just read. In Unit 4 I begun to go through with three highlighter colours, (one for quotes, one for facts and statistics, and one for important info) and this helped me remember things so much better because I had to literally think about every single sentence and if it was useful to know or not.

If you need any more advice feel free to message me, I know I only got a 35 but I definitely think I was capable of getting at least a 40 if I actually tried properly!!