Hey everyone,
Just wanted to try jump on this trend and see what it’s about!
Subjects:
Year 11: Hebrew 3/4, Methods 3/4, Chemistry 1/2, English 1/2, PE 1/2, Spec 1/2
Year 12: English 3/4, Chemistry 3/4, Further/Spec 3/4, Tertiary Hebrew
Having done 2 difficult (at least for me) 3/4 subjects, I can definitely say that the experiences I had were somewhat different to what I would have expected.
Some of my year 11 experiences:
I had to work a lot harder in Year 11 and I found that the standard of the subjects (especially Hebrew) increased dramatically.
If you are doing a language, definitely speak and write lots and try to enrich your vocabulary whenever you are granted the opportunity to do so. Also, even though the exams are not for a while, it is necessary to at least try to do different sections of the exam even in earlier months (exam technique is key).
I personally tended to put more effort into Methods throughout the year, Methods is a subject I enjoyed, and also one that requires a significant amount of time to be dealt to it. I still worked somewhat hard in Hebrew but I was less motivated for it as I don’t enjoy languages as much.
Some things I found I need to improve on in year 12:
Having a study timetable:
One thing I failed to perfect (or even properly focus on) was not having study timetable- I wouldn’t expose myself to enough material in Hebrew early on, and I didn’t always work consistently and thoroughly before the SACs. It is best to plan out what you are doing every day on a calendar and something I should have considered earlier. I recommend this to everyone- it will decrease how stressed you are prior to SACs and exams and if you manage to follow it, you will gain confidence exponentially.
Consistency:
One thing that I tended to do in Year 11 was cram everything in last-minute (whether this was a SAC or a test). Similar to the previous point, if you are doing a language make sure you do portions of each part every day (eg. grammar, listening, reading comprehension and speaking). I was told to do an hour a day in Hebrew, but I didn’t always manage to do that- something I regret. In Methods, having the Work Requirements (the Cambridge book) definitely helped me remain up to date and ensured I understood the given material properly. Indeed, it is vital to do practice questions- if your school provides past SACs, definitely use them to revise for each SAC (whether it is Calculus, Functions and Relations or Probability). Doing many exams is useful but exam technique is of superior importance.
Using the Study Design:
Another thing I didn’t really consider in Year 11 was actually using the VCAA study design to guarantee I have covered and understood every point of each subject. This would have been useful in Methods as a revision tool, and can also help you if you want to get a head start in the holidays (you can chronologically progress through the study design). Looking through the study design/ examiners’ reports in Hebrew would have ensured each task I do and essay closely matched the required guidelines. If you do a language, I recommend checking the examiners’ reports and seeing what they are looking for and find what points you tend to cover and what you need to improve on.
Exam technique:
I cannot stress how important exam technique is to ensuring you perform to your desired standard in each subject you complete. Coming from someone who gets easily anxious, even though both my Hebrew and Methods teachers provided us with instructions about how much time to
dedicate to each section in the exam and how to approach each respective part of it, I panicked and did not perform as well as I would have desired in the exams (there was a disparity between my SACs and exams). Make sure to perfect your exam technique before the exam (it doesn’t matter how you prefer to complete it, as long as you feel prepared utilising it).
Some hopes for Year 12:
Firstly, you may notice that I have put Further/Specialist as one of my subjects. This is because I am undecided as to which subject to choose (I will choose within a few days). On the one hand, Further will ensure I have an easier workload and the maths is intended to be easier. I also tend to enjoy classes which are less competitive- while a lot of students are doing Further in my school, I will have a better experience as I will be with some of my friends and the environment will likely be more laid-back. However, I am someone who makes a lot of silly mistakes, and so I worry that I may not get an amazing study score as Further is ridiculously competitive and you can’t afford to drop marks. I also don’t feel as comfortable doing almost English-based maths, and I may find it hard to interpret certain details. On the other hand, having did Spec 1/2 I found some parts difficult but overall it was relatively reasonable. The class next year will be extremely competitive (many high-achieving Methods kids will be doing it) and I may struggle to keep up with the standard and may be concerned by this. However, it is a small class, which may be helpful if I require 1-on-1 assistance. The subject scales highly and I enjoy it more (purely because it is more similar to Methods compared to Further), but it does appear complicated just looking at recent exams and having begun the curriculum. Any advice about what to choose is greatly appreciated!
I hope to improve on my aforementioned mistakes and will be more consistent next year in terms of study, while also being able to having a solidified exam technique and, ultimately, perform how I desire in each respective subject.
One more thing I hope to do next year is complete exams under full exam conditions at an earlier stage of the year. This means using a clock (and not a timer) for each exam, not checking answers at any point and not stopping from start to finish. This is only something I properly focused on in mid-October, and something that came back to bite me.
Year 11, while difficult, has changed my perspective on VCE entirely. I hope to go into Year 12 more prepared and confident for each SAC and exam.
I will try to update this as often as possible. Any replies will be great!