Obtaining the VCE often leads to two of the most stressful years for high school students, with expectations needing to be met both for students themselves and their parents – university choice is largely dictated by the result after all! Sometimes a tutor can be helpful in guiding a student to obtain the higher scores which are needed to reach these hopes. Tutors who have just finished VCE can be particularly suitable for certain students, both because of the cost factor, and because often the notes of someone who used the same work for themselves is more detailed than that of private teachers. I finished VCE in 2009 with an aggregate of 214.5, a Premier's Award for All-Round Achiever, an Australian Students Prize and a National Scholarship to study a Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne (as well as scholarship offers to the University of Sydney - MBBS/BSci - and Monash University).
My Subjects (and Study Scores):
English (50):
English is a subject which, on a fundamental level, is frequently misunderstood. Students can often study it in an inefficient and occasionally regressive way, due to misconceptions about what the course entails. Complicated terms and words, though they can help to add cohesiveness to an essay, are not essential. Moreover, they should not be favoured over clarity and conceptual development, especially under the time constraints of an exam. English as a VCE subject is more about using simple language to construe complex ideas. Similarly, writing 20 of each type of essay outside assessment is rarely needed, and doing too many essays can lead to uninspired writing in addition to time wasting. Once an effective essay structure and style is established which can be adapted to different topics quickly and easily, it becomes more important to focus on themes and ideas in the texts. As a tutor, I will help in the development of a writing style suited for the individual (and can help to mark if desired), before providing interpretations to texts which can be further explored and used. Out of a desire to maximise my usefulness and not waste a student's time or money, I only offer tutoring for Richard III, Whose Reality? and Language Analysis.
Chemistry (49):
This is one of the harder subjects where knowing whether you have prepared extensively enough is difficult. The many parts per question means that one section can have a very unexpected spin. Preparation should therefore involve a firm knowledge of the basics, but also must include exposure to many different examples and questions. Extensive notes are available for Units 1 – 4, as well as sets of questions of varying difficulty. At University level, I achieved a 96% in Chemistry for Biomedicine. Additionally, much of Unit 3 is based on Biology, for which I received 95% in Sem 1 and 97% Sem 2 (winning the W.H. Exhibition for top of first-year biomedical biology as well as a place of the Dean's Honours List for all my first year marks). In second year, I have done a subject with an extensive biochemical component, Molecular and Cellular Biomedicine, in which I received a 94%.
Physics (49):
The secret to VCE Physics lies in a detailed but concise set of notes and a well-constructed cheat sheet. Many similar questions appear on SACs and Exams and so your notes can have a set answer that can be adapted as necessary. Notes for all core areas of the physics course will be available (adapting material from external references as well as the textbook), and for the detailed studies of Structures and Materials & Sound. Exam-style questions which are not in the textbooks will also be provided. At University level, I have done Physics 2: Life Sciences which covers virtually everything in VCE Physics (93%).
Mathematical Methods (49):
Maths Methods is a subject in which it is very possible to get a high mark if learnt carefully and correctly a first time. There are only a limited number of ways questions can be asked and a set combination of methods which can be exploited (unlike Specialist Mathematics), so it is important to learn the fundamentals and practise them. I can help to create notes for all areas of the CAS course as well as to provide extra questions from various books, including past exams dating back to the 80’s. At University level, I studied a Statistics subject (a more in depth way of doing probability), receiving 100%. This semester, I studied Calculus 2 (98%).
Specialist Mathematics (47):
The assessments for Specialist Mathematics tend to vary in difficulty each year, so while it is difficult to judge what level of understanding will be needed for a particular exam, a recurring blight is silly mistakes. The best way to reduce them is to practise a range of questions. I can help to indicate (and provide) sets of questions (from within and outside the Essential textbook) which are most needed. Notes will also be provided on the relevant parts of the course from both Specialist Mathematics and General A (facets of which are sometimes needed).
Latin (44):
As a small subject, Latin is a subject in which it pays off to be well-prepared. The highest score in the state is generally a 47 (in 2009, I was the 4th highest scorer with a 44), and so mark-up often plays an important role. Generally the hardest area to improve upon in Latin is the Unseen component, which I will focus upon in tutoring sessions. Virgil will be improved throughout the year, and, being written in English, it can be learnt in a similar way to English as a subject. On the other hand, the difficulty of the translation is very variable, but certain constructions are predictable and if learnt can easily lead to a 40+ mark. Therefore, appropriate grammar, vocabulary and exceptions will be provided in note form, as well as sample unseens with translation attached to attempt. Virgil preparation is also available, though not as extensive. I studied Intermediate Latin in first semester of second year, receiving a 97%.
With many other commitments, I will only be taking a few students next year on a regular basis, and perhaps some on an occasional basis. I tutor at the State Library on all days of the week, at $35 an hour individually or $25 an hour per person in groups of 2 or more on weekdays. Special deals available for blocks longer than an hour. I can take both Unit 1&2 and Unit 3&4 subjects.
I will also be around for anyone who wants to get a head start in December or January with a special Unit 1/2 revision and Unit 3/4 primer (at $30 an hour or $50 for 2 hours). Please note that I prefer if people have an extra half hour free after their lessons since I have a tendency to go a bit overtime (no extra cost
)!
If interested, please e-mail
[email protected]Also offering in the summer:
http://vce.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,34845.0.html
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