That's exactly the attitude that the VCE tends to breed. In real life, however, it's much easier to see how collaboration means that there are better results for everyone involved.
That's the thing, VCE is not similar in any aspect to real life. Real mathematics isn't just mindlessly rote learning and endless exercises. Real science is not taught from oversimplified textbooks.
Ultimately, the underlying importance of VCE is only to segregate students based on ENTER, and perhaps as a secondary function it teaches the very basic foundations of a few subjects. Of course I'm not usually an elitist asshole, it is merely that year 12 takes priority.
Mate thats the attitude I hate. Recently someone wouldn't help me with something, I missed when I had 10 days of school, and I stood looking at him after he said to me 'Nah, I want to keep my rank'. that he sounds like a tool.
I help others when asked, it'd be rude not to. But what I don't do is preemptively offer assistance to those who, by their own choice, have put in only a fraction of the effort that I put in, and then expect me to expend my time on them.