Hi there,
Here are some ideas I think, looking back, that I did last yr that worked for me.
> At the start of the yr, have a think about what you want to achieve. Don't set a study/enter score you need or anything like that (bc we all know that doing that may drive you mad), but just think what it is you want after year 12. Do you need to finish the year to get into a course, diploma, to volunteer overseas etc? Then try your best all year with this in mind; remind yourself, for example, that you're doing this business management homework so that next yr, when you're free, you can study events management. I saw friends who lost sight of why they were studying and just dropped out or gave up. Now they're not so happy. It's much easier to work hard if you know what the light at the end of the tunnel looks like.
> Never underestimate how much consistent work you need for English subjects. Whether it's Eng lang, Lit or English make friends with your teacher (if at all possible), write essays, try to hone your skills in first semester and really polish up ideas and pieces towards the exam. You don't have to write 1 million crappy essays...try to work on a few quality ones and think about the texts/topic questions deeply. You'll soon see how you can turn anyof your few ideas to match a myriad of topics. Btw, being friendly with your teacher will guarantee, in my experience, not higher marks from them but more feedback, marking and advice, thus your exam marks go up! A good relationship allows the both of you to communicate more productively and boosts your overall study score.
> Try to have fun with LOTEs. I know that my LOTE was the most daunting subject, but if you approach it with humour, try to study with friends and look to enjoyable resources to boost your skills it doesn't feel like the world will end. Meet for frequent conversation practice and talk about music, your leisure time, and things that interest you. For example, our French class would always go out to French movies etc. That kind of thing offsets the boring verb conjugations and reminds you how much fun the language is. For detailed study, pick something early. Make sure it interests you, but is straightforward. Obscure topics tend to die in the examination room bc the examiners can't think of what to ask. If you do a simple topic really in depth or with a slight twist, you'll feel confident and the assessors be impressed.
> Establish a routine. Work out what time of day you're most motivated to do homework pieces and when is best for revision. Try to make revision notes for each area of study as you go, so that you don't feel exhausted at the end of the unit. Make sure you factor in social activities to your timetable too-don't miss out on the fun of this year.
> Finally, remember that it is a game. Work as hard as you can and you're almost guaranteed to do well, but as a wise teacher of mine always said, HOW WELL you do is entirely dependent on factors out of your control. Sure, the difference between a 40 and a 50 may be pure skill or meticulous care, but sometimes it is luck-the standard of the paper, the marks of the cohort, whether your bus is on time, whether it is 42 degrees on the day of your exam...you can't control everything. So study and focus, but enjoy the ride without freaking out too much. VCAA and VTAC work in mysterious and often cruel ways, and while we can uncover some of the mysteries here on VN, not all of it is in our control...
Good Luck, class of 09!
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