With just under weeks left to the HSC exams, most year 12 students continue to panic. The HSC exam is a culmination of 12 years of hard work and the pressure is on. There are 5 aspects to doing well that all students should follow for the best results.
Sleep, Eat and Rest Cycle
Cramming, all-nighters and junk food are typical features of student life. However, this isn’t healthy
and most of the time, doesn’t give you the results you need.
- Sleep – human beings need rest. It’s a fact of life
- Eating – junk is nice but don’t forget, your body needs healthy food to function at the
optimal level - Breaks – don’t skip your breaks. The human brain isn’t equipped to continuously study. Nor
is the physical body able to handle the strain of constantly sitting at a desk.
Revision of Study Notes and Memorising
If you haven’t finalised your study notes, there’s no need to panic. There’s still some time left.
However, you’ve got to get cracking.
- Divide subjects by priority and amount of effort required for each subject before diving in
- Ensure your study notes suit your learning style.
- If you’re a visual learner, memorise graphs, charts and diagrams
- If you’re an auditory learner, record your voice saying your notes and continuously
listen to it - Read-write learners, continuously read and write out your study notes
- Kinaesthetic learners should use flashcards
- Familiarise yourself with your syllabus and go over the year’s content.
Practice Papers
The bane of a student’s existence, practice past papers were probably invented by the dark side.
Nevertheless, one cannot underestimate their utility – even in this last week before the HSC
commences!
- Post trials, most students complain of muscle cramps. The more you write and practice, the
more your muscles will adjust to the pressure and will not succumb to numbness. - Time management is the most critical problem of all HSC students. The more you do practice
papers, the faster your responses will become. - Doing practice papers under exam conditions will enable you to understand your level of
preparedness for the final exams.
Read Sample Band 6 Responses
A paradox of education, students are expected to meet a very specific standard yet still be original in
their writing. Nevertheless, NESA made these responses available for a reason.
- Sample Band 6 responses are a bonus that will enable you to perceive the weaknesses (if
there are any) of your current responses. - They will facilitate an understanding of exactly what NESA is expecting, giving you a
benchmark for performance. - They may also give ideas or a new perspective on a topic that you hadn’t previously thought
about.
Good luck!
