HSC season is among us. Year 12 students are buckling down for the last stretch in their secondary education, with the final hurdle beginning this month: the HSC exams.
Exams kick off on Thursday 16 October with English Advanced, Standard, and Studies as the first subjects, and the final exam on Friday 7 November.
So, for four weeks, senior students will put their knowledge and past 12 months of learning to the test. At the same time, each school across NSW will receive a ranking for the performance of their students.
Michael Rafe, a teacher for senior history, has been working at Loreto Normanhurst since 2015. He views his teaching as a great privilege. Ancient and Modern History are popular for the students at Loreto with each year hosting 2-3 full classes, and Extension History attracting around 20 students.
During his time teaching seniors, Michael has homed in on some key tips and tricks to help his students achieve the best outcomes for their HSC exams.
With studying, Michael suggests colour coding notes and connecting with peers through study groups.
‘Primary evidence is green, secondary evidence red, artefacts or coins or buildings is blue, general information black, statistics purple. So, when
students look through their study notes, if they see one colour dominates, then they need a wider variety of evidence,’ explains Michael.
During exams, understanding the terms of the questions is vital. Michael presses his students to really read what the question is asking them to do.
‘The first couple of words of the question is a glossary keyword from the NESA website. It could be account, evaluate, compare and contrast… so if the question is to what extent you need to make a size judgement.’
For dealing with stress, Michael also offers some tips.
- Maintain routines—stick to the same school timetable, start your day at the same time, take breaks at the same time, finish at the same time.
- Find calming music while studying—leave the pump-up music for when you are taking a break.
- Celebrate small wins—you need to have victory moments. When you are finished studying for the day, reward yourself.
- Limit school media distractions—it amplifies stress.
‘I have one student who records herself studying so she can make a timelapse, and if she touches her phone, she ruins the video, so she stops herself from interacting with her phone,’ says Michael.
For most students, the HSC is the most important examination they will ever need to take. But Michael maintains that whatever happens during the HSC, students will always find ways to achieve their goals and dreams despite what their results may be.