miss sage's advice for the seniors

Updated: Sep 22, 2021

hi there!

I wanted to share with you some advice that I would give myself going into my senior years. If I could have known 10 things when I started year 11 and went into year 12 it would be the following:

1. Know your syllabus.

For all your subjects you will have a syllabus and it is important that you are always referring to it. Knowing your syllabus is the best thing because when you get into an exam and they ask a question on a particular dot point, you know what comes underneath it all the possible avenues you can write about. Trust me, you will feel more confident walking into an exam even if you just know your syllabus.

2. Have your notes updated each week.

At the end of the week, make sure your notes are up to date, then you will be ready by the time your exams come. Always look at your syllabus to see what dot point you are learning about during each lesson and make sure you have your summarised notes (however you do them) updated by the end of the week. By the time you get your assessment notification, you can be revising your notes for two weeks.

3. Remember that your teachers are there to help you.

It is very important that you develop a good relationship with your teachers and remember that they are always there to help you. Teachers love when you send them questions to mark or essays to read because feedback is the best way for you to learn and improve. It will help you see the gaps within your content and how you can improve.

4. Begin assessments and study early.

As soon as you get a notification for a task, make a plan! Figure out when you are going to study, do a practice exam and ask questions to clarify your content. If you have kept your notes updated, you should be able to plan out when you are going to revise the content (maybe for a week), do a practice exam/questions and then get feedback from your teacher before your task.

5. Work together as a class group.

Even though it is your individual ATAR, how your class works and does in the course is just as important. I didn’t realise this until halfway through year 12. Your marks/bands are calculated from half the mark of your HSC exam and half the mark of your in-school assessment tasks. However, the in-school assessment task marks get moderated to become similar to the HSC marks so that it is fair. If your school has hard assessment tasks and your HSC class does very well during the HSC exam, it will pull your assessment marks up.

6. Don’t procrastinate - be practical.

In your senior years, you will realise that it is different from when you were in your junior years. You will need to discipline yourself so that you are getting all your tasks done on time and you don’t feel overwhelmed. Phones can be the biggest distraction for many people. If you find this is a problem you have, try locking away your phone and turning it off for an hour until you complete what you have to do. Set yourself study periods and tell yourself that you are going to do 1 hour of maths and push yourself until you get it done.

7. Do past paper questions.

The best way to learn is by doing past paper questions. After you learn a certain point in your syllabus, go find some past paper questions and answer them to the best of your knowledge. Mark them yourself against a sample answer or give it to your teacher to mark. Find out where you have gaps in your knowledge and how you can develop it further. Maybe you need a few more notes on that particular section but you have a good foundation on how you would answer that certain type of question.

8. Your ATAR and exam marks do not define you.

I was very worried in my senior years with my marks for assessment tasks and what my ATAR would be after I completed my HSC exams. I was worried that if I didn’t get the ATAR to get into my preferred course at university, the world would be over and my life would be doomed. I then realised that you don’t walk around in life with your ATAR on your back (no one really cares about your ATAR - after you get into uni, that’s it). I was also told that there are other ways to get into courses if you don’t get the ATAR you need by doing bridging courses or changing into the course after you have done a semester. Remember, if you do YOUR BEST, that is all anyone can ever ask of you, and that is all you can ask of yourself.

9. Remember to take a break and have a social life.

It is very important - particularly during your HSC year - to take a break and remember to have a little bit of social life. Yes, it is important that you are studying, revising notes, doing past paper questions etc. However, you need to take a break every once in a while to ensure that your wellbeing is staying on track - that you’re not going crazy with everything that you have to do. Going for a walk, having a coffee with a friend, going out for dinner with your family etc. can make all the difference with your wellbeing.

10. Don’t think about what you HAVEN’T done, think about what you HAVE done.

You have to stay positive, even in the times when you feel stressed or you think you don’t have enough time to finish everything before your exam. If you think about what you have done, it will outweigh what you have not yet done. You will be surprised to realise that you actually know a lot more than you think. I know during my HSC, when I went over what I did know, I was a bit more relaxed with what I still needed to go over. It’s not worth cramming all this content into your head the night before an exam, it is better to go over what you do know because you will feel more confident and relaxed.

I hope this advice is helpful for you all. Remember that it is completely normal to be stressed and overwhelmed at times. Find someone you can talk to (friend, family member, wellbeing or year coordinator, counsellor) and just remember that many other people are going through the same thing and have been in your position before. If you ever have questions about your senior studies or just need advice in general, reach out to past students who have done their HSC because the best advice comes from those who know what you’re going through and have learnt from their mistakes.

♡