The HSC is like a marathon. Skills developed in Year 11 are required to succeed in the HSC. Students are only assessed on HSC coursework but the Preliminary, or Year 11, course is often considered assumed knowledge. In some subjects, like mathematics, it may be examinable.
When your child is going through the HSC, it feels like you too are going through the HSC. Homework and study demands increase once a student starts Year 11, as does an expectation they will become a more independent learner. This occurs about the same time they:
lose interest in school
get their driver’s licence
have a part-time job
increase their social activities
don’t know what they want to do after the HSC.
Some may also:
develop an intense relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend
experiment with alcohol and/or drugs
develop an eating disorder
suffer from depression or anxiety.
If any of these things sound familiar, you are not alone. Some of the following suggestions may help you and your child survive the HSC and remember, it doesn’t last forever!
If your child is experiencing any serious issues, contact your school counselling service.
Stay healthy
Like a marathon, students should start preparing their bodies for the HSC early. Although many students understand the need for regular study (but not all of them do anything about it), a lot don’t realise their physical and mental health are just as important. Good nutrition can improve endurance, alertness and concentration.
Some things you can do to help your teen get through the HSC include encouraging:
a healthy diet – plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables
drinking lots of water
cutting down on caffeine – if they must have a coffee, limit it to 1 and not after midday
plenty of sleep – teens don’t realise how much sleep they need, at least 8 to 10 hours is recommended
being positive about how they will do in the exam
exercise and time to switch off and relax each day.
What to expect on exam day
It’s not unusual for students to have a meltdown on exam day. The best way to deal with this is to be prepared. Read through the following tips with your child before their first exam.
Be familiar with the exam format – length of time, number of questions, form of questions, topics being assessed and so on.
Use a study timetable leading up to the exam to ensure all subjects are being revised – include exercise and relaxation in the timetable. See Homework and study for tips on creating a study timetable and a template to use.
Arrive at least 15 minutes early, prepared with the equipment needed and allowed for that exam such as pens, pencils, an eraser, highlighter, ruler, calculator, watch and water (no labels on bottles). Make sure you have somewhere safe to leave your mobile and/or smart watch as programmable and electronic devices (other than authorised calculators) are not allowed into the exam room.
Read through the entire exam paper, including the important front page, during reading time.
Make sure there are no surprise hard questions that may require more attention/time.
Find compulsory questions.
Choose the alternative you prefer when a question has options.
Make sure you know how long to spend on each section – keep 5 to 10 minutes at the end to check over the whole paper.
Check you have a suitable number of answer booklets.
Once you can start writing, jot down everything filling your brain that you’re scared you’ll forget, on a blank page of the exam paper. This will allow you to concentrate on one question at a time.
You don’t have to start the exam at Question 1 and move through in that order. It can be helpful to start with an ‘easy’ question first to settle any nerves. Leave the hardest questions for the middle of the exam time.
Circle or highlight important words in questions worth 8 marks or more – these questions usually require multiple paragraphs. For an extended response, planning is essential. See Essays for more advice.
Answer the question asked in the format required. No exam question will ask you to write down everything you know about a topic.
Use the marks allocated or number of lines given as an indicator as to how much you should write. Don’t spend a lot of time on a 2 mark question at the expense of a 10 mark question, which will require planning and multiple paragraphs. Don’t use dot points unless you are specifically asked to list.
Use topic sentences which focus on answering the question asked.
Provide elaboration, evidence, explanation, examples, evaluation or analysis as required by the question. Often a keyword will direct you. The number of marks or lines provided will help you determine how much you need to elaborate.
Check, check and check again. Before you are told to put your pens down, spend 5 to 10 minutes checking over all your responses. Read as a reader, not as a writer. Things to look for:
Have I followed the exam instructions regarding which questions to answer and have I used the answer booklets correctly?
Have I always answered the question asked?
Is my answer obvious and clear throughout my response?
Do extended responses flow logically, linking my ideas to my point of view or answer to the question?
Have I used sophisticated language and specific technical terms from the subject and topic?
Have I used correct spelling, punctuation and grammar? Although not explicitly marked, handwriting, spelling, punctuation and so on can influence a marker.
Are all my details correct on each exam booklet being handed in for marking?
Never leave an exam early – the time set is how much time you are expected to use, that is, to plan, write and check your work. If you do finish early, read over your responses, read every single word, you’ll be surprised at how often you have written so quickly you’ve missed entire words in a sentence. Check your answers, fix any mistakes, correct any poor spelling or punctuation.
When the exam is over, avoid ‘know it alls’ who will want to dissect the exam, telling you how they approached each question and their answers. There is nothing more you can do once an exam has been handed in. It is time to reward yourself with a break and then start studying for the next.
Visit NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Rules and processes for more tips on preparing for the HSC.