HSC Examination Success.

There are two key areas you need to be confident with for success in the final HSC Examination.

1. Syllabus and content knowledge

2. Examination technique

1. Syllabus Knowledge

 * You need to know your syllabus/content inside out and need to understand all the content contained in the syllabus. There are no shortcuts here. This comes down to hard work and putting in the time required. Go and print out a blank syllabus from the 'study help' page and see if you can fill it in entirely. If not there is work to be done.

* You need a strong understanding of each of the dot and dash points in the syllabus.

* You should also be able to go through the syllabus and answer all of the 'learn to' column. This gives you an indication of what you should be able to do with the content in the syllabus.

* Paying attention in class to ensure you understand he content is essential, building a quality set of study notes, and then learning these thoroughly takes time and effort but is required to succeed.

2. Examination technique

Knowing your sylabus and content is essential but it is still possible to know everything in the syllabus and not achieve at a band 6 level. How is this possible??

Not reading and interpreting questions properly - You need to take time to break down the question and identify exactly what it is asking for. Underline and circle key words that show the content the question is asking you to address and highlight words that show what you are to do with the information.

Not answering the question fully by not addressing the key term (eg: evaluate, discuss etc) __- Each question will have a key term included that tells you what you are required to do in answering the question. You must do this to receive a mark in the top range for each question. This is one of the more common reasons people who should receive a band 6 do not. Eg: If a question asks you to evaluate then you must make a judgement about the information. You cannot just regurgitate the information.

Not using relevant examples - In PDHPE it is essential to support what you are saying with relevant examples. This is listed in the rubric at the top of each question so you must attempt to do this for each key point you raise in your responses.

Not presenting information in a clear and logical way - It is very important to take time to plan your answers and ensure they are set out in a way that easy to understand and read for the marker.

Poor time management - spending too long on smaller mark questions because you know them well is a common mistake. Have a plan of attack and stick to your time limits for each question. As a rough guide you have between 1.5 -2 minutes per mark for extended response. So an 8 mark question can take no longer than 16 minutes.

Stress/lack of sleep/freezing up in the exam - You are probably already aware of how you cope in exam situations and if you generally freeze up it may be time to look at some strategies to help you stay focussed. Being well prepared is critical and will eliminate a lot of the stress you will have if there are holes in your preparation. It is essential to have a good nights sleep and eat well leading into the exam also to ensure your mimnd is fresh and nourished and able to think clearly.