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Any tips for Year 12? (1 Viewer)

Blokxs

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I'm starting year 12 from next term and as the title says, any tips? Any common misconceptions about year 12 that proved out to be wrong or correct? How did you study throughout the year? How is the start of year 12?

Thanks
 

jimmysmith560

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I think that there are a few misconceptions about year 12, which you may already be aware of. Some of them include:
  • The ATAR is decisive in terms of student entry into university - While the ATAR is important and is, in many cases, the main element that is considered to assess and determine whether students will receive offers to their chosen degrees, it is not the only way through which students can study their ideal degree(s). Universities have different schemes that consider elements other than the ATAR, such as year 11 or year 12 results etc. It is therefore important to identify your preferred degree(s) and check whether there are other means of entry if needed as this can relieve some of the pressure imposed by the year 12 journey, especially if you receive an offer that way.
  • Year 12 is about studying most of the time and nothing else - While regularly studying is crucial, given that year 12 is the most important year of school, you should (and will have the opportunity to) have breaks from studying during which you can have fun, whether it is sport, games or any other activity that will help you manage the pressure and maintain the energy and mindset required to study effectively. Of course, this means that there is a need for effective time management, which is an element to consider going forward.
Favourable performance in English Advanced will require a good understanding of each module and its respective prescribed text(s). This will in turn allow you to write higher quality essays and brings me to the need to regularly seek feedback on your written pieces so that you can implement suggestions (where applicable) and continue to improve the standard of your writing. Additionally, knowing and understanding the effect of a range of literary and visual techniques will support your analytical ability, not only when writing essays, but also when responding to questions targeting unseen texts.

In terms of Mathematics Extension 1 and Mathematics Extension 2, you should ensure that you ask for clarification each time there is a concept that you may not fully understand as doing so will reduce the chance of making mistakes. You should also regularly complete practice material, such as textbook questions and past exam papers in order to ensure that you are able to apply your knowledge of the content, especially to exam-style questions.

I hope this helps! :D
 

Life'sHard

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Misconception is yr 12 is insanely difficult. No. Just regularly study. Stay up to date with work. And sweat every exam. Just do those and you’re already way more prepared than 90% of the population.
 

Blokxs

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I think that there are a few misconceptions about year 12, which you may already be aware of. Some of them include:
  • The ATAR is decisive in terms of student entry into university - While the ATAR is important and is, in many cases, the main element that is considered to assess and determine whether students will receive offers to their chosen degrees, it is not the only way through which students can study their ideal degree(s). Universities have different schemes that consider elements other than the ATAR, such as year 11 or year 12 results etc. It is therefore important to identify your preferred degree(s) and check whether there are other means of entry if needed as this can relieve some of the pressure imposed by the year 12 journey, especially if you receive an offer that way.
  • Year 12 is about studying most of the time and nothing else - While regularly studying is crucial, given that year 12 is the most important year of school, you should (and will have the opportunity to) have breaks from studying during which you can have fun, whether it is sport, games or any other activity that will help you manage the pressure and maintain the energy and mindset required to study effectively. Of course, this means that there is a need for effective time management, which is an element to consider going forward.
Favourable performance in English Advanced will require a good understanding of each module and its respective prescribed text(s). This will in turn allow you to write higher quality essays and brings me to the need to regularly seek feedback on your written pieces so that you can implement suggestions (where applicable) and continue to improve the standard of your writing. Additionally, knowing and understanding the effect of a range of literary and visual techniques will support your analytical ability, not only when writing essays, but also when responding to questions targeting unseen texts.

In terms of Mathematics Extension 1 and Mathematics Extension 2, you should ensure that you ask for clarification each time there is a concept that you may not fully understand as doing so will reduce the chance of making mistakes. You should also regularly complete practice material, such as textbook questions and past exam papers in order to ensure that you are able to apply your knowledge of the content, especially to exam-style questions.

I hope this helps! :D
Thank you for the feedback!! Is year 12 similar to year 11, because most of the tips seems similar to tips for year 11?
And my math teacher doesn't allow for our class to talk lol. She yells at us when we're asking questions.

Misconception is yr 12 is insanely difficult. No. Just regularly study. Stay up to date with work. And sweat every exam. Just do those and you’re already way more prepared than 90% of the population.
Thank you, that relieves some stress. But how hard is year 12 compared to year 11?
 

jimmysmith560

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Thank you for the feedback!! Is year 12 similar to year 11, because most of the tips seems similar to tips for year 11?
And my math teacher doesn't allow for our class to talk lol. She yells at us when we're asking questions.
No worries! Yes, I would say that year 12 is similar to year 11 in the sense that the approaches are fairly similar (and in some cases identical, take maths for example). It is a matter of dealing with slightly more difficult/sophisticated content, which makes sense since the year 12 course of a subject builds on the concepts introduced in the year 11 course of that subject and introduces new concepts. Of course, taking a higher level of a subject (in your case, the difference in difficulty between Mathematics Advanced and Mathematics Extension 2) also constitutes a significant change.

Oh wow that sounds like a pretty strict teacher. Alternatively, you could ask some of your peers for help when needed, and you can definitely post any questions that you might have on here as well.
 

avicidal

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its common to make a comeback from year 11 to year 12, as my year 11 marks are god awful compared to now. best choice to improve is to grind past papers
 

fattymcdaddy

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I'm starting year 12 from next term and as the title says, any tips? Any common misconceptions about year 12 that proved out to be wrong or correct? How did you study throughout the year? How is the start of year 12?
As a year 12 student who is currently sitting the hsc, my biggest advice would be planning ahead and to think and work strategically throughout the year. Time management is crucial in Year 12 and always work smarter not harder. It is also important that you're consistent with everything and aim to revise the content CONSISTENTLY and doing past papers (which you can find on the NESA website) throughout the year to avoid stress and anxiety when it comes to the Trial/HSC period. Truthfully, throughout the years, the use and purpose of ATAR has kinda become useless as there are many pathways to get into your dream course, HOWEVER, you should aim to do your absolute best. It is your last year of high school so make it count. Don't forget to spend time with family and friends and aim to have a balance between studying and spending time doing the things that you enjoy. Please know that your ATAR is one of the HUNDRED ways of getting into your dream course and if you do not achieve your desired ATAR, it is okay. Always remind yourself that you will be okay no matter what and do not let it define your worth and what you're capable of. Hope this helps!

I also advise that you ask your teacher for every subject on how to work smarter and not harder. You can always ask questions on here as well whenever you need anything!
 

d1zzyohs

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Thank you for the feedback!! Is year 12 similar to year 11, because most of the tips seems similar to tips for year 11?
And my math teacher doesn't allow for our class to talk lol. She yells at us when we're asking questions.


Thank you, that relieves some stress. But how hard is year 12 compared to year 11?
In my experience, year 11 and year 12 were far different for me. I didn't focus too hard in year 11 as I knew it was my last year I could have some proper fun, and I definetely wasn't aiming or even projecting for a 99+.
I think that the HSC and getting a great ATAR comes down to two things:
1. Mathematical ability/Logical ability (Not just for maths, but logical thinking is required for ALL subjects)
2. The ability to persist through English (if you aren't great at it)
The 2nd one gets the most people. Individuals who could get 99.5+ ATAR's are pulled down to 96-98 by their english marks.
Work hard at english, as Jimmy said, and keep at it. It's a pain in the butt, I get it, but my greatest advice as someone who came back from being mid-low level ranks in year 11 to first in year 12, is to write, write, write all the time. And read, for your own pleasure.

Good luck, and make sure you don't over study like me. It's not worth it. And if it's a 90 ATAR, or 80 ATAR, or 70 ATAR your aiming for, just study according to your goals. It's stupid to overstudy just for the pride and ego of a high ATAR, and it's one of my greatest regrets this year.

I hope it's a good year for you :) No pandemics!

d1zzy
 

jimmysmith560

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Bedmajo21 said:
Hey, kinda new to this,

I've only just started year 12 (term 4 year 11) and am very unsure what to drop for my subjects.

I am currently doing Eng Adv, Eng Ext1, Maths adv (Acc), Chem, Phys, Eco, sor 1.

I have elected to pick up Maths ext 2 (A bit of a risk). But these are my results so far for the year.

Eng -96 rank 3
EX1 -96 rank 1
Maths (Acc) -93 rank 12
Chem -90 rank 4
Phys-90 rank 4
Eco- 89 rank 5
sor1-95 rank 1

My school does alright in HSC, with economics usually being best scaled, however, ngl I have found it really boring as well as disliking my teacher.
Physics and chemistry I enjoy, but Physics historically has done pretty poorly at my school with the previous year only getting 3 people with band 6.

I am torn as I know that the workload for maths ext 2 will be considerably more and I will need to drop to 12 units soon. If anyone can provide any assistance that would be so greatly appreciated.
You cannot take Mathematics Extension 2 without having completed the Mathematics Extension 1 year 11 course. From your post, you are about to complete Mathematics Advanced (best of luck! 🙏). However, that is not sufficient to allow you to take Mathematics Extension 2. Perhaps there was something that you forgot to mention or did not clearly explain in your post?

Regardless, your performance appears to be of a high standard across all your subjects. Essentially, the better you perform in your respective subjects, the less significant the effect of scaling will be and this is important in terms of the notion that scaling should not be a primary factor when deciding the best subject combination to have as you commence year 12, especially for someone in your position. Instead, your performance and personal interests (the latter being more informed thanks to your experience of your subjects throughout year 11) should be prioritised.

Based on this, the option of dropping Economics seems justified. Not only is it a subject that you are not interested in, but dropping it will result in additional study time that you can spend on your other subjects. If I am not mistaken, doing so will result in 12 units, leaving you with the possibility of dropping a further 2 units. Of course, whether you wish to do this depends on whether you wish to keep 1-2 backup units. I would personally not recommend dropping either Chemistry or Physics for the following reasons:
  • You enjoy both subjects.
  • Your performance seems favourable in both subjects.
  • The performance of previous cohorts is not decisive in relation to your own performance (this applies to both subjects). As long as you are determined and diligent, you will hopefully achieve outstanding results.
I hope this helps! :D
 

carrotsss

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You cannot take Mathematics Extension 2 without having completed the Mathematics Extension 1 year 11 course. From your post, you are about to complete Mathematics Advanced (best of luck! 🙏). However, that is not sufficient to allow you to take Mathematics Extension 2. Perhaps there was something that you forgot to mention or did not clearly explain in your post?
Some schools with accelerated maths do it weirdly, I think that they do the whole maths extension 1 course in year 12 as well as maths extension 2, I may be wrong though
 

pikachu975

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Some schools with accelerated maths do it weirdly, I think that they do the whole maths extension 1 course in year 12 as well as maths extension 2, I may be wrong though
Yea that's what my school did
 
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Bedmajo21 said:
Hey, kinda new to this,

I've only just started year 12 (term 4 year 11) and am very unsure what to drop for my subjects.

I am currently doing Eng Adv, Eng Ext1, Maths adv (Acc), Chem, Phys, Eco, sor 1.

I have elected to pick up Maths ext 2 (A bit of a risk). But these are my results so far for the year.

Eng -96 rank 3
EX1 -96 rank 1
Maths (Acc) -93 rank 12
Chem -90 rank 4
Phys-90 rank 4
Eco- 89 rank 5
sor1-95 rank 1

My school does alright in HSC, with economics usually being best scaled, however, ngl I have found it really boring as well as disliking my teacher.
Physics and chemistry I enjoy, but Physics historically has done pretty poorly at my school with the previous year only getting 3 people with band 6.

I am torn as I know that the workload for maths ext 2 will be considerably more and I will need to drop to 12 units soon. If anyone can provide any assistance that would be so greatly appreciated.
id suggest maybe eco or physics/chem. as far as i am aware, there are a couple overlaps with vectors and proj. motion with phys and maths ext 1/2 (not immense overlaps however). also you have two pretty content heavy subjects eco and chem so id suggest maybe picking one instead of doing two. also is sor compulsory for your school?
 

ZakaryJayNicholls

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Bedmajo21 said:
Hey, kinda new to this,

I've only just started year 12 (term 4 year 11) and am very unsure what to drop for my subjects.

I am currently doing Eng Adv, Eng Ext1, Maths adv (Acc), Chem, Phys, Eco, sor 1.

I have elected to pick up Maths ext 2 (A bit of a risk). But these are my results so far for the year.

Eng -96 rank 3
EX1 -96 rank 1
Maths (Acc) -93 rank 12
Chem -90 rank 4
Phys-90 rank 4
Eco- 89 rank 5
sor1-95 rank 1

My school does alright in HSC, with economics usually being best scaled, however, ngl I have found it really boring as well as disliking my teacher.
Physics and chemistry I enjoy, but Physics historically has done pretty poorly at my school with the previous year only getting 3 people with band 6.

I am torn as I know that the workload for maths ext 2 will be considerably more and I will need to drop to 12 units soon. If anyone can provide any assistance that would be so greatly appreciated.
If you were one of my students and you asked me what I thought, I would say take EX2 MATH if you like math and drop CHEM, this is because CHEM is notorious for being a time sink (takes heaps of time which could be allocated to something like extension english or extension math).

Unless you know you want to be a pharmacist/doctor/chemist/chemical engineer/biochemist/etc, I believe dropping CHEM would be the best way to go, given that you have a lot of difficult subjects as is.

Elsewise, if you do want to be a pharmacist/doctor/chemist/chemical engineer/biochemist/etc, then drop ECON, as ECON is the least correlated subject to those career pathways.
 

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