I'm basically learning the content in these holidays, what is a good way to practise exam/essay techniques. Do you just practise writing essays and do past papers, or is there any other way of testing yourself and preparing
Yeah it's just generally getting a feel of doing all these essays/reports until you become comfortable in writing for section III and IV. Also, definitely practice Section III's from papers once you have the ability to. Unfortunately I was a bit too arrogant and underestimated this section, and therefore didn't do too much revision it. I obviously paid the price for it in the final exam (dragged my HSC mark down horrendously), so yeah, practicing all sections of the exams will be very beneficial.
As B33fs00p has stated, if you don't find Qantas interesting, try to seek other businesses. Luckily I was a person which found Qantas interesting so I had no problem with using it. However, I also created my own notes for a diverse range of businesses to address various contemporary issues. Preparing this is good for 2 main reasons:
- Gives you more opportunity to choose the business that will fit most appropriately to the question (For example inventory management is not a strong point for Qantas but would be much easier to address through Coca Cola Amatil.)
- Shows the marker that you have a holistic understanding of the subject, being able to show your knowledge of various businesses on different issues (Many people used various businesses in their essays other than Qantas. I personally used 3-4 each essay)
For short answers, it's a matter of writing enough to get full marks, but ensuring you don't write excessively to the point where you just waste time. This could save you a lot of time since short answers generally tend to be straightforward (and if you do this well you can save a lot of time while minimising the amount of marks lost). For short answers you can also make your own questions based on the syllabus if you reach the point where you understand the concepts. For example, when I didn't have too much access to HSC papers I would make up questions from specific dotpoints. These are ones I can think of off the top of my head:
Distinguish between transformed and transforming outputs (2 marks)
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing (6 marks)
Explain the role sequencing and scheduling have on the business (3 marks)
With multiple choice it's just exposure again, but make sure you do many questions. As I've stated before this section is very deceptive, and they make questions which try trick out people who try rush it. If you reach the point where you can generally spot out these problems then you are set.
I'll post more past papers once I think it's the right time for you guys to do them. Anyway, I think it'd be really good for you to write a couple of essays and reports during these holidays and to submit them to your teacher for marking (now would be the best time to refine your extended response writing skills). If you need any questions to start on just leave a comment down below.