Hey guys, here is my first article for November and the last one before your exam at 11:45am on Friday. This article will provide you with a few final tips for your exam.
For many of you, this will be your final exam so ensure you remain focused on your exams until you hear, “please stop writing,” at 2:00pm on Friday (assuming it is your final exam). Knowing that you gave it all you could until the very end is extremely satisfying and consequently you will enjoy your end of school celebrations significantly more.
As you would know, there are three sections on the exam.
Section A (15 marks):
It appears as if this year’s section A will have five questions (according to the front cover published by VCAA although they make it clear that it may vary). In this section, it is important that you answer the question that you have been asked and that you are sufficiently specific to the text provided as assessors absolutely detest boring and generic answers. Additionally, students can fall into the trap of overwriting in this section, but make sure that you try and stick to the mark allocation (there is no such thing as extra marks). Furthermore, I would also advise colour coding your annotations (having a different colour highlighter for each question), and this will help to make sure you use the right examples, especially if you do all your annotation at once.
Section B (30 marks, marked out of 15 twice)
Many of the tips for section A (colour coding ideas and specificity). Ensure that you discuss a broad array of features, and what they do in terms of context, purpose, etc. There is no set structure for this section so write it how you feel comfortable (assessors are fond of good introductions though)
Section C (same mark allocation as section B)
This is the only section of the exam in which you have choice. Pick the essay that you feel most comfortable with and ensure that you have a good plan. Additionally, make sure that you have relevant, contemporary and well explained Australian examples to support your response and that you remember to refer to the stimulus at least once during your essay. Also, if it is late in the exam and you are pushed for time, you can dot point the last parts of your essay to show the assessor where you are going. Remember to write a conclusion to ensure you do not lose structure marks.
Additionally, the exam can be difficult to finish. As a result, ensure that you plan (at least a rough one) for managing your time in the exam. I wrote an article on this a while ago but for your reference, here is how I would recommend using your writing time in the exam:
1 minute: plan essay
20 minutes: section A (including annotation)
45 minutes: Section B (including annotation)
50 minutes: Section C
4 minutes: editing
Good luck with the exam.
If you loved this article, you will LOVE all of our other articles, such as: How To Take Notes To Maximise Success, 2U Maths Tips from a Past Student (98 in 2U Maths)! and Tips on Studying for Exams – Learnmate Tutoring.
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