How to study for specific WACE subjects?

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Permalink Reply by Jack on February 7, 2012 at 16:20

I think the biggest tip would be to get the right resources like i suggest chemistry students should have a look here http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/Chemistry_101_Introducti... and especially read how to write a report.

This is what student box really needs more content to help students study because how can you study if you don't have something to study from. Yes people may argue we have books like the ones by A.J Sadler but the books never cover everything where as on the internet, a place like studentbox could easily add more content if needed to cover everything. 

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Permalink Reply by Ben Low on February 8, 2012 at 15:53

Hey Jack

 

Thanks for the feedback.  I wish I knew all this stuff and this amount of detail for all the subjects. I would post it all up for everyone.  I just don't know enough about them all.   That's why I need people like you to find these places and let other know =).  

 

We can also have a look at these sites and re-write the content with our own take on things so that the study tips/advice meet the syllabus for all the WACE subjects.

 

Another way we can look into getting this more integrated into Studentbox is to have students upload there own flashcards/study cards.  That way we can have more students share their study notes and help each other out. 

 

There's a lot of ways we can look into making this happen but I'll need your help if your keen. Let me know and send me a message if you're keen and have some ideas.

 

Ben

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Permalink Reply by nicole masikende on February 7, 2012 at 18:20

Math

Study tips: I used to struggle a lots with my assignment sometime i will decided to give up but my heart keep telling me not to give up i even told my teacher am not going to do the test because i dont understand anything. Finally i found out the easy way to study it, the things i did was to take my time not to rush, read the instruction on the book and then try to do one exercise. If you get it wrong dont give up keep trying until you get it right. It better to do one question over and over again until you understand and get it right. Also it better you spend more time on your spare time to study. That was what i did and at end i achieved it. 

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Permalink Reply by Jack on February 7, 2012 at 20:06

i defiantly agree with this one also it really helps to set out your work neatly :P

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Permalink Reply by Ben Low on February 8, 2012 at 15:44

Good work Nicole!

Thanks for the tip.

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Permalink Reply by Shirlene on February 7, 2012 at 20:32

Before I begin, I will state that I did 6 subjects in year 11 and 12. I don't believe that the levels I have stated should make any difference at all, but it may be of use to some readers.

Maths (3A/B & 3C/D): I like to review formulae over and over, and I will redo every question I can find of whatever topics I struggle with most. Sometimes if I have an issue remembering a formula, I will set it as my wallpaper for my computer/phone/laptop/iPod and stick it on the mirror in the bathroom and places I am in front of. This I find works great if you have a photographic memory, and would be just as successful if you actually read the formula each time you come across it. Throughout the year, mark questions you found difficulty with, or your teacher felt were important enough to explain on their own, and complete these prior to a test/exam.

English (2A/B& 3A/B): I will write up quotes/themes etc. as we go through books/films. I like to rehire films/documentaries and watch them the week before exams. I like to also brainstorm songs that have themes in them, and learn the lyrics. I do this because this is an easy way to remember quotes for intertextual links.

Human Bio (2A/B& 3A/B): I write up definitions and draw tables and label all sorts of diagrams and attempt to use difficult ones (diagrams) also. All of these go up on the mirror and fridge and similar places which I read at least once a day.

Chemistry (2A/B& 3A/B):  Drawing diagrams and writing simplified steps would help (people tend to struggle with titrations). LEARN YOUR EQUATIONS! Most students can't do these and it is a very easy place to pick up marks. I was a fairly strong student and would tend to learn ahead. When all other resources fail, I recommend http://www.chemguide.co.uk/. I would also suggest understanding titrations/empirical formula. I found a lot of people struggled with this, but it is really quite a simple concept if you look at the bigger picture and will allow you to pick up loads of marks!

Physics (2A/B& 3A/B): Find questions that I had marked that my teacher told me were difficult. Learn to nail them without looking, but making sure you understand each step. Redrawing diagrams and writing dot points on theory become very useful (they did for me anyway).

Religion and Life (1A/B & 1C/D): I just looked at the bigger picture, and used principles and commandments etc. that I had learnt throughout my schooling life (I went to a Catholic school) and brought them up and into context (even if I had to manipulate it). With long assignments, I will find quotes from the Bible and from the CCC to make my assignment reach the minimum amount of words. Teachers love this and it is a much faster process. NB: my school only focused on Catholicism and hardly touched on other religions.

On top of all of this I would recommend completing any past exam questions and mock exam questions you can get your hands on.

Good luck and keep your head on straight - but don't stress too much! 

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Permalink Reply by Ben Low on February 8, 2012 at 15:43

Thanks for the tips Shirlene!

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Permalink Reply by Roman Truong on February 7, 2012 at 22:09

" Subject: Geography

Study Tip/s: The best way to study geography is to make notes using keywords out of the Our Global Future and Landscapes and Land Uses

For Planning Cities of Perth if you have a camera it is best to go field tripping for Urban Processes such as Urban Consolidation and Blight:

Best Sites for me is :

• Urban Blight: Wickham Street

• Urban Renewal: East Perth Claisebrook Cove start from Boans warehouse to the cove near the Swan River.

• Urban Consolidation: East Perth, West Perth and South Perth

• Aggregation: St Georges Terrace :)

• And so on a few others

Also with Geography you need to read the question carefully like what the marker wants you to do such as Compare and Contrast and so on.Some of the markers comments of recent years said that students have failed/misunderstood the question(so i'm not going to do the full details). Make Use of Examples for Both New york and Perth Studies of Urban Processes and Sustainability. 

Also with 3B Climate change you need to write notes and study those notes prior to the exam and have a go of past Paper exams such as GAWA (Geographical Association of Western Australia) ,WATP and the Curriculum council WACE exams (Requires Purchase $15.00 for solutions and Test papers) 

These exams will give you a head start and set the exam for 3 hours once your done go ask the teacher to check What have you done right and What you have done wrong? 

When the question ask to reference to a source with the broadsheet such as " With reference to Source 3, Compare and Contrast the demographic patterns of a newer suburb and a older suburb?" Make use of the broadsheet and Quote FIGURES.

I hope this works for You and these tips would be useful for those who are doing Geography for 2012.

Best Regards,

Roman

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Permalink Reply by Ben Low on February 8, 2012 at 15:44

@Roman - This is an awesome tip for Geography.  Thanks a lot!

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Permalink Reply by Roman Truong on February 8, 2012 at 23:57

No worries there Ben !! I'm glad to help :)

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Permalink Reply by Margaret . on February 8, 2012 at 11:54

My best subjects for WACE were history and literature/english, so I hope this will help :) It's study and exam techniques combined.

History 3AB: I studied this by writing a comprehensive set of notes, learning "evidence" (dates, people, events) that would help me back up my answers in the document sets. For history doc studies, I think the most important thing is to really understand the question, what are they looking for and answer that. Remember you only get marks if you answer the question. You need to pack in as much as possible in the least number of sentences possible. For the essay section of the exam, I made sure I wrote lots of practice essays. This is super helpful as if the same question comes up, you will know how to answer it. Always make sure you answer the question and don't waste time "fluffing" around the question. Address the instructional verb in the question, if its evaluate, you evaluate. You only have so much time and you really need to make use of your time in history. Make sure you study for the doc and essay section of the exam equally, as they are weighted the same.

Literature/English 3AB: I had a set of notes breaking down the text. Context is important as is techniques and genre. For the lit exam, I studied two plays and two poems by the same poet as I was set on doing the prose in the first section of the exam. I'm not sure if you should do this too, but I made sure I knew these texts in detail and that made it really easy as you can't study all six texts. Studying three in detail is better than knowing a little bit about six texts.

For the english exam, I studied one prose text, one play and a film. I had good notes on these texts, breaking them down to why they were written and why the author used these techniques. For the first section of the exam I can't stress how important it is to get straight to answering the question. You don't have much time, again you need to plan your answer carefully and get straight to it. Purpose, context and audience are very important for the second section. Make sure you state who you are writing for, use some personal voice and include the background of the society for which the text was written and state why it was written this way. Texts are written for a purpose and you need to make this clear. For top marks you really have to weave these three throughout the essay. For the last section, knowing one film in detail is enough. Write a very analytical essay, directly addressing the question. Lastly, write very good/interesting general statements and intros for all essays, as you want to stand out from the crowd and engage markers. You need to make your position strong and engage with the question which markers will love. Grammar and spelling is also very important for lit/english.

Oh, and don't forget, doing practice essays for lit and english will help lots. If you have any questions, feel free to message me! :)

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Permalink Reply by Ben Low on February 8, 2012 at 15:44

Thanks Margaret.  These are both great tips.

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