Welcome to the
HSC Study Day
For Science
Session Outline
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The Content
The Syllabus
The Biggest Secret of All!
The Biggest Mistake of All!
The Exam ~ Sections, Parts and General Info
Diagrams
The Questions
Where to Now!
E-Day
Check Me Out
The Content
 This is the area that you and your teacher have been
preparing since beginning the preliminary course.
 You have practiced and refined it in lessons and through
homework and assessment tasks.
 It is specified very clearly in the syllabus.
 It is made up of two areas: knowledge and skills.
The Content
The Biology HSC core includes:
• Maintaining the Balance
• Blueprint of Life
• Search for Better Health
And ONE HSC Option chosen from:
• Communication
• Biotechnology
• Genetics: The Code Broken?
• The Human Story
• Biochemistry
The Content
The Chemistry HSC core includes:
• Production of Materials
• The Acidic Environment
• Chemical Monitoring and Management
And ONE HSC Option chosen from:
• Industrial Chemistry
• Shipwrecks, Corrosion and Conservation
• The Biochemistry of Movement
• The Chemistry of Art
• Forensic Chemistry
The Syllabus
 Use the syllabus to make a summary of your work.
 If you do not have a copy of the syllabus, you can find it
at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
 Don’t forget section 9.1 … the skills you need to be able
to demonstrate
Science
Syllabus
The Biggest Secret of All!
If you have the syllabus, you have all the questions and
all the answers for the exam
The Biggest Mistake of All!
Apart from not preparing well enough to give
yourself the best possible chance for success …
answering MORE THAN ONE option!
The Exam
All of the science exams are 3 hours long, with 5
minutes reading time.
All exams have the same format.
All are worth 100 marks in total.
All have two sections.
Section One has two parts
Section 1 ~ Part A
Part A has 15 multiple
choice questions which are
based on the core modules.
Allow 30 minutes for this
section (about 1 ½ minutes
per question)
A multiple choice answer
sheet will be provided for
your answers. Make sure you
use it and mark your answers
correctly.
Section One ~ Part B
Part B is worth 60 marks.
These questions will be a mix of short-answer and
extended response type questions.
Marks for the individual questions will be shown
on the exam paper.
The maximum marks for one question will be no
more than 8 marks.
Answers are to be written in the spaces provided
following the question
Markers Hint … if I can’t read it, I can’t give
marks for it!)
Section One ~ Part B
Like Part A, these questions will be based
on the core modules.
Allow 1 hour and 45 minutes for this
section, or about a minute and a half per
mark.
Section Two
Section Two contains questions based on the
options of the syllabus.
There are 25 marks for this section.
ATTEMPT ONLY ONE QUESTION.
Allow about 45 minutes for this section.
There are a variety of question types.
Section Two
Each question may consist of several parts.
Opportunities will be provided for candidates to
demonstrate a range of skills across all levels on
the performance scale.
A writing booklet will be provided for your
written responses. Additional booklets will be
available if you need them.
General Information
 Correct statements will not score marks if they do
not answer the question asked.
 Check you have not provided a response that
rewords the information provided in the question.
 If you make a mistake, do not waste time with
liquid paper! Neatly cross out what you do not
want the examiner to mark and rewrite your
answer.
 Ask for a new booklet if you need it.
Diagrams
 Keep them simple.
 Two dimensional line
diagrams are generally
enough.
 Make a diagram large
enough to show the
detail required.
 Use a pencil (see
instructions)
The Questions
 Identify the keywords.
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What is the verb? (What does it mean?)
What is the noun?
What is the content of the question?
Plan your answer including the points that you
have identified in the question.
 Write your response.
Quick Quiz Time
Where to Now?
For each topic:
 Make a list of important terms and write down
their definitions.
 Match examples and or diagrams to these terms.
 Construct a concept map to see the relationships
between terms in the context of the topic.
 Know what the syllabus is asking you to be able
to do.
 Make study notes based on the syllabus
statements.
Where to Now?
 Go through assessment tasks, topic
tests, past HSC and specimen papers
to practice questions.
 Learn the meaning of the verbs.
 Write your own questions using
different verbs to test yourself and
your friends.
 Practice drawing graphs. Make sure
to include a title, axes labels, units
and correct scales. Use a ruler to join
plots or to draw a line of best fit.
Where to Now?
 Recall experiments conducted. Write out
the aim, procedure, results and conclusion.
Justify each step taken. Consider safety
aspects. Consider variables, controls,
validity and reliability.
E - Day
 Give yourself plenty of time to get to the exam.
 Arrive early. This will give you time to quickly
review your study notes.
 Make sure you have all of your equipment and
that it all works properly.
When You Start the Exam
 Read the directions carefully.
 Quickly skim the entire exam
and figure out how much time to
allocate to each section.
 Do the easy questions first.
 Work on one at a time.
 Don’t leave early.
 Use any extra time to go over
your answers.
 Check your answers by reading
with your mouth moving.
Check Me Out
 Board of Studies
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
 Uniserve Science
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/schools/curric/stage6
 HSC Online
http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/
 OTEN
http://www.tafensw.edu.au/oten
In Your Handout ~ Helpful Bits
In your handout, which you can collect on the way
out, you will find the slides used today PLUS:
 Scaffolds for 8 Key Words
 Helpful Words and Phrases
Glossary of Key Words & Points to Remember
A Final Word …
We wish you all the very best for your exam.