ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE Science => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE Biology => Topic started by: marcc.malakk on June 18, 2019, 09:04:40 pm

Title: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: marcc.malakk on June 18, 2019, 09:04:40 pm
These are the results for the sacs:

SAC 1: 78%
SAC 2: 96%
SAC 3: 86%

Then here comes my exam and I thought I did alright then the results come out and turns out I got a 69%, this put me in a really bad mood about biology and VCE in general to be honest... and idk what to do, like I understand that the passing mark is 60% but I am really aiming for a high ATAR and can't be  "just" above the passing mark when it comes to exams which are the most important thing...
Title: Re: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: Bri MT on June 18, 2019, 09:57:48 pm
Hey, going to keep this pretty short since I have an exam tomorrow but Unit 1 does NOT count towards your ATAR - so the fact that you did worse than expected on that exam doesn't matter to your score. Before you do your year 12 exam you're going to have heaps of opportunities to practice and learn from your mistakes. In a way it's good that you didn't perform well on this exam because you can use that to analyse and improve your exam-taking strategy so you do better on the ones that count :)

Title: Re: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: brothanathan on June 19, 2019, 10:23:52 am
These are the results for the sacs:

SAC 1: 78%
SAC 2: 96%
SAC 3: 86%

Then here comes my exam and I thought I did alright then the results come out and turns out I got a 69%, this put me in a really bad mood about biology and VCE in general to be honest... and idk what to do, like I understand that the passing mark is 60% but I am really aiming for a high ATAR and can't be  "just" above the passing mark when it comes to exams which are the most important thing...

Half of my class and myself included failed the Unit 1 exam (the material taught in class was barely in the exam, my school purchased NEAP exams RIP). I understand why I failed and the effort required to rise up. So keep persisting, don't give up on yourself.
Title: Re: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: marcc.malakk on June 19, 2019, 09:50:48 pm
So how can I perform well in units 3/4 if some of the content of the exams aren't even taught in class?

Half of my class and myself included failed the Unit 1 exam (the material taught in class was barely in the exam, my school purchased NEAP exams RIP). I understand why I failed and the effort required to rise up. So keep persisting, don't give up on yourself.
Title: Re: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: FrankieDens on June 19, 2019, 11:23:24 pm
Hi,

Okay so I'm also a Year 11 doing Biology 3 & 4... but I didn't do 1 & 2. :P Just because you don't do as well in Unit 1/2 does not necessarily mean you will do badly in 3/4 - because as long as you are really enthusiastic about the subject and consistently work well, you are setting yourself up for success!

When I was reading through the ATAR notes forum, a common theme is that they work even harder after getting a disappointing score. Remember that Year 11 is like an experimental year - this is the time where you should be testing out study techniques and if you don't get the grade you want, you adjust accordingly to meet your goals! It's really great that your post reflects that, you grades are consistent but maybe it's just that burden of doing well in Biology and your other subjects that hindered your current exam score? So maybe ask your teacher for some more exams and practise distressing techniques so you have a clear mind during exams and maximise your marks 8)

Btw it's kind of a good sign that you're disappointed in your score...because that means you have high standards for yourself and strive to do well. It's just that what you do after you receive your grade that counts.
Title: Re: I did really bad in my Unit 1 exam even though I did well in all 3 SAC's
Post by: Bri MT on June 20, 2019, 08:40:22 am
So how can I perform well in units 3/4 if some of the content of the exams aren't even taught in class?


Use the study design to check what's examinable and teach yourself anything your class has missed. This is also good for content you've missed through absence or even just forgetting

You can also (politely) ask your teacher something along the lines of "I feel under-prepared for ___ dotpoint/topic what should I be doing about that? " which could a) result in you getting good advice b) prompt them to tell you when it will be or was covered in class c) if they did forget about the dot-point this is a non-confrontational reminder.