Pre-Year 11/12 Preparation

[Khushi1473]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently in Year 10, well technically completed it and enjoying the summer holidays. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on preparation I could do for year 11/12? Tips or life hacks?

Thank you!

[AngelWings]

What subjects are you doing? We can help with more specific tips if you’re a little more specific.

[Bri MT]

Hi!

Welcome to the forums

The fact that you're seeking out advice is a great start. I recommend you use year 11 in general (including any prep on these holidays) to test out how you learn best and effective studying techniques. A mistake that students often make is sticking with an ineffective technique (e.g. passively reading textbooks is very ineffective for most students) and not trying a range of tactics. Another common mistake is not taking the time to invest in their health and wellbeing. It can be easy to sacrifice sleep, healthy eating etc. but in the end neglecting health ends up sabotaging both you and your results.

That's enough from me on things not to do, for things to do here's some starting points:
- Learn any fundamentals you're uncomfortable with from year 10 and earlier studies. For example, if you struggle to solve equations for a variable or to plot graphs the holidays are a good chance to work on this
- Look up the syllabuses for your subjects. These tell you what you are expected to learn and the types of assessments you can have. Units 1&2 correspond to year 11.
- When you answer questions be conscious of cognitive verbs and how they influence the response you need to give
- Read any texts for English subjects
- Using your syllabuses, start to learn about the topics at the start of Unit 1 (if you have any issues please feel free to ask for help)

That's the main advice I can think of that applies to all subjects, please do feel free to update with your subjects for more specific advice


P.S I've moved this to Queensland Education Discussion because it fits better there but no stress  - I understand the forums can be a bit confusing at the start (it gets easier with practice )

[K.Smithy]

Hi! Congrats on surviving grade 10 - I hope you are having a great holiday so far

I definitely agree with everything Bri has said.

You can think of every schooling year as a stepping stone. The content you learn in grade 10 builds the foundations for what you will learn in grade 11, and  grade 11 builds the foundational knowledge for grade 12... As Bri suggested, you could use the holidays to ensure that you understand what you learnt this year. Personally, what I did at the end of grade 10 was organising my books for year 11. At the front of my bio book for example, I transferred any notes from grade 10 science that might link to content I would learn in year 11 bio. Therefore ensuring that I had the foundational knowledge.

If you are studying multiple sciences, for example, you can go through the syllabus for each subject and find any similarities and any content that overlaps. By doing this you can start to figure out how you might take your notes for those subjects.

I also recommend getting a calendar and a diary before school starts - so that next year you can write down homework and stuff in your diary and put exam and assessment dates into a calendar to help with organisation

Hope this helps. If you have any subject specific questions feel free to ask

 

[JerryMouse2019]

Hello Khushi1473,

I'm also in Year 11 next year and this is what I would do or am planning to do in these holidays in order to prepare for year 11/12:

• Understand how much time I have available to myself in these holidays in order to prepare for my year 11/12 subjects.
• Rank my subjects from hardest to prepare for to easiest to prepare for.
• Read the syllabuses for units 1&2 of my subjects using the QCAA website.
• Use the pomodoro technique in order to break up my study routine into 25 minute intervals with 5 minute breaks in order to maintain a healthy study routine that doesn't result in information overload.
• https://tomato-timer.com/
• Sign up for the ATAR Notes Units 1&2 lectures that are happening in January at QUT (if you are doing English, Maths Methods or Chemistry).

Best of luck

Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019

[Khushi1473]

What subjects are you doing? We can help with more specific tips if you’re a little more specific.

I'm going to be doing the following subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, methods, general english and business

[J_Rho]

I'm going to be doing the following subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, methods, general english and business

Hey Khushi1473,
I was actually talking to one of my friends who completed Year 12 in 2019, and he told me that he found it most beneficial to make notes on the first Topic in unit 1 for each subject so you have a foundation understanding when you go to class. This way you can use your class time to ask questions, and get a more in-depth understanding than everyone else who are probably learning about it for the first time!

Make sure you consistently revise so that at the end of the year you still remember content from the start of the year and plan - whether that be to-do lists or a study timetable make sure your not aimlessly doing stuff make sure you dedicate set time a week for each subject and don't neglect the subjects you're disliking. If you're really struggling to study force yourself to do 5 minutes of work (no distractions) and usually you'll continue after that 5 or you can use a Pomodoro timer and reward yourself after each 20 - 25-minute block. I know some people buy lollies or a treat and after every task or study session you reward yourself that way after 21 days your mind will have this idea that studying is not only a habit but a positive thing as it associates study with something good.

I find study timetables are way too strict for my life which is full of interruptions like my parents getting me to do something or doing grocery shopping that i cant really plan for so everything goes down the drain but i find to do lists to be extremely valuable! its so nice ticking things off!

Good luck with your endeavors!

[LoneWolf]

Heres My Tips

Organization

“Failing to plan is planning to fail!”
- Have Daily Tasks Planned (Smartsheet, diary, word doc, anything just plan).
- Plan Day in Diary Every Day.
- Keep an Overall Calendar of Assessment Tasks & Important Dates.
- Morning & Night Time Routine.


Hard-Work

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up!”
- Absorb & Understand Content.
- Create Comprehensive Study Notes.
- Practice, Practice, Practice.
- Essays, practice questions (textbook/syllabus).
- Learn from The Mistakes Made & Work Hard to Improve.


Work Smart

“Year 12 Is A Marathon NOT A Sprint!”
- Undertake Consistent Study Sessions Daily.
- Review Notes Often.
- Understand What You Learn.
- Learn The Same Information In A Variety of Ways.

[K.Smithy]

- Absorb & Understand Content.

I just wanted to say that I like this point from LoneWolf in particular. One of the most important lessons I learnt in year 11 was that it is so much easier, and much more beneficial, to understand the content as you are learning it. If you come across any topics that you can't quite wrap your head around, make sure you ask questions and talk to your teachers/peers/etc. asap. You will find year 11 easier if you get clarification on things, ask questions and solidify your knowledge early on. This doesn't mean that you have to understand everything straight away. But understanding content as early as possible will save you a lot of time when studying for end of year exams. In year 11 there were too many times that I thought to myself: "Oh, I don't quite understand this. That's ok, I'll just learn it a couple days before the exam - #futuremeproblem". Mistakes. were. made.

So yeah, long story short, ask questions if you don't understand something - you will thank yourself later.
(especially considering you will have quite a heavy workload with all those sciences, you don't want to fall behind)