How to Get a Band 6 in HSC Biology

[teodora.simic]

A BAND 6 BIO STUDENT: HOW DID I DO IT?

If you’re striving for a band 6 in Biology this is definitely worth a read. Having recently just done the HSC and gotten a band 6 in Bio, I’ve decided to share my top tips which I’m sure can get you there too:

1.DETAIL/CLARITY

For some subjects, detail in your responses isn’t always necessary, it’s more about getting the main ideas down. Bio is not one of these subjects. Annoying as it is, memorising in Biology is definitely something that allowed me to achieve my Band 6. This is because wording in your responses is extremely important in getting full marks for this subject, so even if you do understand the content, you may not be able to word it properly on the spot especially because there’s so much information to structure.

The reason I almost always got full marks in my short answers/extended responses in Bio is because, for each question, I would put as much relevant detail as I knew. By detail, I don’t mean specific dates, but I do mean e.g. names of scientists, exactly what they did. After doing a few past papers, you see exactly what the wording of the question is requiring
e.g. benefits and limitations of artificial blood (usually 7 marks):
-describe WHAT artificial blood is
-development of artificial blood throughout the ages
-describe the different types offered currently and how they work
-what are their benefits and limitations
-assessment of each – are they a good substitute for normal blood?

If it’s a 5 or more mark question, always plan out the structure of your response (either in your head or on paper).

If your option is Communication, the HSC extended response (20 marks) will usually be on a communication technology e.g. if it asks about hearing technology, include ALL the detail: how a normal person hears, what certain things may be going wrong for someone to not hear properly (i.e. how this normal process is disrupted), different hearing technologies e.g. hearing aid, cochlear implant, and of course, how they work and allow normal hearing, and their advantages and disadvantages, and finally an assessment at the end. YES, this may seem like a lot, but trust me, this is the way to full marks for your response.

If you’d like to ask me to review a structure for an extended response please don’t hesitate to ask as I can definitely help you with this.

2. STUDY NOTES – MAKE THEM AS YOU GO!

Because the detail in Bio is super important, I can’t even explain how useful really good study notes for this subject are. The best tip: MAKE THEM YOURSELF. This way you 100% understand what you’re writing, because you’re doing it in your own words which also makes it more concise. Make sure you’re writing them as you learn things, not just a week before the exam, because then the info will still be in your head, freshly learned and understood, and you’ll actually have time to review the notes throughout the year.

Handwriting is the best e.g. on palm cards (I used the bigger sizes). On one side, write the dot point (e.g. types of ectotherms and endotherms) and on the other side, write all the info under that dot point (if you’re concise but still include all the detail, it can actually all fit on one palm card per dot point!).

This study method is really effective, because whenever you have some spare time you can go through the cards in a relatively short amount of time e.g. in the morning, before bed, on the bus to school etc., and that way you can make sure you’re studying throughout the year (rather than just cramming the night before!).

Remember to study at the time you’re most effective (mine was as soon as I woke up or later in the night).

You can see my study notes that I've typed up - I'll post them over the next few days.


3.LISTENING IN CLASS

Because Bio is such a content heavy subject, and as I’ve said above detail is really important, your attention in class needs to be 100%. This is beneficial because:
1.you will already understand the content and easily be able to make notes and
2.your study time is shortened because you’ll actually remember what you’ve learnt in class.

Let me tell you that this point is so important – I used to waste a lot of time in class and used to get home, basically reteach myself everything, make sure I understood it, write notes for it, and THEN studied. As you probably guess that’s really time consuming, and so if you’ve already got the first 2 steps out of the way you’ll have plenty of spare time to catch up on other work or even binge watch your favourite TV shows.

4. ARE TRIALS EVEN IMPORTANT?

Everything that you do in year 12 is going to count towards your final mark, so yes it’s important. Of course trials are not worth as much as the final HSC exam, but if you do your best in these and get a good mark, then, I can say from experience, you won’t be as stressed and pressured to get a crazy high mark in the final exam – and because you’re not freaking out so much, you’ll probably end up doing really well anyway.

Honestly, if you concentrate in class, write your notes, and study them regularly, there’s no way you can’t excel in this subject.
If your mark isn’t exactly what you expected, don’t let it get you down. Review your paper, pick out key things that you need to work on, and persevere at it until you get it! Then you’ll be set for the HSC exam.

5. DON’T FORGET A BALANCED LIFESTYLE

Remember, your brain can’t work non-stop. Trust me, you can afford yourself breaks! Do 30 mins of intensive exercise every few days, watch TV, go out with friends – give yourself time to relax and recover.

Remember to eat right and sleep at least 8 hours a night, because this way you’ll definitely be more motivated and your mind will think more clearly which is always a positive! You can always have some junk food too but don’t overdo it because you’ll feel sluggish and unmotivated.

By the time the exam comes, you should be relatively confident, so you can just read over your notes the night before and morning of the exam so it’s all fresh in your mind.

FINAL NOTE

If you’re working hard and doing your best, there’s no way you won’t be able to achieve a band 6. If you have any questions about content or study tips, PLEASE ask because I’m so happy to help 

[CatherineN]

Thanks for the great advice! 

Could you please recommend any tips about how to approach practical examinations?
Although I can remember the information, it feels more difficult to be prepared for.

Thanks,
Cat

[teodora.simic]

Hi Cat,

I'm glad you found the advice useful! With practical exams, the most useful thing to know is that they're very straightforward and are not out to trick you - it's testing your basic skills i.e. graphing, using measuring equipment, safety in the lab etc. All of these has their own mini set of rules, so just make sure you're up to date with them.

The only part you can really 'study' for is knowing your rules for validity and reliability (and accuracy).There are set details you need to mention for each one:

for example, I used to memorise Validity by the acronym SAD BC
Source - did the source come from a valid place? Eg an educational website (yes)
Author - is the author credible? Eg a teacher (yes)
Data - is there sufficient data (figures, tables) to back up what the source is saying?

Bias - is there any bias present which may limit the validity of the source?I.e. Could the opinion held by the author influence the validity of the source  E.g. a source about the ethics of genetically modifying animals written by a vegan would have strong bias.
Current - is it outdated? Usually a source within 5 years has validity for its currency.

So basically, you have to use these key ideas to analyse any source. For methods, for validity all you need to know is that the experiment tests the aim - if it does, it's valid.

I hope this helped, and feel free to message me with any more questions! 

[Belkelly]

Hi Teodora!

Thanks for the advice! I'm a Year 11 student, taking my HSC Bio exam at the end of this year. I was just wondering if there was any particular way you would recommend taking notes? There is not much stats and stuff in the Bio that I'm studying, so I guess I can't use the SARD method. How would you recommend remembering the information? Thanks so much!

Belkelly
 

[cajama]

Hi! I'm reaally concerned with dot points that get us to analyse from secondary sources i.e. our own research. I've looked at some sample answers on past papers and I feel like there's a lot of stats and facts that they do which is a little intimidating. So, how do you know what is important and relevant to the topic, and should you memorise stats and the dates that correspond with it? e.g. 30% of the male population in Australia were regular smokers in 2009 (this is probably false) 

[easypeasy]

Hi,

Was wondering if you had any tips on a research assessment which is based on the contributions of scientists in blueprint of life chapter.

Thanks would help alot

[naomisirmai]

Hey guys! Here is an example of the kind of palmcards I made for Bio, if you're interested.  I don't think there's a point including every little detail - you'll have a huge stack and it won't help at all! I focused on the main ideas that were content (and diagram!) heavy.

[ehatton2016]

Thank you!!!

This guide is awesome, I just thought I would add that if you are an artistic person, DRAW a nephron, the dissection of a kidney, protein synthesis and all that good stuff as it takes out like 20 pages of reading (plus sometimes you have to draw some of this stuff in exams). Also, if you don't feel like studying, this is like educative procrastination.

STRONGLY RECOMMEND!!

[jakesilove]

Thank you!!!

This guide is awesome, I just thought I would add that if you are an artistic person, DRAW a nephron, the dissection of a kidney, protein synthesis and all that good stuff as it takes out like 20 pages of reading (plus sometimes you have to draw some of this stuff in exams). Also, if you don't feel like studying, this is like educative procrastination.

STRONGLY RECOMMEND!!

Awesome advice: I didn't do Biology, but all of my friends who did (and achieved really highly) used this study technique.

[Skidous]

Something that might help people out with getting good results for Bio.
Note Making not Taking
Something I was told a while back was to make notes not take them. If you don't have them yet or do, have a full set of notes for biology make sure it has as much info as you think you need (this may seem like a lot and it possibly will be but hear me out) and make sure you understand them really well ( If you don't have a full set of notes why not take a look at the notes on the website http://atarnotes.com/notes/?state=3719 or even purchase some notes at the store here http://atarnotes.com/product/hsc-biology-notes/
After you've done that, add any EXTRA tidbits or cool information about Bio that you may be able to take into an exam. Be unique and different in an exam and markers are sure to notice that. If you have statistics, slap those into a response and you'll be noticed even more. This will ensure that your notes are your own notes and you'll be able to understand the content better. I do recommend typing these massive notes out first in separate documents based on subject (Maintaining a Balance, Blueprint of Life etc.) This is what I call my MASTER NOTES cause they have all the info that I could need

Time to CONDENSE
This bit can get tricky but what you have to do is trim down the notes you've typed up. This is where a pen and spare workbook comes in handy as you will want to write these condensed notes down to memorize it better (muscle memory is really helpful when condensing notes)
When you get a line of information such as "The Mitochondria is known as the powerhouse of the cell as it is involved in the metabolic functions of the cell by performing respiration in order to produce ATP and Water with Carbon Dioxide as a Byproduct" you want to summarize that into a line of info like "Mitochondria --> powerhouse of the Cell --> Respiration (ATP, H₂O, CO₂)" this way you have the same depth of knowledge in less space
Try to develop your own system of shorthanded words to make the sentences even smaller. For example, you can change reactions into rxs or excess into xs, approximately into approx. and so on. Whilst it may take some time, I can guarantee that  it will help you consolidate the information for Bio really well. (When I condensed my information, I took a 15 page document to a 3 page condensed version of notes)
Little tip would be to try and colour code your notes if it helps you separate the dotpoints in a subject, subheadings are a big plus too

Time to go SUPER/Cutting the Fat
An idea I got from Jake from the Trials Lectures was to make a set of Super Notes, this basically involves cutting out any of the information you've memorized or already know out of your condensed notes so that they only consist of specific information that you absolutely can't memorize. This way all the notes you have for the entire syllabus could be as little as 5 pages (If you haven't seen Jake's super notes on Chemistry I HIGHLY recommend taking a look cause they are insanely condensed and contain high amounts of profanity)

ONE WORD - PRACTICE
This is the most obvious and highly predicted point for any HSC subject. Practice makes perfect. Do a ton of past papers and you'll be more successful for Biology. If you have to, repeat the SAME paper for Biology, after you finish one, hand it in to your teacher or your tutor of one of the LOVELY people on ATARNotes and get them to mark it for you. Find where your weaknesses are and repeat the questions you didn't get 100% on again until you do. You can't get any worse if you practice it. After doing enough papers you'll gradually get an idea about where a question is going and what information you'll need to answer it and get full marks.
What is very important however if to read the question fully (RTFQ=Read the FULL question) and to annotate the key words (is it an explain or describe, if it's explain you need cause and effect language, if it's assess or evaluate you need a judgement, if it is discuss you need points for and/or against, if it is a verb that is higher than explain then ALL POINTS GIVEN must ALSO be explained to get full marks) and take the time to carefully deconstruct 7-8 mark questions

That's All Folks, hopefully this helped out a little bit in terms of getting notes done and practicing for Trials or Half Yearlys or Yearlys or even the HSC.
If you need any help with question or Bio concepts, feel free to come over the forum Biology Question Thread in this question thread which I started up. Don't be shy or embarrassed cause we're all in this for the long haul and everyone wants to get good marks.

See you on the Forums

Skidous

[nibblez16]

Great Advice! Thank You so much!

[marynguyen18]

usually when I'm trying to remember Biology content i make Pneuomics and they really work because sometimes they're absolutely silly but it sticks. Also reading your notes out loud also really helps. When i do past papers i sometimes answer any compare type questions in a table format to clearly show the differences between them and to make sure i don't skip anything.

[Lottie99]

Hey there,
DO you have any tricks for figuring out exactly what the markers are looking for in a response?
Even though I plan my long responses I often miss key words/details and I don't know how to change this/find a method to deal with it.

[Skidous]

Hey there,
DO you have any tricks for figuring out exactly what the markers are looking for in a response?
Even though I plan my long responses I often miss key words/details and I don't know how to change this/find a method to deal with it.

Hey there, next time you want to ask a question please try to direct yourself to the question thread.
When wanting to know what the markers want you to write, deconstruct the question, look for the key vocabulary words (explain, discuss, assess etc.) and then from there any words relating to content (i.e. communication, homeostasis, variation, developments in technology etc,) and then move into any words outlining the question that indicate what you should relate the content to (organisms, models etc.) and then look out for plurals as missing out on those will guarantee lost marks.

If you have an Assess or Evaluate question you will need to make a judgement so make it very clear even if you have to underline it, highlight it and write it in all caps. Usually when you get a 5-8 mark question they will be asking for multiple examples from different areas so make sure you have a decent structure like speaking about one part of the question before moving onto a different part of the question so that it flows smoothly.

Hope this Helps, see you in the forums

Skidous

[nibblez16]

Hello, for my short response or long response, could we be able to write in dot point form? Not all of it, like if you don't know the full sentencing?