is there a way I can bring my grades from year 11 up in year 12, if so do u have any tips for the holidays coming up?
Thanks
Hey Tvisha.
Sure, there are lots of ways! But I think it depends a little on why you're losing marks in the first place. For example, do you think you're losing marks because you:
* leave things to the last minute?
* aren't giving things your best shot due to a lack of motivation?
* are studying inefficiently?
* feel burnt out?
* are misreading questions?
* perform poorly on exams?
There are lots of reasons you might be losing marks, and in all likelihood there's probably a combination of reasons. So that would change my answer a little, but a few pieces of general advice probably applicable to most situations:
When you study, actually study.It's so easy to sit down for a study session, and then in two hours, think, "wow, I actually don't know what I got out of that". I think this is where "studying smart, not hard" comes into play - actually setting yourself up for success by limiting distractions
before you start studying. So for me, that meant turning off my phone, not taking my laptop (I personally did almost all of my study by hand, but this is a personal choice), setting myself up with a nice glass of water etc. Getting into a study zone is the first step to not wasting time. Doing this has other benefits, too - when you're
not studying, you can be more guilt-free!
Have a system.Organisation is a big thing, I think. I had a system of sorts for the way I took notes and revised (one notebook for rough notes, one notebook for neat summaries, one notebook for practice questions). I also had a system for time management (loved to-do lists, didn't like study timetables - but again, this is a personal choice). Try a few things out and see what works for you!
I never studied at night, because that wasn't effective or efficient for me. So I woke up a bit earlier and studied at school in the mornings. If I tried to do what a lot of other people were doing (pulling all-nighters etc.), I definitely wouldn't have done as well.
Do the little things consistently well.Advice like "eat well", "sleep well" etc. is pretty generic, but also pretty useful, assuming you take it seriously. IMO the people who get great marks aren't doing anything ridiculously, amazingly different - they're just consistently doing the small things well. These things add up over time. For example, if you're dehydrated on one day, that probably won't make a huge difference to your marks. But if you're dehydrated every day between now and the day you get your ATAR,
of course that'll impact your marks! It's all about doing things bit by bit, and consistently. Cramming is overrated.
In terms of what to do specifically over the break, why not try a few different study techniques? There are literally hundreds and hundreds of ways to study, and different things work for different people. You might be interested in
this article here.
Good luck - feel free to ask any follow-up questions!