Hi, I'm currently in year 12 and I recently got back my first assessment mark for Biology back. I did really really bad. I got 18/35, 51%. Its weighing was 25%, which means, out of the 25%, I only got 13% and lost 12%. Not sure what rank I was, but probably really low, since the highest was 29/35. This is really surprising as I was ranked 3rd in my school in year 11. I was gonna drop chemistry (only plan on doing 10 units) when I found out that for the first chem depth study task I got 43/50, 86%, rank 11. I know for a fact that I'm better in bio then chem. I don't know what to do. I've been wanting to drop chem for the longest time but now I'm not sure what the best decision is. I never really paid attention in chem so I'm really behind on the content as well. I really only want to do 10 units, as only 10 units go towards my atar and less workload. I wanna drop at least one subject whether it is Bio or chem.
Is it still possible for me to get a band 6 in bio since I already lost 12% and how hard it (Do I have to get 100% in all my other exams for bio)?
What would you recommend that I'd do?
Please Help, Thanks
Hey,
I don't think we can say at this stage whether you will achieve a band 6 or not. I think what you should do from here is to focus and try really hard for the next few assessments and smash those. The mark really isn't too important, it is your rank. Your internal assessment mark will always change, but your internal ranking will stay the same. You need to work really hard to make sure you achieve the best rank possible.
As for band 6, that will depend on your cohort's performance for the HSC exam. If you manage to make it within top 5 or 10 of your cohort (depending on how good your school is), then there is a chance you still might get a band 6, provided that you score 90+ and your cohort does really well. If your cohort does really well, it will increase your assessment mark. It's hard to explain, but all you can do now is to try and obtain the best ranking possible with your grades. For example, in my ancient history cohort, I was 2nd (and really close to first) for my first assessment. However, I bombed the next one and got 75%, plummeting my rank. I worked hard on the next two assessments and got a final ranking of 4th in my cohort.
I also think you should consult with teachers and people close to you on whether to drop biology or chemistry. In my opinion, if you know for a fact that you are better in biology, then you should stick with biology, regardless of how bad you scored. This will have an impact on your marks, but you should work hard in order to smash your other assessments.
It's not the end of the world, so if you feel that you can succeed in biology rather than chemistry, then you should choose biology. You don't have to get 100% in your other exams, but you must work hard to get the best mark possible. At this stage, you should also work out why you got that mark for biology. Is it because you were careless, didn't have the right study technique etc.? You should reflect on what let you down for this assessment so you can prevent it in the future. For my ancient history assessment, I was devastated but not surprised. I left things too late. and worked an all-nighter to get it all done. I reflected on it and found out that I did not understand what I was supposed to do early on, leading me to procrastinate until I had no choice but to do it. It's these reflections that will really help you get in gear to succeed in year 12.
So in short,
work hard. You will never know what might come out of it. By sitting down and working hard now and until the end of your HSC exams, your hard work will surely pay off!
Hope that helps! This is a tough decision to make, so let us know if there are any other concerns you have. Also, sorry for the rambling, I've said a lot
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