QCE Biology: External Exam Survival Guide

[s110820]

Hey guys,

As I've recently graduated from high school, I thought it might be helpful to do a series of External Exam "survival guides" for each of my previous QCE subjects for the upcoming Year 11s and Year 12s (and Year 10s if you're keen!). So, without further ado, here's what I learnt throughout my QCE Biology External Exam:

- The QCAA is extremely picky. It may sound weird, but from what I can tell, the QCAA values preciseness, especially in Biology. Hence, it's important to memorise the QCAA definitions word for word. Trust me, one word goes a long way so remember as much of each definition as you can. I really don't want to rain on your parade, but one of the biggest things to consider is that even if you trip up with one wrong word, you'll get penalised and not receive any marks even if you partially have the definition. Yes, it's harsh I know.

- In the exam, you may never know the Unit 3 to Unit 4 content ratio. In my exam, there was more Unit 3 content than Unit 4 content, but please do not use this as a guide as it would vary and change on a year to year basis. I was extremely annoyed, as, in my revision process, I put a lot more emphasis on the Unit 4 content as it is what I struggled with the most and I partially neglected the Unit 3 content so please don't repeat my mistakes.

- When you're in the exam, pretend you're teaching the content to someone else (but in your head). This may not help everyone, but this has certainly helped me throughout all of my exams! Throughout my years of high school, my teachers essentially knew me as the "rambler" as I had no sense of direction and I was constantly lost on a tangent. But when I used this tip throughout my exam, it honestly helped me for the better because I knew that my rambling wouldn't be beneficial for my imaginary/non-existent student!

- Don't just learn the content, understand it. This may sound extremely obvious but a lot of people (me included) fell into the trap of just memorising the content just for the sake of puking it back out in the exam. But unfortunately, this process isn't beneficial at all. A lot of people say you're what you eat but how much can you really eat in one go? Trust me, if you're treating yourself to a burger or something, you wouldn't just eat it all in one go, you would take it one bite at a time and savour the taste. Treat your study and revision like that - take it one small step at a time and really understand what you're learning. Try the processes of visual aids (e.g. diagrams), summarising, spaced repetition, active recall and mnemonics as well as experimenting with notetaking styles/methods!

- Trust me, your syllabus is honestly like a bible. Since the QCAA is extremely picky, consult your syllabus as much as possible! From what I can tell, one of the main study resources for students in other states (primarily NSW and VIC) are their syllabi - write notes underneath each dot-point, inform yourself of the different types of cognitive verbs, exactly what you need to know content wise and a detailed overview of what to expect/what's ahead if you're keen.

- While this isn't mentioned in the syllabus, there are certain requirements to getting full marks in questions. This is a bit of a controversial one but hear me out: you may have heard that you need to memorise the QCAA definitions word for word, but did you know that in the "compare" type questions, you're required to discuss the similarities and differences as well as the significance of these similarities and differences? Yeah me neither until the biology teachers at my school preached about this during the tutorials we had in our exam preparation.

Here's a brief overview of what's expected of you in the QCAA "compare" type questions:

- Similarity
- The significance of this similarity.
- Difference
- The significance of this difference.

It may be a little bit confusing at first but the best way to think about the significance of a particular biological concept or process, is to think about how the similarity or difference is purposeful or important to the biological process or concept. For example, if we're comparing Meiosis and Mitosis, the answer may look something like this:

- Similarity: Both processes of Meiosis and Mitosis undergo DNA Replication.
- Significance: DNA Replication is significant as it ensures that the two new daughter cells must contain the same genetic information (DNA) as the parent cell.
- Difference: In the process of Mitosis, recombination and crossing over does not occur.
- Significance: Recombination and Crossing Over are significant as these process enhances the genetic variation in the offspring and also ensures that the genes assort independently from one another.

That's all I can think of for now (but I can definitely update the thread if you guys need anymore advice) but I would really love and appreciate if the biology students of the Class of 2020 could contribute to this thread as well. The more advice, the merrier as I'm sure the upcoming biology students would really appreciate it

Have a great week and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon.

[Joseph41]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

[K.Smithy]

I love the idea of this thread, so I'm gonna jump aboard and add my own perspective

- The QCAA is extremely picky. It may sound weird, but from what I can tell, the QCAA values preciseness, especially in Biology. Hence, it's important to memorise the QCAA definitions word for word. Trust me, one word goes a long way so remember as much of each definition as you can. I really don't want to rain on your parade, but one of the biggest things to consider is that even if you trip up with one wrong word, you'll get penalised and not receive any marks even if you partially have the definition. Yes, it's harsh I know.

This is true, especially for the multiple choice questions that ask for definitions - the correct definition will be the one that is word for word what QCAA has provided.
That being said, markers will be extremely generous (at least they were for us). There was no set EAMG for our exam. The correct answers for each question were determined after we completed exams and were based off of the most common responses. This is due to the fact that QCAA understands that schools are going to use different resources and every teacher will deliver the content differently.
So while in some areas you have to be spot on and extremely diligent, in other areas you do not need to worry so much.

- In the exam, you may never know the Unit 3 to Unit 4 content ratio. In my exam, there was more Unit 3 content than Unit 4 content, but please do not use this as a guide as it would vary and change on a year to year basis. I was extremely annoyed, as, in my revision process, I put a lot more emphasis on the Unit 4 content as it is what I struggled with the most and I partially neglected the Unit 3 content so please don't repeat my mistakes.

This is another very true (and rather annoying) aspect of the external exams. Many of my exams had a Unit 3 focus which drove me insane. But, you will never know the ratio going in, so it is best to understand both units as well as possible.

- When you're in the exam, pretend you're teaching the content to someone else (but in your head). This may not help everyone, but this has certainly helped me throughout all of my exams! Throughout my years of high school, my teachers essentially knew me as the "rambler" as I had no sense of direction and I was constantly lost on a tangent. But when I used this tip throughout my exam, it honestly helped me for the better because I knew that my rambling wouldn't be beneficial for my imaginary/non-existent student!

This is a great take on exam technique.
Personally, my biggest tip is to dedicate some time at the beginning of the exam (as they are reading out the instructions for example) to calming yourself down. They can be stressful. You may be nervous. If that is the case, take some time to clear your mind - you will think so much better. Some techniques I used, and found super helpful, were:
1. gently tapping the centre of my forehead (I was suggested this one by a teacher)
2. crossing your hand over your chest (in the shape of a butterfly) and tapping with alternating hands - this is called the butterfly hug
I realise that both of these look stupid, but I found them very helpful

- Don't just learn the content, understand it. This may sound extremely obvious but a lot of people (me included) fell into the trap of just memorising the content just for the sake of puking it back out in the exam. But unfortunately, this process isn't beneficial at all. A lot of people say you're what you eat but how much can you really eat in one go? Trust me, if you're treating yourself to a burger or something, you wouldn't just eat it all in one go, you would take it one bite at a time and savour the taste. Treat your study and revision like that - take it one small step at a time and really understand what you're learning. Try the processes of visual aids (e.g. diagrams), summarising, spaced repetition, active recall and mnemonics as well as experimenting with notetaking styles/methods!

This is so important. I once saw a YouTube video that stated that the difference between a B-level student and an A-level student isn't that the A-level student knows more of the content - rather, they understand the content better. You may be asked to make some pretty weird connections between topics and given that pretty much all of the topics across the 2 units in bio link, it is important that you understand these connections.
Mind maps are super helpful
Another big suggestion that I had is to familiarise yourself with the biological vernacular early on. Being able to understand the language that is being used is super helpful.

- Trust me, your syllabus is honestly like a bible. Since the QCAA is extremely picky, consult your syllabus as much as possible! From what I can tell, one of the main study resources for students in other states (primarily NSW and VIC) are their syllabi - write notes underneath each dot-point, inform yourself of the different types of cognitive verbs, exactly what you need to know content wise and a detailed overview of what to expect/what's ahead if you're keen.

I treated the syllabus as if it was my child! I loved it with all of my heart. I used it to format my notes so that I could make sure I had definitely hit all of the content.
Key tip: they may ask questions on the exam that are literally word-for-word syllabus points. They will literally copy a point from the syllabus and put it in the exam as a question. They did it in the mock and the final. So make sure you know how to answer the syllabus points.

- While this isn't mentioned in the syllabus, there are certain requirements to getting full marks in questions. This is a bit of a controversial one but hear me out: you may have heard that you need to memorise the QCAA definitions word for word, but did you know that in the "compare" type questions, you're required to discuss the similarities and differences as well as the significance of these similarities and differences? Yeah me neither until the biology teachers at my school preached about this during the tutorials we had in our exam preparation.

Yep, this is something one of my teachers didn't tell me until after my exam because they didn't know about it either.


Ultimately, my biggest tip is to start early. Prepare throughout the year. I am so glad that I did this, because I did almost no study in 2 months leading up to the external and was able to walk away with 45/50. This is solely due to the fact that I prepared early and understood the content early on. I began writing my bio revision documents over the Christmas holidays after year 11. Start early so if you hit a rough patch before the exam you have given yourself the best chance to succeed.

[babo]

is there a board where I can share my notes with the future year 12s? just thought it might be helpful 

[K.Smithy]

is there a board where I can share my notes with the future year 12s? just thought it might be helpful 

Hey Babo!
You can make a new topic on this board if you wanted. I've started my own called "Unit 3 in a Nutshell" and I'm about to start one for unit 4. But the more the merrier!!
I'm certain that your contributions will be beyond helpful for future year 12s
- Katelyn


You've made it to the end! Only the bold and adventurous have made it this far.
There is one last thing you need to do, PM blasonduo the secret phrase!

[s110820]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

No problem

[IbrahimN]

yo can someone give us answers for the 2020 external paper

[K.Smithy]

yo can someone give us answers for the 2020 external paper

Hey IbrahimN,
You can access all past papers (and even practice papers) with the marking guides on the QCAA website. Here is the link to where you can access last year's biology external and marking guide.