Jessica Lieng scored 50 raw (plus a Premier’s Award) in HHD, plus another 50 in PE – and achieved an overall ATAR of 99.85. Decent. If you want free HHD feedback from past 50ers, check out this thread. And if you have general HHD questions, this is for you!
This is the second in a series of articles looking at how to score a raw 50. It’s quite a feat, but certainly doable! In this article, we’re speaking with Jess, who nailed Health & Human Development. If you want to request a certain article or series, let us know here!
Yoooo Jess. Did you think during the year you were going to 50 HHD?
Not at all! Well sure, at the start, I was super motivated and was aiming high. However, we all know that motivation can quite be turbulent, and for quite some time I’d thought that HHD would be a bludge ‘bottom-2’ subject.
Even though I did end up putting more effort in later on in the year, I am sure many can relate to this. I am not someone who exams well, so no – I had actually kind of accepted that if all went well, I’d get 40-45 at most.
So you thought you’d probably get a score somewhere in the 40s. What do you think the difference is between a raw 30, a raw 40, and a raw 50?
A 30 raw student has moderately learned the definitions in the text book.
A 40 raw student has memorised all the definitions and the explanations in the text book, has made their own study notes and has done practice papers.
A 50 raw student has only memorised the definitions that need to be memorised (i.e. mental health, DALY, human development…) and has made their own notes about the key topics. However, the 50 raw student has not wasted valuable time by rote-learning why ‘mental health’ has been included as an NHPA, or how each of the eight focus SDGs can improve human development. Instead, they have been selective in what they have chosen to learn and have not mindlessly learned things, but have applied their knowledge.
Considering you also 50ed PE, did you – y’know – do other things with your life?
(Slow laughter). Does binge-watching all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother six times in the one year count as ‘doing other things with your life?’ [Editor’s note: yes, definitely.]
In another light, I did go for runs and to the gym with mates about 3-4 times a week, and honestly, that was probably the one thing that kept me alive and why I never found myself super stressed or panicky in Year 12. As for a social life, I did go to some parties. I’m probably more of a reserved kind of person though, in that I’d rather spend my downtime reading a book or going to brunch with 1-2 mates. Either way, you definitely do not need to cut off your social life to do well in VCE.
Was Year 12 completely hectic? How much did you study per night?
It wasn’t too hectic, and the first half of the year was quite chill. I didn’t really have a study schedule or pattern during VCE; I would usually study whenever I had a SAC coming up, or whenever I felt like it. This definitely did change towards the end of the year, though, as it would for many people. The month leading up to exams in particular, I would take the bus up to Monash University with a few friends after school and we’d study there until ~7pm.
Do you think you did things differently to other people studying HHD?
A major thing I noticed when reflecting on how I studied for HHD in Year 12 was that I did not study much at all. Rather than wasting heaps of time memorising and rote-learning all of the key concepts in the course, I spent that time instead thinking about the connections between different topics (this meant what I had to actively ‘memorise’ was essentially halved). I was quite selective in what I needed to remember and what I could probably just decipher from common sense in the SAC.
The age-old question: how many practice exams?
I will be completely honest with you, and no one believes me when I say this, but I did a total of three HHD practice exams in preparation for my actual exam: VCAA HHD Exam 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Amazing – that’s probably surprising to a lot of people. Let’s cut to the chase, then: what are your three tops tips for absolutely nailing HHD?
Make chapter notes – yes, but HHD can be quite dense. I found making revision tables really effective. What I did was just put my ‘go-to’ response in the tables and tried to find possible overlaps so I only had to remember one thing as opposed to many. For example, rather than trying to memorise all of the social determinants that cause variations in health status, I’d just go with access to healthcare every time – and alter the reason according to the question. Males and females: males less likely to access healthcare because of the ‘macho’ attitude. Indigenous and non-Indigenous: restricted access to healthcare may be due to cultural reasons. Rural and remote: lack of access to a healthcare facility in close proximity. SES: low SES less likely to access healthcare because they may not be aware of how to, or the benefits of doing so.
I’ve mentioned this already but… study smart. Be selective in what parts of the course to commit to memory, and what you can probably apply reason and common sense to in the SAC/exam.
Practice questions are a must. This will prepare you for ~75% of the questions in your SAC, and the exam too. Drawing from the ‘total of three practice exams’ point – the rule is always, and forever will be: quality over quantity. Even though I only did three practice exams, I got really extensive feedback on my responses for each of those three. In fact, I probably spent an hour with my teacher trying to perfect my response to the ‘interrelationships between health, human development and sustainability’ type questions. And as expected, it popped up on the exam!
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Thanks, Jess! Really great advice. And it definitely goes to show that it’s not necessarily about quantity – Jess did three practice exams, and finished with a Premier’s Award! Nifty.
If you have questions, Jessica will be floating around the Health & Human Development section of the ATAR Notes Forums – and you can also ask questions on The VCE Discussion Group.
NOTE: Following all of this advice by no means guarantees a high study score or ATAR – but hey, it worked for Jessica!
If you’re looking for more HHD resources, these might tickle your whiskers! [50 in HHD] Health & Human Development in 2017 and Beyond || Guide to HHD (From a 50er)
