Can I get 99+ ATAR? (3 Viewers)

[SanjoyM]

Hey guys,
I know that the majority of people say that subjects are irrelevant to the ATAR you achieve, but I am still slightly confused.
I was wondering whether or not I could attain an ATAR of 99+ with the following subjects and ranks?

- Advanced English - Rank: 1/25
- Extension 1 English - Rank: 1/3
- Extension 2 English - Rank 1/3
- Ancient History - Rank: 2/45
-Biology - Rank: 2/67
-Chemistry - Rank: 5/45
-Music - Rank: 3/18

Thanks + most of my marks are in the 85-98 range. Lowest is probably 89

 

[Examine]

School rank?

 

[SanjoyM]

School rank?

not quite sure. I'm guessing, 150-200 ish. most likely to be 150 lol

 

[SanjoyM]

I seriously wonder why u aren't doing math this year..... since ur doing 2 sciences.

I'm not doing any maths because I HATE it with a passion I'm fine with chem calculations...
I just hate maths, so I dropped it! Proved beneficial for me I can concentrate on my other subjects now.

 

[mnmaa]

only if you ace them

 

[Examine]

Personally I think you can, if not then at least 95+

 

[OzKo]

I'll have a go and say at least 97. Most likely higher.

 

[SanjoyM]

Guys, I'm just confused! Why does school rank matter?
I go to Parramatta High School and am not quite certain about its rank. Could someone please confirm the ranking pls?

 

[mnmaa]

to put it simply, coming first in chemistry is easier at paramatta high than at james ruse

 

[RishBonjour]

Just another curious question:
If your cohort is not that dedicated/good for certain subjects, are you stuffed?
do your marks get scaled down blah blah

i asked a few teachers, all gave diff answers

 

[SpiralFlex]

I think people are underestimating the potential of non-selective kids. If you can do HSC papers without raising any sweat then I guess you would be able to get 99+.

 

[SanjoyM]

to put it simply, coming first in chemistry is easier at paramatta high than at james ruse

Not necessarily!! It depends on the degree of difficulty of the paper, not the school.
Some years, James Ruse may have easier papers, for e.g. 2010 Bio Trials.
Donot understand this system. Personally, it seems quite bias to award ATAR's and scale marks based on the school's rank.
I do acknowledge that James Ruse may rank 1st in all subjects, but other schools have potential as well.
My friends and I are planning to write a letter to the BOS and UAC to consider each assessment and their degree of difficulty in a fair manner, not just based on school ranks/results.

According to my cousin, the Advanced and Extension English at PHS are way harder than James Ruse!

It's degrading to award marks on the basis of the school's rank. It hinders an individual's potential...

 

[D94]

Just another curious question:
If your cohort is not that dedicated/good for certain subjects, are you stuffed?
do your marks get scaled down blah blah

i asked a few teachers, all gave diff answers

You'll need to be first (or within a cluster of those who do want to do well) in order to not be influenced by a poor cohort. They won't be scaled so long as you maintain that top rank, which shouldn't be too hard if you are dedicated. That said, you need to also perform well in the HSC as the top HSC mark is awarded to the first who comes first's assessment mark.

 

[SanjoyM]

I think people are underestimating the potential of non-selective kids. If you can do HSC papers without raising any sweat then I guess you would be able to get 99+.

I agree with you!! WE have potential to excel too.
Hmm, so I just have to ace the external exams Awesome it's ON!!

 

[SanjoyM]

You'll need to be first (or within a cluster of those who do want to do well) in order to not be influenced by a poor cohort. They won't be scaled so long as you maintain that top rank, which shouldn't be too hard if you are dedicated. That said, you need to also perform well in the HSC as the top HSC mark is awarded to the first who comes first's assessment mark.

Isn't that unfair! Why should an individual's external marks be awarded to someone else? I'm just relieved, I'm coming first! Have to maintain this though!!

 

[SpiralFlex]

Interesting...Why does my school have 166 Advanced kids?

 

[OzKo]

Not necessarily!! It depends on the degree of difficulty of the paper, not the school.
Some years, James Ruse may have easier papers, for e.g. 2010 Bio Trials.
Donot understand this system. Personally, it seems quite bias to award ATAR's and scale marks based on the school's rank.
I do acknowledge that James Ruse may rank 1st in all subjects, but other schools have potential as well.
My friends and I are planning to write a letter to the BOS and UAC to consider each assessment and their degree of difficulty in a fair manner, not just based on school ranks/results.

According to my cousin, the Advanced and Extension English at PHS are way harder than James Ruse!

It's degrading to award marks on the basis of the school's rank. It hinders an individual's potential...

A school's rank per se isn't used to moderate the marks. The cohort's collective performance at a certain school in the HSC exam is used to get a better understanding of how their school marks can be used to ultimately rank each student with the whole student base which did a particular subject.

Say PHS did very well in Biology with an average mark of 85 in the HSC. As a result, the Board of Studies can use this information to get a better understanding of how students actually performed during the school year as marking and the setting of assignments is subjective across the board.

 

[SanjoyM]

Interesting...Why does my school have 166 Advanced kids?

LOL! we only have 25! Our English head teacher scrutinised every assessment task and our essays in year 10 before offering the 25 positions. Apparently, 100 applied! For extension, 60 applied, 3 were choosen. Quite harsh lol. I guess, they just want band 6's and state ranking this year

 

[SpiralFlex]

LOL! we only have 25! Our English head teacher scrutinised every assessment task and our essays in year 10 before offering the 25 positions. Apparently, 100 applied! For extension, 60 applied, 3 were choosen. Quite harsh lol. I guess, they just want band 6's and state ranking this year

What our school does I heard is make slower 3U students drop to general for a higher chance of a state rank.

 

[SanjoyM]

chosen ^ typo