Accelerated Subjects? - What are they? (1 Viewer)

[Aquawhite]

I hear a lot of people on the forums speaking of accelerated Mathematics Ext 1/2 etc.... I don't really know if my school offers them! What is required in these courses... well what are they?

What is the difference between an accelerated course and the normal one? Does the accelerated one go faster, lol?

Please, I need help as I am making my subject selections....

 

[nick3157]

you picked it: accelerated courses go faster. basically you end up doing the HSC a year early in that course. sometimes schools offer them (because it makes them look good) to students who are really good at maths or english etc. dont bother with it.

 

[the-derivative]

Acceleration is when you complete a HSC Course earlier than the rest of your cohort. It doesn't have to be in Mathematics or English - it can be any HSC Course. I'm currently an accelerated student sitting my HSC in Year 11 for Maths and Maths Ext 1 - and I would highly recommend it for the following reasons:

- It allows you to have a chance of significantly lowering your work load for Year 12, because you would have already finished 2 or 3 units of work by the time you reach year 12 (basically it's like dropping units - without actually dropping)
- You can focus more on your accelerated subject, because you are not pressured by any other subjects (even though you have the Year 11 Subjects, but the pressure year 11 puts on you will be significantly less than the HSC).
- You can re-sit the course if you do bad, therefore it's like you have a second chance and you would have already established an understanding of the course, so it would be easier second time round.
- You need to be accelerated to do courses like Philosophy, Cosmology and Comparative literature.

Basically, I encourage you to accelerate if your school offers it. I'm not going to say it's easy - because it's not, however if you put in the work, it can be really rewarding, and if you do bad, you can always re-sit the HSC for that subject.

 

[Aquawhite]

Thanks, I was assuming that accelerated subjects would mean that. I would be able to cope doing it I think. Well accelerated Mathematics, that is. I'm currently 1st in the year. Although I would much rather take my time and soak up the information properly and get the best possible UAI and HSC marks that I can...

Once again, thanks.

__________EDIT___________

Oh, really...? You get the chance to re-sit the exam if you stuff up?!? Maybe I will try the accelerated Mathematics/Ext I Maths.... I reckon I can cope with it!

Though I doubt my school will offer any accelerated subjects whatsoever..... I do know two kids in my school that have been doing maths the year ahead though. Maybe that's kinda the same.... I'll have to ask the teachers then!

 

[the-derivative]

Thanks, I was assuming that accelerated subjects would mean that. I would be able to cope doing it I think. Well accelerated Mathematics, that is. I'm currently 1st in the year. Although I would much rather take my time and soak up the information properly and get the best possible UAI and HSC marks that I can...

Once again, thanks.

Well if you were first in the year, I'd suggest you consider doing the accelerated subject - well at least try it. You can just always not sit the HSC if you didn't want to after giving it a try and catch up.

 

[lyounamu]

Well if you were first in the year, I'd suggest you consider doing the accelerated subject - well at least try it. You can just always not sit the HSC if you didn't want to after giving it a try and catch up.

But there are schools that cannot accelerate people due to timetabling. My brother wants to accelerate like 3 years early but he cannot due to timetable. He can only accelerate like 1 year early or 2 years early maximum.

And I also think it's too late now. I mean, you don't want to learn all the Year 11 & Year 12 Mathematics contents in just a year. It's very difficult.

 

[kurt.physics]

There is really 2 ways to go about acceleration, as it has been mentioned, it depends on the school.

Some schools put the top maths class in year 7 into a class where they did year 8 and 9 mathematics in year 8. Then they do year 10 maths during year 9 etc. This is really only done by a select school (most of which are selective) as you may gather, even the top maths class in each school would not be capable of achieving this.

For the rest of all the schools, you would have to accelerate just by yourself. There are 2 ways in which this can happen. The first is that they put you into a higher class, this is very difficult if the school doesnt know that you need to accelerate half a year in advance. This is because they would need to restructure the whole timestable for everyone for you to go into the class.

There is another way, that is to do an 'extention' course whilst in your year. This may be just learning other stuff (in the field), or you could accelerate by distance education. Distance education is where they send you stuff and you do it during your normal class.

Another, but very rare instance is to Grade accelerate. This means that you (individually) skip a whole year in all your subjects (although that rarely happens).

I am sorry to tell you this, but it is to late to accelerate. You are in year 10, so the only year you can skip is year 11. So this means you would have to go to year 12. I will asume that you only wish to accelerate in one field (mathematics). You would need to learn all the year 11 material in 10 weeks (although this is not impossible, it requires talent and LOTS of effort). Even assuming you knew the year 11 mathematics like your second hand, you would have to get into the class in term 4 this year. Timestableing does not look pritty.

So sorry, but that i what acceleration is.

 

[the-derivative]

But there are schools that cannot accelerate people due to timetabling. My brother wants to accelerate like 3 years early but he cannot due to timetable. He can only accelerate like 1 year early or 2 years early maximum.

And I also think it's too late now. I mean, you don't want to learn all the Year 11 & Year 12 Mathematics contents in just a year. It's very difficult.

Well that's what I did/currently am doing this year. I'm not sure what I'll get, but i think it would still be beneficial to give it a try.

There is really 2 ways to go about acceleration, as it has been mentioned, it depends on the school.

Some schools put the top maths class in year 7 into a class where they did year 8 and 9 mathematics in year 8. Then they do year 10 maths during year 9 etc. This is really only done by a select school (most of which are selective) as you may gather, even the top maths class in each school would not be capable of achieving this.

For the rest of all the schools, you would have to accelerate just by yourself. There are 2 ways in which this can happen. The first is that they put you into a higher class, this is very difficult if the school doesnt know that you need to accelerate half a year in advance. This is because they would need to restructure the whole timestable for everyone for you to go into the class.

There is another way, that is to do an 'extention' course whilst in your year. This may be just learning other stuff (in the field), or you could accelerate by distance education. Distance education is where they send you stuff and you do it during your normal class.

Another, but very rare instance is to Grade accelerate. This means that you (individually) skip a whole year in all your subjects (although that rarely happens).

I am sorry to tell you this, but it is to late to accelerate. You are in year 10, so the only year you can skip is year 11. So this means you would have to go to year 12. I will asume that you only wish to accelerate in one field (mathematics). You would need to learn all the year 11 material in 10 weeks (although this is not impossible, it requires talent and LOTS of effort). Even assuming you knew the year 11 mathematics like your second hand, you would have to get into the class in term 4 this year. Timestableing does not look pritty.

So sorry, but that i what acceleration is.

My school accelerates its students, but its different to both options you have presented. In Year 9, a few students are selected to sit the School Certificate in Year 9 (I did it) and we learnt all the Year 9 and year 10 course in Year 9. Then in Year 10, those who accelerated in Year 9 get the chance to sit the HSC in Year 10 - (I was going to sit it for 2unit, but I dropped out after my trials - because I didn't think I was capable of getting a Band 6 at the time). Then in Year 11, the whole Top maths class, including those who accelerated in Year 10 are expected to accelerate and do the 2U course in Year 11, and those who accelerated in Year 10 have the option to accelerate in Ext 1 Maths as well.. stupid system I know, but it proves you can do the course if you accelerate in Year 11.

 

[Aquawhite]

Yea, well I'm from a country town and I doubt they will even offer to accelerate students anyway. it would make the school look better (lol). We are a catholic school and self-funded from fees, povo much, so I think not. But I shall still ask about the acceleration, maybe.

I do agree though, I probably won't want to learn all the year 11 and 12 material in one year.... especially maths and maths ext1. too much.

 

[lyounamu]

My school accelerates its students, but its different to both options you have presented. In Year 9, a few students are selected to sit the School Certificate in Year 9 (I did it) and we learnt all the Year 9 and year 10 course in Year 9. Then in Year 10, those who accelerated in Year 9 get the chance to sit the HSC in Year 10 - (I was going to sit it for 2unit, but I dropped out after my trials - because I didn't think I was capable of getting a Band 6 at the time). Then in Year 11, the whole Top maths class, including those who accelerated in Year 10 are expected to accelerate and do the 2U course in Year 11, and those who accelerated in Year 10 have the option to accelerate in Ext 1 Maths as well.. stupid system I know, but it proves you can do the course if you accelerate in Year 11.

I agree with you. You can actually do it. I myself did 3 years of maths in a year before. But it really depends on individuals. Some people cannot handle that workload. I found it difficult to catch up all the work when I did it last year. I once though of moving down to General. But here I am, doing MX1 HSC. It's unlikely that anyone can learn 2 years of maths in a year and still get good marks (i.e. band 6).

Only person that I know who did that (learning prelim and HSC mathematics and MX1) ended up coming first in the state for maths though (as an accelerant student). But that's an extreme case.

 

[Aquawhite]

Thanks for all the help... I probably won't choose to do the accelerated course even if the school offers it, because I am aiming for such a high UAI and I would love to aim even higher...

 

[akrinis]

Guys, is it too late for me to accelerate in Legal Studies or some other subject besides Maths and English, next year, if I study really hard into it this year?

 

[the-derivative]

I agree with you. You can actually do it. I myself did 3 years of maths in a year before. But it really depends on individuals. Some people cannot handle that workload. I found it difficult to catch up all the work when I did it last year. I once though of moving down to General. But here I am, doing MX1 HSC. It's unlikely that anyone can learn 2 years of maths in a year and still get good marks (i.e. band 6).

Only person that I know who did that (learning prelim and HSC mathematics and MX1) ended up coming first in the state for maths though (as an accelerant student). But that's an extreme case.

Yeah it's difficult. I'm technically doing that, but I did sit the 2U course last year, so I do have a thorough knowledge of it from last year.

 

[midifile]

It's unlikely that anyone can learn 2 years of maths in a year and still get good marks (i.e. band 6).

Last year I learnt the entire 2u maths course in 2 and a half terms and got 96

I actually think it is a really good idea to be accelerated in subjects like maths. When my school originally offered it, I was really skeptical (thinking that it would be impossible to learn in a year and I wouldnt get a good mark etc. Plus it was the first time that they were offering it and I didnt want to be part f the 'guinea pig year' where they saw if it worked or not). It actually took two phonecalls to my home and hours of discussion to talk me into it (the school really wanted me to do it because I was topping maths).

To me it seems like a load off my back. I am able to concentrate on 3 and 4 unit, and the rest of my subjects. The other positive about it is the experience of sitting an HSC exam. There is something scary about sitting your first HSC exam, and thankfully, I have already done this, instead of waiting till my english AOS exam this year.

Guys, is it too late for me to accelerate in Legal Studies or some other subject besides Maths and English, next year, if I study really hard into it this year?

No it is not. But it will be a lot of work, especially if you have to teach yourself the work. That said, most schools waste a lot of time in class (checking homework, doing in class work etc), that if you didnt have to go to class for that subject then you could probably get it done. But having to teach yourself 2 years of work on top of your normal workload is not a smart idea.

Talk to subject teachers, year coordinators or whoever is in charge of subject selections to find out what they think. Chances are that they would only let you do it if you were at the top of your year. I dont do legal studies but I have friends who do and they say that it is something that you can teach yourself (one of my friends actually wanted to do this so they didnt have to go to class).

 

[Aznmichael92]

i reckon now is way too late considering i was rejected in week 8 of term 1... lol