Assessment tasks, or more specifically assessments that are of an essay-type form. Put everything that you possibly can into them. Now, despite the promises I made to my parents and myself at the beginning of Year 12, all my assignments were done the weekend before. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as long as you're prepared to stay up until 5.30AM on Monday morning to get the bloody thing done. However I would really recommend to strive and start the assessment from the day you get the notification because, regardless of whatever natural ability you possess, you may just get caught out in the last minute rush.
Secondly, I'd suggest really trying to dazzle the teacher by going beyond the assessment key points or the syllabus (unless strictly forbidden of course or your teacher is notoriously “old school") and demonstrating a wide-ranging knowledge. If you can present information/a point of view that is relatively unique to the assignment then you're on your way to bigger marks. Remember though, keep it all within reason in regards to both the relevancy of the content and the size of the work.
In order to push the boundaries a wealth of resources can never go astray. If you've managed to get a hold of many sources, not only does it (usually) help you to present a variety of points with greater sustainability beyond the teacher's suggestions, but it also demonstrates that you've really put in extra effort. This will doubtlessly impress your teachers and at the higher echelons of class rankings every little bit helps. Thus, to transform your work area into a formidable wall of books that will deter even your most loyal kindred from attending, you need to:
a) raid the school and local library ASAP, but remember to be considerate to your fellow students as well -- nobody likes a selfish hog.
b) this is a no-brainer, but try and grab books by authors that are recognised and praised. A quote from a well-known scholar will hold far more weight than the word of an unknown.
c) refer to only a reasonable amount of sources (i.e. only what you can handle in your allotted timeframe). Overloading yourself with information can be a coup de grace to your efforts, especially if the project is left to the last minute. Becoming depressed and overwhelmed by the workload is a sure-fire way to suffer a percentage loss.
I will stay on the last point for a minute. No matter how many resources you have at your disposal, it will become a struggle to juggle them efficiently. To provide some order and balance to the situation I suggest using one text as an "anchor" from which the other sources will contribute to, counter-point and strengthen. For instance, an essay on the causes of Hitler's defeat on the Eastern Front saw me draw on William L. Shirer's 'The Rise and Fall of the First Reich' as my primary reference point for events and personalities. I found the basis for most topics in Shirer and searched the index of other texts for relevant information. The result of this was the way that I approached many of the paragraphs were defined by ‘The Rise and Fall.’ Consequently, my other texts were utilised largely in a supplementary fashion and served to both reinforce and present contrary arguments to Shirer. I found that this method, when applicable, brought harmony to chaos and made assessment tasks much more manageable.
The following two points are straightforward, but nonetheless worth mentioning. In order to rely on one resource to provide the core of your work you need to weigh up the disadvantages and advantages of the text. In the example above, I knew Shirer's canonical work was biased and dated, but it was very broad and more contemporary accounts, such as Beevor's 'Stalingrad,' were on-hand to balance things out. Also, avoid overcrowding your assessment with quotes from your central author to avoid bias and the implication that your other sources are only for "show." Make certain each text (or the most important ones) gets a balanced look in.
*The preceding suggestion only applies for Ancient History students, so others can skip this paragraph if they wish.
It is worth referring to the primary sources on the topic first-hand rather than relying on your textbook's interpretation and selection of them. Sure, the likes of Herodotus and Plato can challenge Shakespeare's writing in the comprehension stakes but its well worth the effort. Personally, I found a number of useful quotes and perspectives by looking through them. This method can present a dual advantage -- some information in your assessment may differ to your peers and there's more opportunity to draw fresh conclusions or to analyse sources. In addition, this extra exercise shows the teacher that you're a dedicated and interested student, which is always handy. By the way, you can find free e-Book versions of texts at
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/a/aristotle/ or through Project Gutenberg.
There is something I have to address that we've all seen happen to ourselves or other students -- don't ever be late with your assessments! While bleeding obvious, this point really can't be stressed enough in Year 12. If it gets to the stage where you risk losing 10% then it doesn't matter that you don't complete the work to your best ability or if you miss some dot points. It's important to keep things in perspective also -- is it worth risking lost marks on an assessment just so you can go earn a diddley bit of cash on Saturday? By the same token, should you stay up until the early hours of the morning to gain a few extra marks when you have a Maths exam the very next day? And don't ever think you have enough time to complete a task because, as countless others and I can attest, things can become a lot more difficult than anticipated. Basically, ensure that you leave sufficient time for error so the idea of getting a doctor's certificate doesn't occur.
What I am trying to say here is that your assessment tasks are always worth the extra little bit of effort. It's vital to look at your assessments not through the mindset of merely completing the task to meet the requirements of the respective band sufficiently, but to approach them with the view of ‘what can I do to give myself an edge over my cohorts?' Indeed, you should be seeking out every possible advantage in terms of not only marks but how can you improve the teachers perception of you and to expand your depth of knowledge (which is always helpful in exams, of course). Whether you like it or not, the HSC is ultimately a competition and as such you should be aiming to do everything possible to improve your assessment mark. Also, if you're anything like me then exams are hardly your forte and perhaps your final HSC results maybe below expectations, but it's always comforting to know that you tried your hardest in assessments.
Well, this little post certainly ended up bigger than intended yet I can't but help feel that I've glossed over some of the finer points. The majority of these recommendations were self-taught by considerable trial-and-error throughout Year 11, so no guarantees they'll work for you. However, I do hope I have shed some new light on approaching assessment tasks and haven't insulted your intelligence in the process. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thank you for reading.
its been pleasure giving you these tips, i hate you and i hope you all die
