What subject should I drop in Yr12? (1 Viewer)

[fesi2w3]

I'm thinking of picking up Japanese Extension in Yr12 via distance education, which means I'd only be allowed to do 11 units. I'm thinking of dropping either Biology or Visual Arts, but it's tough TT I'm greedy so I'm aiming for a 99.95 ATAR, which is why I'm fumbling around with this decision so much. I want to do something science-related in the future, so keeping both Biology and Chemistry would be picture-perfect, but...

Right now I'm doing:
- English Advanced
- Maths Advanced
- Chemistry
- Japanese Continuers
- Biology
- Visual Arts

Biology

Visual Arts

- I genuinely, truly, LOVE biology. Absolutely love it. - My first assessment wasn't spectacular due to time management. I'm hoping my second will be better. - I really don't like my teacher much, I just don't vibe with her. There's no passion, just grind. Her classes are drab and I lose focus easily. We might have our teachers get shuffled around next year, but who knows if that'll apply to my class? We won't know what teachers we'll get until literally the start of Yr12, which is not something that I can afford to wait and see for since applications are due in the beginning of November. - I just don't like the people either that much either, so I feel awkward in that class. I only really talk to a couple people in that class, and then there's just a massive boys clique in the back that I DEFINITELY cannot talk to. - My specific biology class has a very strange arrangement where it's half computer lessons. Honestly not sure how I feel about it, they're very lazy lessons where our teacher assigns us work beforehand and we have to submit it, and a non-science teacher supervises us (not my biology teacher) during the lesson. - Honestly, my class is such a throw-away class. We straight up didn't have a teacher for 6 weeks of term 2, and so we'd get either random textbook lessons, patchwork biology lessons from science teachers that may have been free, or just free periods to do what we liked. - Don't get me wrong, I love it so much that I genuinely think I would do great in it if I were to just study it all on my own (except I wouldn't be able to afford that very much, because time-management). School biology has been brought down for me because of my horrendous teacher situations throughout the year, but I think I could definitely learn to love studying it. I'm spectacular at science. - I really don't want to drop biology for some inexplicable reason, maybe I'm just trauma-bonded to that stupid class. Maybe it's because I'm attached to my status as one of the top science students, so dropping the class feels a bit like an ego hit.

- LOVE visual arts, I'm a massive artist, I do art in my free time and it's my primary hobby. - I always get full marks on my artworks (which concerns me, because I'm not sure if this means my teacher is just a really gentle marker.) - I do well on my written assessments too, I always get full marks on my essays, although the short answer portions vary a little! I think I could get it up if I tried (most of the time I nap in the middle of my assessments and get As anyways). I'm just nervous that the HSC assessment will be significantly harder than my internals since I've somehow consistently scored so high (90s-100s). - Time management is so key in this subject, so having a BOW subject could be an issue if I'm also taking on online classes. Plus, I'm such a flighty and indecisive artist that it's hard to get me hammered into one idea, so I'm worried I'll waste a lot of time jumping between topics. - I know, I know, I'm falling to the same pitfalls as everyone else. But, scaling... it scales horrendously unless I get a Band 6. Yes, I'm consistently getting an A in Visual Arts, but the fact that it's so consistent worries me. I'm nervous my teachers grade too kindly, and that I'll get decimated in the HSC. Maybe I'm being silly though.

Things might change once I complete my preliminary exams and see the results.

One thing: I could 100% excel in either of those subjects if I put in the work, but it's difficult to convince myself to study for biology when my classes are so draining emotionally. I could learn to love the subject more if I tried, but I feel so stiff and uncomfortable in my class that I honestly would still hate (or at least feel very very very neutral and apathetic about) being in biology class.

Lastly, there's always the option of not doing Japanese Extension. But I want to take risks and try something new, and I think I'll regret it if I don't do it. You only live once, you know? I'm first in Japanese Continuers and I almost never receive less than 100% on any of my assessments, and if I do it's only the stray singular mark. I think I could excel in Japanese Extension. I want to excel in Japanese Extension. It's a challenge, but I want to take it on since I'll be getting more serious in my studies in Yr12 (obviously). It's a big change, and a lot of work, but I'm willing to put in the effort. It seems like a lot of fun, and I want to try. And more importantly, I love the subject!

Some thoughts, or encouragement would be appreciated!!!!!! Thank you for reading through this all!

 

[[ ]]

That's all irrelevant. Ask yourself inside which one do you want to choose.

 

[gmenoza]

drop art

 

[Average Boreduser]

I'm thinking of picking up Japanese Extension in Yr12 via distance education, which means I'd only be allowed to do 11 units. I'm thinking of dropping either Biology or Visual Arts, but it's tough TT I'm greedy so I'm aiming for a 99.95 ATAR, which is why I'm fumbling around with this decision so much. I want to do something science-related in the future, so keeping both Biology and Chemistry would be picture-perfect, but...

Right now I'm doing:
- English Advanced
- Maths Advanced
- Chemistry
- Japanese Continuers
- Biology
- Visual Arts

Biology

Visual Arts

- I genuinely, truly, LOVE biology. Absolutely love it. - My first assessment wasn't spectacular due to time management. I'm hoping my second will be better. - I really don't like my teacher much, I just don't vibe with her. There's no passion, just grind. Her classes are drab and I lose focus easily. We might have our teachers get shuffled around next year, but who knows if that'll apply to my class? We won't know what teachers we'll get until literally the start of Yr12, which is not something that I can afford to wait and see for since applications are due in the beginning of November. - I just don't like the people either that much either, so I feel awkward in that class. I only really talk to a couple people in that class, and then there's just a massive boys clique in the back that I DEFINITELY cannot talk to. - My specific biology class has a very strange arrangement where it's half computer lessons. Honestly not sure how I feel about it, they're very lazy lessons where our teacher assigns us work beforehand and we have to submit it, and a non-science teacher supervises us (not my biology teacher) during the lesson. - Honestly, my class is such a throw-away class. We straight up didn't have a teacher for 6 weeks of term 2, and so we'd get either random textbook lessons, patchwork biology lessons from science teachers that may have been free, or just free periods to do what we liked. - Don't get me wrong, I love it so much that I genuinely think I would do great in it if I were to just study it all on my own (except I wouldn't be able to afford that very much, because time-management). School biology has been brought down for me because of my horrendous teacher situations throughout the year, but I think I could definitely learn to love studying it. I'm spectacular at science. - I really don't want to drop biology for some inexplicable reason, maybe I'm just trauma-bonded to that stupid class. Maybe it's because I'm attached to my status as one of the top science students, so dropping the class feels a bit like an ego hit.

- LOVE visual arts, I'm a massive artist, I do art in my free time and it's my primary hobby. - I always get full marks on my artworks (which concerns me, because I'm not sure if this means my teacher is just a really gentle marker.) - I do well on my written assessments too, I always get full marks on my essays, although the short answer portions vary a little! I think I could get it up if I tried (most of the time I nap in the middle of my assessments and get As anyways). I'm just nervous that the HSC assessment will be significantly harder than my internals since I've somehow consistently scored so high (90s-100s). - Time management is so key in this subject, so having a BOW subject could be an issue if I'm also taking on online classes. Plus, I'm such a flighty and indecisive artist that it's hard to get me hammered into one idea, so I'm worried I'll waste a lot of time jumping between topics. - I know, I know, I'm falling to the same pitfalls as everyone else. But, scaling... it scales horrendously unless I get a Band 6. Yes, I'm consistently getting an A in Visual Arts, but the fact that it's so consistent worries me. I'm nervous my teachers grade too kindly, and that I'll get decimated in the HSC. Maybe I'm being silly though.

Things might change once I complete my preliminary exams and see the results.

One thing: I could 100% excel in either of those subjects if I put in the work, but it's difficult to convince myself to study for biology when my classes are so draining emotionally. I could learn to love the subject more if I tried, but I feel so stiff and uncomfortable in my class that I honestly would still hate (or at least feel very very very neutral and apathetic about) being in biology class.

Lastly, there's always the option of not doing Japanese Extension. But I want to take risks and try something new, and I think I'll regret it if I don't do it. You only live once, you know? I'm first in Japanese Continuers and I almost never receive less than 100% on any of my assessments, and if I do it's only the stray singular mark. I think I could excel in Japanese Extension. I want to excel in Japanese Extension. It's a challenge, but I want to take it on since I'll be getting more serious in my studies in Yr12 (obviously). It's a big change, and a lot of work, but I'm willing to put in the effort. It seems like a lot of fun, and I want to try. And more importantly, I love the subject!

Some thoughts, or encouragement would be appreciated!!!!!! Thank you for reading through this all!

for a 99.95 you want to think about scaling. Go with bio.

 

[[ ]]

for a 99.95 you want to think about scaling. Go with bio.

Oh yeah sorry I didn't see the 99.95 part. Go with bio.

 

[Bastani]

I'm thinking of picking up Japanese Extension in Yr12 via distance education, which means I'd only be allowed to do 11 units. I'm thinking of dropping either Biology or Visual Arts, but it's tough TT I'm greedy so I'm aiming for a 99.95 ATAR, which is why I'm fumbling around with this decision so much. I want to do something science-related in the future, so keeping both Biology and Chemistry would be picture-perfect, but...

Right now I'm doing:
- English Advanced
- Maths Advanced
- Chemistry
- Japanese Continuers
- Biology
- Visual Arts

Biology

Visual Arts

- I genuinely, truly, LOVE biology. Absolutely love it. - My first assessment wasn't spectacular due to time management. I'm hoping my second will be better. - I really don't like my teacher much, I just don't vibe with her. There's no passion, just grind. Her classes are drab and I lose focus easily. We might have our teachers get shuffled around next year, but who knows if that'll apply to my class? We won't know what teachers we'll get until literally the start of Yr12, which is not something that I can afford to wait and see for since applications are due in the beginning of November. - I just don't like the people either that much either, so I feel awkward in that class. I only really talk to a couple people in that class, and then there's just a massive boys clique in the back that I DEFINITELY cannot talk to. - My specific biology class has a very strange arrangement where it's half computer lessons. Honestly not sure how I feel about it, they're very lazy lessons where our teacher assigns us work beforehand and we have to submit it, and a non-science teacher supervises us (not my biology teacher) during the lesson. - Honestly, my class is such a throw-away class. We straight up didn't have a teacher for 6 weeks of term 2, and so we'd get either random textbook lessons, patchwork biology lessons from science teachers that may have been free, or just free periods to do what we liked. - Don't get me wrong, I love it so much that I genuinely think I would do great in it if I were to just study it all on my own (except I wouldn't be able to afford that very much, because time-management). School biology has been brought down for me because of my horrendous teacher situations throughout the year, but I think I could definitely learn to love studying it. I'm spectacular at science. - I really don't want to drop biology for some inexplicable reason, maybe I'm just trauma-bonded to that stupid class. Maybe it's because I'm attached to my status as one of the top science students, so dropping the class feels a bit like an ego hit.

- LOVE visual arts, I'm a massive artist, I do art in my free time and it's my primary hobby. - I always get full marks on my artworks (which concerns me, because I'm not sure if this means my teacher is just a really gentle marker.) - I do well on my written assessments too, I always get full marks on my essays, although the short answer portions vary a little! I think I could get it up if I tried (most of the time I nap in the middle of my assessments and get As anyways). I'm just nervous that the HSC assessment will be significantly harder than my internals since I've somehow consistently scored so high (90s-100s). - Time management is so key in this subject, so having a BOW subject could be an issue if I'm also taking on online classes. Plus, I'm such a flighty and indecisive artist that it's hard to get me hammered into one idea, so I'm worried I'll waste a lot of time jumping between topics. - I know, I know, I'm falling to the same pitfalls as everyone else. But, scaling... it scales horrendously unless I get a Band 6. Yes, I'm consistently getting an A in Visual Arts, but the fact that it's so consistent worries me. I'm nervous my teachers grade too kindly, and that I'll get decimated in the HSC. Maybe I'm being silly though.

Things might change once I complete my preliminary exams and see the results.

One thing: I could 100% excel in either of those subjects if I put in the work, but it's difficult to convince myself to study for biology when my classes are so draining emotionally. I could learn to love the subject more if I tried, but I feel so stiff and uncomfortable in my class that I honestly would still hate (or at least feel very very very neutral and apathetic about) being in biology class.

Lastly, there's always the option of not doing Japanese Extension. But I want to take risks and try something new, and I think I'll regret it if I don't do it. You only live once, you know? I'm first in Japanese Continuers and I almost never receive less than 100% on any of my assessments, and if I do it's only the stray singular mark. I think I could excel in Japanese Extension. I want to excel in Japanese Extension. It's a challenge, but I want to take it on since I'll be getting more serious in my studies in Yr12 (obviously). It's a big change, and a lot of work, but I'm willing to put in the effort. It seems like a lot of fun, and I want to try. And more importantly, I love the subject!

Some thoughts, or encouragement would be appreciated!!!!!! Thank you for reading through this all!

bro i am not reading allat

 

[gmenoza]

 

[iloveeggs]

i put your courses through the uac atar compass and did a little experiment bc i was curious. it might help you understand how scaling differs between the courses.

i put all courses as a borderline band 6 in the first column bc you need straight b6s for a 99.95 anyways. in reality you'll obv need more than just a borderline band 6 in most subjects.

in the second column i gave you a 100 in the courses you kept so you can see how keeping those subjects and doing as well as you possibly can will contribute to your atar. i kept jap ext as a borderline band 6 for both columns.

	getting borderline band 6 in all of your courses (90/100 or 45/50)	getting borderline band 6 in all courses except you get full marks on the subjects you keep
take jap ext + keep bio + drop va	95.80	97.55
take jap ext + keep va + drop bio	94.85	97.35
keep bio and va + don't take jap ext	95.70	97.40

i think you should keep bio and jap ext. you can see how when you take va either way your estimated atar reduces bc va just scales down unless you get very high marks as you can see. its a very minute difference but its best not to be too wishful bc if you put the same effort into bio and do well it will contribute more towards your atar.

also in regards to your concerns about your bio class, everyone has one or two bad teachers at least and bad class settings and i suggest to just study on your own ngl. you just have to suck it up unfortunately. also since it sounds like the teacher lets you muck around anyways just put that time towards study. also you are dropping to 11 units which means your workload won't be that bad.

ultimately do whatever subject you want to do and whichever one you enjoy. its good that youre aiming high but i think unless you want to do undergraduate med you don't particularly need a 99.95, so don't focus too hard on that particular number. you will be fine just take it easy

 

[fesi2w3]

i put your courses through the uac atar compass and did a little experiment bc i was curious. it might help you understand how scaling differs between the courses.

i put all courses as a borderline band 6 in the first column bc you need straight b6s for a 99.95 anyways. in reality you'll obv need more than just a borderline band 6 in most subjects.

in the second column i gave you a 100 in the courses you kept so you can see how keeping those subjects and doing as well as you possibly can will contribute to your atar. i kept jap ext as a borderline band 6 for both columns.

	getting borderline band 6 in all of your courses (90/100 or 45/50)	getting borderline band 6 in all courses except you get full marks on the subjects you keep
take jap ext + keep bio + drop va	95.80	97.55
take jap ext + keep va + drop bio	94.85	97.35
keep bio and va + don't take jap ext	95.70	97.40

i think you should keep bio and jap ext. you can see how when you take va either way your estimated atar reduces bc va just scales down unless you get very high marks as you can see. its a very minute difference but its best not to be too wishful bc if you put the same effort into bio and do well it will contribute more towards your atar.

also in regards to your concerns about your bio class, everyone has one or two bad teachers at least and bad class settings and i suggest to just study on your own ngl. you just have to suck it up unfortunately. also since it sounds like the teacher lets you muck around anyways just put that time towards study. also you are dropping to 11 units which means your workload won't be that bad.

ultimately do whatever subject you want to do and whichever one you enjoy. its good that youre aiming high but i think unless you want to do undergraduate med you don't particularly need a 99.95, so don't focus too hard on that particular number. you will be fine just take it easy

Thanks for the insight!! I appreciate it! You’re probably right, I got extremely lucky with my other classes, so biology class was a let down, but I guess we can’t have everything TT Unfortunately due to my brain wiring mishaps, class environment/teacher can be the difference between me excelling or me barely scoring an A in that subject no matter how hard I try (the former being me with visual arts, and the latter being me with biology) so there’s a bit more at stake, although I want to believe I can persevere in biology regardless TT I guess we’ll have to see how prelims go
Thanks again!

 

[Bastani]

Thanks for the insight!! I appreciate it! You’re probably right, I got extremely lucky with my other classes, so biology class was a let down, but I guess we can’t have everything TT Unfortunately due to my brain wiring mishaps, class environment/teacher can be the difference between me excelling or me barely scoring an A in that subject no matter how hard I try (the former being me with visual arts, and the latter being me with biology) so there’s a bit more at stake, although I want to believe I can persevere in biology regardless TT I guess we’ll have to see how prelims go
Thanks again!

 

[iloveeggs]

Thanks for the insight!! I appreciate it! You’re probably right, I got extremely lucky with my other classes, so biology class was a let down, but I guess we can’t have everything TT Unfortunately due to my brain wiring mishaps, class environment/teacher can be the difference between me excelling or me barely scoring an A in that subject no matter how hard I try (the former being me with visual arts, and the latter being me with biology) so there’s a bit more at stake, although I want to believe I can persevere in biology regardless TT I guess we’ll have to see how prelims go
Thanks again!

hmm yeah i get it. ik you said you dont do tutoring previously (maybe im misremembering idk) but if thats the case i can see why class environment & the teacher would matter for you.

remember that the demand in y12 are heavier and you will need to rely on your teacher a bit more. y12 is not like y11 in that regard bc in y11 you can entirely self study and be fine but in y12 to get a good depth of knowledge you need more help. yes def wait until after prelims and think about if you think you think that even in those condtions you'll be fine in y12.

 

[eunoia]

Yo... if you have any notes or tips (particularly around oral exams) for studying Japanese continuers can you send them my way? I am lowkey behind rn and I gotta catch up. No pressure to do it tho !!

 

[fesi2w3]

Yo... if you have any notes or tips (particularly around oral exams) for studying Japanese continuers can you send them my way? I am lowkey behind rn and I gotta catch up. No pressure to do it tho !!

I've never really had to try for exams and I'm in a bit of a rush this morning so I don't have many tips off the top of my head but I'll try!!
- Pronunciation will save you, trust me! I've had classmates lose marks en-masse because they weren't speaking naturally enough/their pronunciation was poor. Absorb yourself in J-Dramas (not animes for pronunciation if you don't want an anime accent, please TT unless it's studio Ghibli because they're known to avoid the manufactured anime accents at all cost), listen to them and occasionally copy the things they say in their exact cadence and you'll learn what sounds natural or not! Japanese doesn't focus on tones that much, but they still exist.
- Absorb yourself in Japanese media part 2 (for this part, any JP media is fine)! If you can comfortably listen to and comprehend Japanese at any speed, you'll have a better time speaking, so try practicing your listening whenever you can! Also very beneficial for reading! I play a lot of JP video games, I write my diary entries and daily schedule in JP, I listen to and write JP music, I talk to myself in JP, I absorb myself a lot both out of personal interest and also to practice and learn new vocabulary or grammar structures ahead of time! It goes a long way because I honestly don't even have to study for Japanese as long as I do those things (getting ~100% right now in JP and I barely pay much attention in classes so it's a tried and true method)! (Trust me, those little babies in Japan are not studying textbooks to learn, they're immersing themselves in the language)
- Prepare sample responses in JP for questions you think/know will be there! Have someone read them out in a random order, and then you can respond! It's important to stay adaptable since you never really know what questions they'll ask you, but sometimes our mind blanks when we're trying to come up with something, and it's helpful to have something to lean on in those times. If you don't have anyone to read them out, I just have a screen reader do it for me! Google translate, any program that involves text-to-speech will work! You can also just write down a list of sample questions and respond to them out loud as you go down the list (try to randomise it)
- Make sure you know the details of your oral (goes without saying)! Is it formal? What topics will it cover?
- Make sure you know how to construct each grammar structure on your own! Just writing your own sentence per grammar structure will give you an idea of which ones you struggle with grasping, and if you can't write them then you certainly can't speak them! Make sure to practice those! And make sure you know essential vocabulary too (all, if you can, but just pick out the vocabulary you believe will be most relevant and make sure you know those at least!)
- Don't rush! Speak slowly, comfortably! There's no pressure to jump right into your next line, so just take a moment to take a breath and think if you must! Teachers are marking more on your knowledge than your speed. A little aizuchi to show you're thinking will make it sound more natural! Trust me, Japanese people also think before they speak and don't just spit out lines rapid-fire as if they've been anxiously rehearsing them all week! I'm personally a victim of getting anxious and speaking a little faster than most people would (Which is pretty common for me no matter the language haha, but I still get a little feedback note on slowing down)
- Like with all forms of public speaking, BE confident! Don't allow yourself to engage in self-deprecation or anxiety beforehand, you should have a clear head! Get the jitters out pre-exam! Think about all the preparation you did, and be confident that you can do well!

Not the most comprehensive list TT but I hope it helps! Good luck!

 

[vajayjay]

I'm thinking of picking up Japanese Extension in Yr12 via distance education, which means I'd only be allowed to do 11 units. I'm thinking of dropping either Biology or Visual Arts, but it's tough TT I'm greedy so I'm aiming for a 99.95 ATAR, which is why I'm fumbling around with this decision so much. I want to do something science-related in the future, so keeping both Biology and Chemistry would be picture-perfect, but...

Right now I'm doing:
- English Advanced
- Maths Advanced
- Chemistry
- Japanese Continuers
- Biology
- Visual Arts

Biology

Visual Arts

- I genuinely, truly, LOVE biology. Absolutely love it. - My first assessment wasn't spectacular due to time management. I'm hoping my second will be better. - I really don't like my teacher much, I just don't vibe with her. There's no passion, just grind. Her classes are drab and I lose focus easily. We might have our teachers get shuffled around next year, but who knows if that'll apply to my class? We won't know what teachers we'll get until literally the start of Yr12, which is not something that I can afford to wait and see for since applications are due in the beginning of November. - I just don't like the people either that much either, so I feel awkward in that class. I only really talk to a couple people in that class, and then there's just a massive boys clique in the back that I DEFINITELY cannot talk to. - My specific biology class has a very strange arrangement where it's half computer lessons. Honestly not sure how I feel about it, they're very lazy lessons where our teacher assigns us work beforehand and we have to submit it, and a non-science teacher supervises us (not my biology teacher) during the lesson. - Honestly, my class is such a throw-away class. We straight up didn't have a teacher for 6 weeks of term 2, and so we'd get either random textbook lessons, patchwork biology lessons from science teachers that may have been free, or just free periods to do what we liked. - Don't get me wrong, I love it so much that I genuinely think I would do great in it if I were to just study it all on my own (except I wouldn't be able to afford that very much, because time-management). School biology has been brought down for me because of my horrendous teacher situations throughout the year, but I think I could definitely learn to love studying it. I'm spectacular at science. - I really don't want to drop biology for some inexplicable reason, maybe I'm just trauma-bonded to that stupid class. Maybe it's because I'm attached to my status as one of the top science students, so dropping the class feels a bit like an ego hit.

- LOVE visual arts, I'm a massive artist, I do art in my free time and it's my primary hobby. - I always get full marks on my artworks (which concerns me, because I'm not sure if this means my teacher is just a really gentle marker.) - I do well on my written assessments too, I always get full marks on my essays, although the short answer portions vary a little! I think I could get it up if I tried (most of the time I nap in the middle of my assessments and get As anyways). I'm just nervous that the HSC assessment will be significantly harder than my internals since I've somehow consistently scored so high (90s-100s). - Time management is so key in this subject, so having a BOW subject could be an issue if I'm also taking on online classes. Plus, I'm such a flighty and indecisive artist that it's hard to get me hammered into one idea, so I'm worried I'll waste a lot of time jumping between topics. - I know, I know, I'm falling to the same pitfalls as everyone else. But, scaling... it scales horrendously unless I get a Band 6. Yes, I'm consistently getting an A in Visual Arts, but the fact that it's so consistent worries me. I'm nervous my teachers grade too kindly, and that I'll get decimated in the HSC. Maybe I'm being silly though.

Things might change once I complete my preliminary exams and see the results.

One thing: I could 100% excel in either of those subjects if I put in the work, but it's difficult to convince myself to study for biology when my classes are so draining emotionally. I could learn to love the subject more if I tried, but I feel so stiff and uncomfortable in my class that I honestly would still hate (or at least feel very very very neutral and apathetic about) being in biology class.

Lastly, there's always the option of not doing Japanese Extension. But I want to take risks and try something new, and I think I'll regret it if I don't do it. You only live once, you know? I'm first in Japanese Continuers and I almost never receive less than 100% on any of my assessments, and if I do it's only the stray singular mark. I think I could excel in Japanese Extension. I want to excel in Japanese Extension. It's a challenge, but I want to take it on since I'll be getting more serious in my studies in Yr12 (obviously). It's a big change, and a lot of work, but I'm willing to put in the effort. It seems like a lot of fun, and I want to try. And more importantly, I love the subject!

Some thoughts, or encouragement would be appreciated!!!!!! Thank you for reading through this all!

you cant drop until a few weeks into term4. for me it was week 4. so you'll know ur yr 12 teacher by then.

 

[fesi2w3]

you cant drop until a few weeks into term4. for me it was week 4. so you'll know ur yr 12 teacher by then.

That’s true, but applications are due November and there are limited spots TT

 

[eunoia]

I've never really had to try for exams and I'm in a bit of a rush this morning so I don't have many tips off the top of my head but I'll try!!
- Pronunciation will save you, trust me! I've had classmates lose marks en-masse because they weren't speaking naturally enough/their pronunciation was poor. Absorb yourself in J-Dramas (not animes for pronunciation if you don't want an anime accent, please TT unless it's studio Ghibli because they're known to avoid the manufactured anime accents at all cost), listen to them and occasionally copy the things they say in their exact cadence and you'll learn what sounds natural or not! Japanese doesn't focus on tones that much, but they still exist.
- Absorb yourself in Japanese media part 2 (for this part, any JP media is fine)! If you can comfortably listen to and comprehend Japanese at any speed, you'll have a better time speaking, so try practicing your listening whenever you can! Also very beneficial for reading! I play a lot of JP video games, I write my diary entries and daily schedule in JP, I listen to and write JP music, I talk to myself in JP, I absorb myself a lot both out of personal interest and also to practice and learn new vocabulary or grammar structures ahead of time! It goes a long way because I honestly don't even have to study for Japanese as long as I do those things (getting ~100% right now in JP and I barely pay much attention in classes so it's a tried and true method)! (Trust me, those little babies in Japan are not studying textbooks to learn, they're immersing themselves in the language)
- Prepare sample responses in JP for questions you think/know will be there! Have someone read them out in a random order, and then you can respond! It's important to stay adaptable since you never really know what questions they'll ask you, but sometimes our mind blanks when we're trying to come up with something, and it's helpful to have something to lean on in those times. If you don't have anyone to read them out, I just have a screen reader do it for me! Google translate, any program that involves text-to-speech will work! You can also just write down a list of sample questions and respond to them out loud as you go down the list (try to randomise it)
- Make sure you know the details of your oral (goes without saying)! Is it formal? What topics will it cover?
- Make sure you know how to construct each grammar structure on your own! Just writing your own sentence per grammar structure will give you an idea of which ones you struggle with grasping, and if you can't write them then you certainly can't speak them! Make sure to practice those! And make sure you know essential vocabulary too (all, if you can, but just pick out the vocabulary you believe will be most relevant and make sure you know those at least!)
- Don't rush! Speak slowly, comfortably! There's no pressure to jump right into your next line, so just take a moment to take a breath and think if you must! Teachers are marking more on your knowledge than your speed. A little aizuchi to show you're thinking will make it sound more natural! Trust me, Japanese people also think before they speak and don't just spit out lines rapid-fire as if they've been anxiously rehearsing them all week! I'm personally a victim of getting anxious and speaking a little faster than most people would (Which is pretty common for me no matter the language haha, but I still get a little feedback note on slowing down)
- Like with all forms of public speaking, BE confident! Don't allow yourself to engage in self-deprecation or anxiety beforehand, you should have a clear head! Get the jitters out pre-exam! Think about all the preparation you did, and be confident that you can do well!

Not the most comprehensive list TT but I hope it helps! Good luck!

You're a real one My speaking exam is at the end of this week, this has saved me. THANKS SO MUCH