SACE 2023: Expert guide to the chemistry exam
An award-winning scientific researcher gives her expert tips on how to achieve the best results in the year 12 SACE chemistry exam.
Education
Don't miss out on the headlines from Education. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Senior tutor at Tutors SA, medical professional, award-winning scientific researcher Dr Suzanne Mashtoub offers expert advice on how tackle the Year 12 SACE chemistry exam on Tuesday, November 7.
YOUR EXPERT GUIDE TO THE SACE 2022 EXAMS
The Stage 2 Chemistry exam will be held in written format over a 130-minute period, comprising two booklets: Booklet 1 (63 marks) and Booklet 2 (57 marks).
The examination questions are designed to test your understanding and application of all Stage 2 chemistry topics, which include Monitoring the Environment, Managing Chemical Processes, Organic and Biological Chemistry and Managing Resources.
The recipe for exam success requires a balance of all the essential ingredients.
PLANNING – Familiarise yourself with the intricacies of the exam; this will ensure you eliminate as many unknowns as possible, allowing you to focus solely on knowledge application.
The SACE website provides a sneak peak of the cover sheets for each booklet and general study tips. You are also encouraged to chat with your teachers regarding individualised tips; your teachers know you best.
PREPAREDNESS – If you are yet to meet the learning goals of your well-devised study schedule, do not fret – simply regain control by carefully (and realistically) managing your remaining time.
Prepare for all chemistry topics equally; some commonly rejected areas include a detailed understanding of Optimising Production, techniques to differentiate between organic compounds, Electrochemical Cells, Soils and Production of Metals.
Prepare yourself in advance for the day of your exam; this includes what you might eat for breakfast, what time you will leave home and permitted items (approved calculators may be used for chemistry).
PRACTICE – As chemistry is all about application of knowledge, practice questions should be your best friend.
Access past chemistry exams via the SACE website and sit each paper under simulated exam conditions at home; this will take the guess work out of timing, exam format and question style.
PASSION – Love what you are doing and you will love the results.
Never cease to be amazed by chemistry – you are learning about the application of the smallest unit of matter!
Remind yourself of this to put a spring in your step and keep you motivated.
POWER POSING – Stand like the superhero you are and allow your body language to guide your mind towards self-confidence.
With the right mindset before the exam, you are giving yourself the best opportunity for peak performance.
PERFORMANCE – Timing is everything in the exam, hence avoid spending precious minutes providing detail beyond what is asked of you – be guided by the number of marks per question.
Read and re-read the question, highlighting key words; the instructions ‘state, describe, explain, propose, use, name, identify etc’ will help guide what to refer to and include in your response.
When navigating tricky questions, always return to the first principles of chemistry, for example, polarity, molar mass, intra and intermolecular forces of attraction, successful collisions, Le Chatelier’s Principle and Metal Activity Series.
Be clear and demonstrate intention in the way you draw structures; avoid sloppy bond lines, place charges in the correct spot and always count the number of bonds around the carbon atom (there should only ever be four).
Avoid losing ‘easy’ marks – use the correct number of significant figures (based on the least accurate number provided in the stem), include states and molar enthalpy in your balanced thermochemical equation, carefully review units, (neatly) show your working out and label graph axes.
Consider science as a human endeavour and link this to how science interacts with society through communication and collaboration, development, influence, application and limitation.
PERSISTENCE – You can do it! Keep your eye on the clock and keep going.
PAT ON THE BACK – You have implemented all the right ingredients to the best of your ability – give yourself a pat on the back!
Dr Suzanne Mashtoub BSc (Biomed) Hons (First Class) PhD (Med) Grad Cert Ed (Higher Ed) MD (‘22)is a passionate educator, researcher and medical professional, with over 18 years’ experience in tutoring Australian Curriculum, Stage 1 and Stage 2 SACE subjects. The above article serves as a guide for Year 12 students preparing for examinations in 2023, derived from personal views and expertise. Suzanne has been a senior tutor with the leading Adelaide tutoring institute Tutors SA.
Kids missing, locked out: Shock childcare incidents revealed
The state’s childcare watchdog is cracking down on safety in the wake of hundreds of worrying incidents reported over the past year.
Teen wants more surgeons to perform top surgery on trans people
When Toby McEvoy felt happy concealing their school dress with an apron in cooking class, the student realised they were different. Now they will address parliament about their life-changing idea.