Last minute HSC hacks as students prepare for tricky English exam

While some students will be hoping for an easy English exam on Tuesday after a horror school year, experts reveal why this year’s exam will be a tricky one.

The state’s top English teacher has warned tens of thousands of HSC students who are due to start their final year exams on Tuesday not to expect an easy ride because of the Covid lockdowns.

NSW English Teachers Association chief Eva Gold said exams were set by the NSW Standards Authority months back in March and it was too late to change them by the time the school shutdown commenced in June.

“The HSC exams are set very early and they have test runs as part of their progress so they would not have changed their examination questions,” she said.

At this late stage, she said the best thing students could do to get a better result would be to understand what was being asked.

Auburn Girls High School student Rodah Elemam will be one of more than 65,000 students starting the HSC on Tuesday. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Word of advice is read the question carefully, very carefully … the questions while they look simple and straightforward can have some subtleties to them and if you can pick up on those in your answer, you’re well ahead,” Ms Gold said.

A total of 65,480 students across the state will put pen to paper in their first English exams at 9.50am on Tuesday followed by a second English exam on Wednesday morning.

Schools have been told if they are in one of a number of Sydney local government areas which were significantly affected by Covid lockdowns this year, they will be able to make group applications for special consideration.

Individual students can also make applications to boost their marks if, for 30 or more school days, they had no or very limited access to the internet, learning materials, specialised educational support or home arrangements had compromised their ability to do the course work at home.

Cluey Learning chief Dr Selina Samuels, who leads a team of 1450 tutors, said she believed the bureaucrats at the NSW Standard Authority would be understanding and fair when it came to recognising how students’ learning had suffered this year.

And for those students who had left things to the last minute and were panicking in the final 24 hours before the exam, Dr Samuels warned against cramming and said it was better trying to sleep well if they could.

“I would not recommend all nighters but I always tell my students if they don’t sleep well the night before their first exam, they shouldn’t be worried about not sleeping because adrenaline will probably propel them through the next day,” she said.

“I think going for a walk in the morning can help clear your mind before the exam.”

Auburn Girls High School student Rodah Elemam has been studying for up to 10 hours a day and said walks had been the key to her ability to consistently study for long periods.

“I do get tired. I like listening to true crime podcasts and taking really long walks,” she said.

“I don’t think I would be able to study for as long if I didn’t have any outlets to take a break from study like podcasts.”