Legal studies HSC 2023: Pymble Ladies College teacher’s tips for ‘stress-free’ exam
A Sydney private school teacher whose students are among the best in the state says it is possible to have a “stress-free” legal studies exam – if you follow a few key rules.
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A Sydney private school teacher whose students are among the best in the state says it is possible to have a “stress-free” legal studies exam experience – if you follow a few key rules.
According to NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) records, Pymble Ladies’ College had the greatest number of band six – or ‘distinguished achiever’ – results in legal studies of any school in the state last year with 42.
Barker College and Baulkham Hills High School followed with 32 and 29 band sixes respectively.
Subject co-ordinator Matthew Peacock said legal studies is an extremely popular and beloved course among the girls at Pymble, with up to six classes’ worth of students enrolled each year.
“We focus as much on understanding as we do on knowledge,” Mr Peacock said.
“In other words, we practise a lot on ‘how to use what I know’ rather than just more content. We do that through using past papers once a week and a lot of collaborative tasks.
“I also think we get the right blend of academic rigour and enjoyment … it’s not uncommon for students to arrive at class with an observation about the war in Ukraine or recent changes to the Family Court. I also get a lot of good tips on Netflix true crime shows from them!”
Mr Peacock said success in the final exam ultimately comes down to careful revision, using the syllabus, and keeping “relevant evidence to support their judgments” on hand.
“The legal studies exam has a reputation of being quite fair … (students) should be able to get through the paper stress free.”
READ ALSO: Studytok star reveals her biggest secrets to HSC success.
TOP TEACHER’S TOP TIPS FOR LEGAL STUDIES 2023
Biggest risks:
Memorising essays is a common trick among humanities students, but Mr Peacock warned it’s a “very risky strategy”. “HSC markers are not impressed with pre-prepared answers that are not addressing the question,” he said.
Getting the grammar right is crucial – all HSC questions will ask you to ‘do’ something specific. Pay careful attention to the verb being used, because it will tell you how much you’re expected to do in your response. “If asked to “evaluate” don’t just “describe”,” Mr Peacock said. Markers will be looking for “relevant, contemporary evidence and judgments that address the question”.
Study tricks:
“Get out of your comfort zone” and instead of looking for your own past paper question, have a parent or friend pick one so you can answer it blind.
Write your practice essays by hand.
“Don’t just type out a 1500-word essay as practice when it is unrealistic that you are going write that in the examination,” Mr Peacock warned. “It’s like sprint training when you are training for a marathon … it’s the wrong kind of preparation.”
Work together:
Collaborating and studying as a team has worked wonders for the Pymble girls. “Students will break into groups where each group is brainstorming a plan or scaffold for an essay on a past paper,” Mr Peacock explained.
“The groups might then rotate so they contribute to a range of questions.” Try to replicate this in your own study groups during the holidays.
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