Veteran HSC modern history teacher reveals what markers are really thinking

A long time teacher and official marker of the subject has revealed exactly how every single student should approach each section of the paper.

Killara High School Modern History teacher Clair-Louise Schofield, who has over 17 years’ experience teaching the course and has been on examination committees and marked the HSC examination shares some top tips, common pitfalls in the subject, and how students can achieve their personal best in the arduous 3 hour and 5 minute HSC examination.

Make a brief plan at the start of the examination

Students are encouraged to read the whole paper at the beginning of the examination. An effective strategy is to write a brief plan with their key ideas and facts for each of the sections before they start writing.

This is valuable because by the time they get to that last section, students are often really fatigued, and their plan helps to sustain them through to the end of the examination. Their plan and key points assist in structuring their body paragraphs.

Making a plan at the beginning of the exam means students are less likely to fall victim to exam fatigue. Picture: istock

As a rule of thumb, if someone were to read the introduction and the point sentence of each paragraph, they should be able to see a clear argument.

It is essential that students spend 45 minutes on each section and even write their start and finish time for each section on their paper to support them in sticking to this plan.

Students who spend an hour on one section of the paper thinking they will write a strong response and achieve a high mark, will sell themselves short in another section of the paper and it is unlikely they will be able to achieve their best marks across the whole paper.

Spending an excessive amount of time on just one question can spell calamity for the rest of the exam.

Source analysis in the Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919 – 1946 section and short answer questions in the Change in the Modern World section

In the final stages of revision, it is important to go over past HSC papers and look closely at the types of questions that are asked across the paper.

Students must know what the meaning of the NESA directive words, such as describe, outline, account for, analyse, assess, evaluate, or explain.

Being familiar with what the paper looks like and past historical sources will also build their confidence.

Also looking closely at the mark value for each question and how many lines are provided, should guide students in how much they need to write.

Spending an excessive amount of time and writing a lot more than the required amount on short answer questions will take time away from those higher mark questions which will impact their ability to access the top marks.

It is important to remember that in the Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919 – 1946 and Change in the Modern World section of the paper there is no alternative questions and students must answer every question in these sections.

The best advice is to revise the entire syllabus before the exam.

So, when revising, students must ensure they know every syllabus point and aim to have as many historical facts and details as they can on every syllabus point, as this will allow them to be as confident as possible to attempt any question that may be asked.

National Study and Peace and Conflict sections of the paper

In each of these two sections of the examination students need to write one 25 mark essay for each section from a choice of two questions.

By this stage, students should know the historical narrative and should now focus on reinforcing their historical facts and details so they can write in as much depth as possible to create a strong and clear assessment.

Making revision notes using the syllabus will assist students in achieving their best possible outcome as the examination committee use the syllabus to form the questions, so if students know this well and have detailed knowledge to apply then they should be able to answer any question to their personal best.

Going into that exam with a pre-prepared essay means you will never reach the top marks.

Avoid going into the examination with pre-prepared essays

There is a significant danger in students going into their examination with pre-prepared essays, as there is a huge risk that the question, they are hoping for will not be the one that is asked in this year’s examination.

Their essay responses must address the question that is being asked and integrate relevant historical detail and facts as this is what will be awarded by the markers.

The best advice is to revise the whole syllabus, go over past HSC questions and write plans to ensure you are confident and can do your best no matter what the question.

The best responses are sophisticated, sustained, comprehensive, coherent, have a clear interpretation that is supported by historical facts, details, and evidence.

Markers are looking at the responses as what students can produce in 45 minutes to an unseen question under timed examination conditions and will reward students with as many marks as possible.