Dancer’s star turn in business studies

A gifted dancer who earned a place at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, Grace Losco’s talent clearly wasn’t confined to the dance studio – achieving equal first in HSC Business Studies.

Although her days included 90-minute treks between school and her Parramatta home, Losco said it wasn’t until senior high school that she really stepped up.

Grace Losco of Newtown High School of the Performing Arts was equal first in HSC Business Studies.

“I was an average student for most of my schooling. During years 11 and 12, I decided it was time I applied myself because I had goals I wanted to achieve,” she said.

“I used the resources at my school to help me decide on some subjects. Once I decided, I knew I had picked subjects that would be good for me.”

This new-found direction combined with her dedication, led to strong HSC results, then a place at Macquarie University studying Law and Commerce.

“Business Studies is a pivotal subject,” Losco said. “I pursued it because I wanted to gain a comprehensive understanding of adult life and life after school.”

Losco’s tips for HSC Business Studies

Master key concepts: “Every aspect of the syllabus will prove beneficial now and in the future. Make sure you understand the key concepts and have examples for them. This will show the marker you know the syllabus and in future will help you understand business.”

Familiarise yourself with NESA’s glossary of key words: “This enables you to provide clear and concise answers to all questions. You need to prove to the marker you are understanding what they are asking.”

Provide comprehensive answers: “Be thorough and remember attention to detail. This demonstrates your thorough understanding of your Business Studies syllabus.”

Business Studies enables the development of essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication.Credit: Janie Barrett

HSC marker advice for Business Studies

Chris Perry, Business Studies teacher, Hornsby Girls High School

Business Studies offers valuable learning opportunities for students that build real-world understanding of both the global and national business environment. It enables the development of essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication. Students learn to hone their ability to analyse business situations, formulate strategies and communicate ideas effectively.

Business Studies teacher at Hornsby Girls High School Chris Perry.

Students are required to have a strong understanding of all four key business functions: Operations, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources. You must have a working knowledge of how these key business functions are interdependent.

In the exam, you may encounter stimulus material that you have not explicitly studied, so you will need to apply your syllabus knowledge to the hypothetical situations to build your responses.

To prepare, practise a variety of past exam papers available on the NESA website and ask your teacher for feedback to improve your responses.

A marker’s top dos and don’ts

• Address the key words used in each question, such as describe and explain.
• Know the Business Studies terminology and apply it appropriately in your responses.
• Integrate business case studies where appropriate.
• Use the stimulus material (if provided) to formulate your answers.
• Have a working understanding of the role, influence, processes and strategies (RIPS) for each of the key business functions. This will help you to determine what each question is specifically asking.
• Take time to briefly plan your extended responses for Sections III and IV. This will provide the opportunity for you to write in a sustained, logical and cohesive manner.
• Don’t re-write the stimulus material as part of your introduction in Section III.
• Don’t use informal language in your responses.
• Don’t write every syllabus dot point that comes to mind as part of your responses. Address what each question is asking and move on, so you don’t waste valuable time.

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