literallylauren

ReyanSuccessfulSelectiveAplicant

1. there are no such things as “traditional roles” in society anymore, with females being more than capable to complete more masculine-perceived tasks

2. although religion and culture may perceive women as lesser to men, america which claims to be a free country shouldn’t be giving “prescribed gender roles”

3. women have had quite an equal involvement in society, and america won’t be changing this, therefore see my point below.

when i said a loss of women’s rights, i meant their right to abortion most specifically. pregnancy is extremely strenuous on a body, let alone if a 10 year old is SA’ed and FORCED to carry a child and raise it by themselves. how is that fair!? if a woman isn’t fit to carry a child, then they shouldn’t. america operates under an ageing constitution that no longer reflects the standards of a modern society.

and so you are aware, i reported this to the mods as this is sure to break the rules of the forum as you are clearly discriminating, and women reading this are sure to be uncomfortable because i am uncomfortable as a male.

atar_2025 well if a 4-5 marks questions, I'd say that you identify two green chemistry principles (from page 23 of data book) that are relevant to the scenario and explain how they relate to the reaction process/scenario.
Taking fuel-combustion reactions as an example (4 marks), you could structure your answer like this:

• Design for degradation - explain how it applies to scenario

• Design for energy efficiency - explain how it applies to scenario

Two marks for identifying 2 green chem principles and 2 marks for linking to the given scenario/process

atar_2025 it depends on the type of reaction, but generally there are the following rules:

• For thermochemical equations, the state of the reactant being combusted in excess o2 is specified on page 10 of the data book, water is a liquid, and O2 and CO2 are gases

• For combustion reactions, the state of the substance being combusted in excess o2 is specified on page 10 of the data, book and water, O2 and CO2 are gases

• If a substance is in solution with water, it is aqueous

• also you should memorize the equations for photosynthesis, cellular respiration (i don't rlly know if you need to know it but just in case) and anaerobic fermentation
  photosynthesis: 6H2O (l) + 6CO2 (g) ------> C6H12O6 (aq) + 6CO2 (g)
  cellular respiration: C6H12O6 (aq) + 6O2 (g) --> 6CO2 (g) + 6H2O (l) + ATP/energy
  anaerobic fermentation: C6H12O6 (aq) -----> 2C2H5OH (aq) + 2CO2 (g)
  You should also know reactions involving acids and bases (covered in unit 1/2)

In general, there are reactant and product states associated with each type of reaction, you should especially make sure you know the form of thermochemical equations and combustion equations, as well as memorise the equations for photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and anaerobic fermentation, and know the form of reactions involving acids and bases.

Hi friends!
I'm a second year student at university, and I've had time to think back on the awkward shift between high school and university. It's not easy, and I fear that some underestimate it. Here's a few things I want Year 12s, or 2025 university beginners to consider.
You will be spending less time in class: Depending on what uni you go to, and what course you study, you won't be in class 9-3:30, five days a week. Sometimes, you might have full days off uni, and you can study, work or just lounge about. But make sure you keep motivated, set a study schedule, if you must
It's not easy: The first few weeks of semester are pretty breezy. But once your assignments start coming in, you'll find yourself studying and revising a lot, usually by Week 4. Don't assume the whole thing is gonna be easy by finishing the first week
You don't have to go to class: You're an adult, you are responsible for organising your own life now. Those 9-11 classes always hurt, but you don't have to go to any classes, unless it's for something like a presentation or lab class.
You should probably go to class though: If you miss one class, that's fine, whatever. You can always look at the content online, but try not to miss too many classes, otherwise you might miss important information about assignments or content. Some classes also count the attendance as a part of your final grade, so keep that in mind
Go to O-Week: O-Week might not seem important, but it's definitely worth going, especially if you're a first-year. You'll get plenty of study tips, resources and information, and a chance to meet other students, who you might share a common interest, or class with. There are different clubs, sport teams and communities to discover too, and some places near campuses hold parties, where you can meet even more people
Make friends: This is one of the most important things I can suggest. In high school, you have to spend time with classmates, in the schoolyard. Because there's less time spent at uni, there's less interaction with other students, and less chance to make friends. This is why it's important to go to parties, make friends, check out communities, etc. You can still be friends people you met in high school, but they'll be busy as well, so First Year can sometimes be lonely
Get a hobby/job during the breaks: Mid-year break for me was 6 weeks long. Sounds like a nice time, but for the latter half, I was bored out of my mind. Nothing to do, nothing to stress about, I needed something to keep me from going nuts. During the summer break this year, I'm thinking of going on a road trip, and maybe teaching myself another language. I need to keep my brain stimulated, otherwise I'll get bored
Don't expect to get everything right immediately: University and high school are very, very different. Just because you did good in high school doesn't mean you'll do great in uni. If you get your first essay back, and are underwhelmed by your mark, don't worry. The library has study tips available, and your lecturers can give feedback on how you can improve. My first essay was 55%, I ended up getting a 75 for the next one in that class. Adjusting to uni takes time, as does the essay writing.

I think I mentioned everything I wanted to. If there are any Year 12s with questions about what to do, feel free to reply. Or if there are any university students with things to add, please write them bellow

girlmeetsvce of course! i create a landscape google doc and colour code EVERYTHING like a crazy person…

the first thing i have in the document is a quote bank. quotes are organised into themes (which are colour-coded), or miscellaneous, meaning they apply to multiple themes or are just there to support a main piece of evidence.

then using the same thematic colour coding system, i have the second section— thematic synonyms. my english teacher says i use a LOT of repetition, so i’ve created a synonym bank with synonyms for all the themes.

the third and final section are symbols/motifs/construction techniques. i do this dot pointed, and (shockingly) don’t colour code this one.

i’ve added a photo here of the template if you want to look in case i rambled on too much

Juliet “study = write write write!!” - my very amazing english teacher. so i’m going to quote everything she has told us this year. notes don’t really matter if you don’t know how to analyse what those notes mean in the context of the text you’re studying. so always write is what she gets at! paragraphs, topic sentences, analytical statements. and perfect those. edit. edit again. be harsh and critique everything (with discretion of course).

she also encourages us to plan essays as a form of revision. set out three big ideas, quotations, how they will be analysed. unpacking prompts with different interpretations and perspectives, etc etc.

i’m not advising to not take notes, because for this AOS i have barely any in-class notes and we’ve finished all the actual learning. your notes shouldn’t be only whiteboard notes. have a document. thematically organise quotes. have points of analysis for the quotes, and motifs, and any other construction feature that may be evident. have synonyms for everything!!

from my amazing english teacher, in my not so amazing words, hope that helped

While I can't speak to how your SAC scores will impact your overall study score, I suggest the following for your struggle to write under time pressure:

• in what ways are you struggling? Is it the stress making you blank out? Is it that you can't physically write fast enough? Is it that the prompts are not what you expect them to be?
• once you've determined what it is that you're struggling with, then you can figure out some strategies to help you manage it. Eg, if it's the stress of the situation that's hard, then you'll need to do lots of practice writing under similar conditions, or if it's you physically can't write fast enough, then you'll need to do lots of handwriting practice to strengthen those muscles, etc.

I hope that was helpful! Try not to stress about your previous SAC marks - what's done is done. Try and focus on what's ahead and prepare for that accordingly

girlmeetsvce

VCE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMMAND TERMS

analyse: identify the main features, then providing detail by breaking the concept down and connect them to one another

compare: 2 similarities and 2 differences (or 1 similarity + 3 differences / 1 difference + 3 similarities)

• 2 marks for two similarities
• 2 marks for two differences
• 1 mark for one similarity and 3 marks for three differences
• 1 mark for one difference and 3 marks for three differences

define: usually 2 marks that require a clear stating of the meaning and a link to relevant information

• 1 mark for the definition
• 1 mark for linking to relevant information

describe: provide a detailed description of a term, including features and characteristics

discuss: consider advantages and disadvantages of a concept. the amount of each can be decided upon the marking scheme

distinguish: usually 3 marks that require the definition of both terms and their main difference (must not repeat/ re-word the definition/s)

• 1 mark for defining the first concept
• 1 mark for defining the second concept
• 1 mark for the difference

evaluate: usually 5 marks that require 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages (or strengths/weaknesses) about the concept, then a personal opinion related to the sustainability of the concept in relation to the question (don’t repeat any previous writing in the response, rather link it in a relevant sense)

• 2 marks for two advantages
• 2 marks for two disadvantages
• 1 mark for personal opinion

explain: define the concept/term and provide key characteristics to make a clear and understandable response

identify: point out without further explanation a concept/ term. usually will be followed with a define or describe command

justify: provide a explanation for the concept and give valid reasoning behind this, most likely by showing evidence (advantages/disadvantages) or links to the case study

outline: identify the main concepts/terms and explain. length/depth or response will be determined by marks allocated to the question

propose: put forward an idea in relation to a concept and explain it in relation to the question

keziah

Hey keziah,

I haven't been here in a while, so just to re-introduce myself: I'm @PhytoPlanktonkton, and I graduated in 2021 QCE.

Subject changes are usually very tough decisions to make. If you enjoy maths and are somewhat good at it, I would recommend specialist maths. It scales very high (good for your ATAR), gives you adjustment factors to certain unis and degrees and helps with some prerequisites to some degrees too.

However, if you are proven to get exceptional grades in psych without much work, it obviously can be considered your "chill subject" (a subject you can pretty much ace without much work). I would go down this path if you have another five subjects that can back you up just in case because if psych goes down then that will pull you down a lot if you don't have a backup.

This is what I would recommend: take a look at the QCAA syllabuses (unit 1-4) for both psychology and specialist maths. If you find both of them interesting and you think you can exceed somewhat in both then specialist maths is definitely the way to go. Also, check the scaling report of last year too - it will give you an update on the relative scaling of each subject.

Anyways, that's what I think but let me know if you have any other questions.

Hope it helps.

• PP

hi! Based on how my teacher's broken down rubrics for us in the past, I'd say that 'discussion' would involve a multi-faceted approach to the characters, like talking about different aspects. Basically making the analysis of characters relevant to the 'concerns' explored in the text, such as why the important is relevant to highlight certain ideas, and how the author does that. And I guess the "describe" one is limited to just characters and concerns, whereas the higher end of the rubric involves not only characters but also other aspects, which could be setting, context and narrative arc. To go in-depth, you could also include analysis of the character's journey, how they changed or why they did/did not change. Hope that helps!

My younger sibling is interested in media, so I helped them look for one in the field, but they did their work experience during COVID. I found that ACTF (Australian Children’s TV Foundation) does work experience and I’m fairly sure the ABC (as in the Australian Broadcasting Company) does too if you’re early enough.

Arielle hey our teacher always said that vcaa likes to trick us and put sicknesses so students will assume it's exhaustion however it is very rarely exhaustion stage in a Q, try and see how extreme the wording is - heart condition in comparison to coughs and colds. i do remember in resistance stage the immune system is weakened due to prolonged high levels of cortisol and this increases suceptibility to more minor diseases however heart diseases stems from the long-term strain and effects of cortisol which have been placed on the body
i agree with rey64 for the most part, you're on the right track just work on identifying the symptoms and grouping them, maybe making a table or flashcards could help you so when you see a practice Q you can immediately identify
hope that helps!

Arielle I think you're definitely on the right track, but maybe for the first one I'd say the resistance phase instead of on the verge of exhaustion, and maybe explain what cortisol is and why it's important/relevant to his symptoms.
Also for the exhaustion stage I'd maybe just mention how the body loses ability to cope with stress due to the depletion of resources caused by the effects of cortisol, as the key parts of the exhaustion stage is their low resistance to stress due to depleted resources and the exhausted body.
You definitely had really good answers though imo, especially referencing the HPA axis in the second question.
Keep in mind that I'm also another year 12 psych student this year so I can't say exactly how VCAA would mark these but that's personally how I'd add to these answers, hope this helps

It's the start of week 2 now and I really do like all my classes so far, obviously we haven't entered SAC season yet though so this may change as the year progresses lol.
We have our year 12 camp this week which should be fun, we get to go to a uni campus and even stay in uni accomodations (shared living spaces with individual bedrooms which should be fun).
Hospitality has just been some really simple theory so far so that's really chill (no homework at all yet, and honestly unlikely to have much/any throughout this year)
English (still working on some annotation stuff for we have always lived in the castle and i have to do a homework task on some background information but still pretty easy stuff,)
Business Management (working on turning the textbook content into notes and also need to answer some textbook questions over the next week)
Psychology (no homework yet and I'm ahead of the class in notes although I have a psychology double next so that may change lol)
Melbourne Uni Psychology through CHES (has yet to start but I do have orientation days for them next week and I need to finish ordering my student card)
I don't really know how often I'll be updating this, probably whenever I'm procrastinating doing actual school work lol but I'm going to try to get in the habit of updating this every so often so I'll be able to read back on it later maybe?
Idk, anyways I hope everyone's enjoying the school year so far

Everything Talei said is correct but my textbook also briefly covers the enteric nervous system which is a sub-division of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for the gastro-intestinal/digestive tract.
I'm not sure if you'd lose marks for not including it (my geuss would be probably not but don't quote me on that) but it wouldn't hurt to include.

To answer the question as a whole it's important to identify each branch and it's subdivisions before giving a breif but accurate explaination of what they do, so my answer to the question would be this:

The nervous system has two primary parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system is comprised of the brain and the spinal chord and is responsible for processing the information from stimulus both inside and outside the body and coordinating the body's responses and activities.
The peripheral nervous system are a network of nerves that convey messages to and from the central nervous system via the spinal chord with two main branches, the somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system is responsible for communicating sensory information to the brain and sending the responding motor information to skeletal muscles to control voluntary movements.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for sub-conscious responses and behaviour with 3 branches, the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for controlling the body's flight or fight response after percieiving a fer trigger or experiencing a crisis, such as by increasing the body's breathing rate and producing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for maintaining homeostasis or balance within the body, and is typically the dominant system over the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system helps gradually reduce the effects of the sympathetic nervous system to return the body to a calm state once the individual is out of danger.
The enteric nervous system is responsible for controlling the body's digestive or gastrointestinal tract such as controlling nutrient absorption and hormone release within the gut.

I am a current year 12 psych student this year so I can't say with certainty what I'm doing is correct so if anyone corrects me I'll take any feedback on board and my information may not be the best as I'm still learning the topic as well.
I hope this could be of some help and I'm sorry if it isn't.

Hey, Heres some notes I have on it.

The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord, and its main role is to integrate information, coordinate activities in the body, and control behavior. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is a network of nerves outside of the CNS that conveys sensory and motor messages to and from the brain via the spinal cord.

Within the PNS, there are two main divisions:

1. Somatic Nervous System: This division regulates voluntary movements and transmits sensory information from receptors in our skin, muscles, and joints to the CNS. It also sends motor commands from the CNS to skeletal muscles for voluntary movement.

2. Autonomic Nervous System: This division regulates involuntary processes such as heart rate, digestion, breathing, and glandular activity. It has two branches:
   • Sympathetic Nervous System: This branch prepares our body for "fight or flight" responses during stressful situations by increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, increasing breathing rate, etc.
   • Parasympathetic Nervous System: This branch promotes relaxation and conserves energy by decreasing heart rate, constricting pupils, decreasing breathing rate.

hey i also achieved a 40 in psych this year, despite bombing unit 3
as i did bomb unit 3, i would encourage you that most year 11s (doing an accelerated subject) will bomb their first SAC (or their first two...as I did). DO NOT LOSE HOPE. In Unit 4, I made an insane recovery, got an A- on my practice exam with a 10/10 for ER at school and eventually got A+ on the actual vcaa exam.
it's very important to base all your learning on the SD, a friend (who got 43) and i made notes based on SD dot points (which I'm happy to share for free, ofc!) and these helped. i'll link them in a follow up post.
use your teacher! my teacher had been a vcaa assessor and was able to answer most questions
the thing that helped most for the SACs at my school was to memorise every single term and its definition from the AOS relevant to the sac - e.g. sleep - a naturally occurring altered state of consciousness in which an individual experiences a loss of awareness and a disengagement from internal and external stimuli. this may not be as useful for your school though but I had a super thick stack of flashcards.
start as early as you can, the rank 1 and 2 students from my school started their revision in term 3 and received study scores of 49 and 43 respectively. i ended up doing 25 practice exams, but i think they did 40+
good luck! psych is a really enjoyable subject when it comes down to it, and you can definitely do well with some forward planning
TLDR: Don't lose hope after a few bad SACs, make SD linked notes (dot-point analysis), use your teacher, memorise key terms, start revision early