Facing the ultimate test: HSC students go to extreme lengths to conquer their exams.
For many students, the Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams are the culmination of years of hard work. But what lengths do these students go to in order to succeed? Let's dive into the world of HSC preparation, where creativity and determination collide.
At Normanhurst Boys High School, students Lam Doan, Ronny Jo, and Harry Shin took their preparation to the next level for the English Extension 1 exam. They taped batteries to their pens to increase their weight during practice, and squeezed putty to strengthen their hands. They walked into the exam with at least five pens each, ready to face the challenge. This exam, the final one for the group, held a special significance.
Lam shared his perspective: "All the other exams were done and dusted, I couldn’t do anything about them, I needed to give this one my best shot. It was my final opportunity to lift my marks up as high as I could get them." This highlights the pressure and importance of this final assessment.
With only two hours to complete two essay questions, the English Extension 1 exam is a true test of endurance. Lam described it as a "marathon run at a sprinter's pace." This isn't a subject for the faint of heart. The number of students enrolled has decreased over the years, with approximately 3,723 students enrolled this year, compared to 6,286 two decades ago. Students are expected to produce around 1,500 words, or 14 handwritten pages, within the time limit. No wonder Ronny packed so many pens!
"I’ve burnt through three of these pens already in previous exams," he admitted.
But when the exam books were opened, panic set in for Ronny and Lam. One question required them to create a discursive piece based on an unseen text, which Ronny was not prepared for.
Lam agreed, stating, "They have never asked for a discursive text on an [unseen] prescribed piece."
A discursive text encourages students to explore multiple perspectives and include their personal voice, without necessarily advocating a single point. Dean Stevenson, the head of English at Normanhurst Boys, described it as an opportunity for students to write in a "more casual, colloquial voice."
But after reading the stimulus, Lam and Ronny calmed down.
"After reading the stimulus and seeing it was about the reader and writer dynamic, I think that really settled my nerves a bit because that was the focus of what we had been studying in class," said Lam.
For classmate Harry, the question was "exactly" what he wanted.
"I felt I was under-prepared for a critical response, when I saw it was a discursive, it felt good," he said.
"I went in with a prepared piece, it was polished for like, a whole year straight. I practiced adapting to discursive and creative throughout the whole year. So I was very prepared."
Harry's piece was about "the ideation stage of writing," using Seoul's Han River as an extended metaphor. He recited it from memory after the test.
"There’s a path I walk before I write. It runs beside the Han River. It’s become a habit, almost ritual, although I pretend it’s just for air. The Han isn’t spectacular, not in the way people expect beauty to be. It is slow, slightly brown, it carries things we don’t talk about," he said.
And this is where it gets interesting... What do you think about the methods these students used to prepare? Do you think the pressure of the HSC exams pushes students to take these kinds of extreme measures? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
