One of the most common study strategies is working through past exams. This is a great way to reinforce content and feel prepared for the actual exam, but often past papers are not used efficiently.

There are many sources of past exams. Past exams provided by a teacher are often the most useful, as are past hsc exams, because they are the most likely to replicate what the actual exam will be like. Given these are usually limited, I usually recommend saving them for a few weeks before the exam and sitting them in full stimulated exam conditions. This means sitting down for 1 or 2 or 3 hours with no distractions or breaks and without using any notes. It can even help to add a bit of pressure by doing the exam in a library or at school and setting a timer. It’s very beneficial to stimulate exam conditions because often poor exam time management or technique is how students can lose the most marks even when they are very confident in the skills and content. The only way to improve exam technique is with experience, which is why doing full past exams is very important.

It is also important to check your answers. The best way to do this is to get a tutor to mark the paper for you, so you can see where you would lose marks, but many papers also come with solutions. It is particularly important to allocate a lot of time to going over your answers, making sure you understand all the correct solutions and identifying areas of weakness. Past exams can’t all be crammed in the few days before an exam!

It can also be useful to do past exams open book, as a way to revise content earlier on in your preparation for the exam. However, it is important to not just copy answers from notes, but instead to use this as a form of active recall – always try to answer the question yourself before you check for more information from your notes.

Maya Anderson

Today, I had the pleasure of observing Natalie, a talented Year 6 tutor, as she guided her group through a lively and engaging session on persuasive and creative writing. From the moment the lesson began, it was clear that Natalie had a natural ability to bring writing techniques to life, making them feel accessible, exciting, and relevant to her students.

The session started with persuasive writing, where Natalie introduced the class to the importance of purpose and audience. She modelled a short persuasive paragraph, thinking aloud as she highlighted key techniques: emotive language, rhetorical questions, and strong vocabulary choices. What stood out most was how she encouraged students to question why certain words had impact. Instead of simply telling them what to do, she invited them to analyse examples and evaluate their effectiveness. This created a collaborative atmosphere where students felt confident sharing ideas and experimenting with language.The second half of the lesson moved into creative writing, with a focus on descriptive techniques. Natalie used a vivid image prompt and asked the students to brainstorm sensory details—what they might see, hear, smell, or feel in the setting. She reminded them that good writers don’t just tell a story; they paint a picture. Her modelling was rich and expressive, showing how similes, metaphors, and personification can transform simple sentences into atmospheric scenes.

Throughout the lesson, Natalie balanced structure with freedom. She provided clear frameworks but always encouraged personal voice and originality. By the end of the session, pupils were not only more confident in using writing techniques but genuinely excited to apply them.

Observing Natalie in action was a reminder of the power of thoughtful, enthusiastic teaching—and how the right guidance can inspire young writers to shine.

Maria Kargas

New year, new timetable, and yep the holiday rust is real. Think of the first two weeks as a warm up, not a judgement day: reset your sleep so mornings are not brutal, then get your brain back into rhythm with short, consistent study sessions of 20 to 30 minutes instead of huge grinds.

Before school starts, skim last year’s notes and make a one page memory map of what you still remember and what feels shaky, that becomes your game plan, not a reason to stress. Set up your basics now too: folders, notebooks, a calendar for due dates, and a simple weekly routine with two review days and one catch up day. On day one, ask teachers what actually gets marks in their subject, it saves so much guessing. Then chase small wins early: one organised desk, one practice set done, one question asked in class. Momentum beats motivation every time, and once you’ve got momentum, everything feels easier

Nabil Harrar

As someone who went to school for 12 years and a current student in University, I’ve often observed from fellow students and from broader society that education and academic pursuits are not objects of enjoyment or enthusiasm.

This is a puzzling thing. For many centuries education was a highly restricted privilege, and the modern world offers this cumulative knowledge of thousands of years to everyone. So why is it such a chore? Perhaps homework, exams and other study requirements make it stressful and repetitive. This may be true, and it is a regrettable symptom of the education systems in today’s world.

However, I believe every effort should be made by educators to make learning as enjoyable as possible. This can be done simply by revealing the great and noble pursuit that is education to students, thereby opening their wonder, curiosity and enthusiasm about learning as much as possible.

Here at First Education, one often observes students enjoying their time with tutors and looking forward to upcoming sessions. This is because the tutors try and make the task of education a desirable and enjoyable one as its function, incorporating an ethos of comprehensive education to create well-rounded students that love learning.

Raphael Dokos

When students struggle at school it is easy to assume the problem is the content. In reality many students understand the material but are held back by something less visible. This is often referred to as the hidden curriculum. These are the unspoken expectations that students are assumed to know but are rarely taught directly.

The hidden curriculum includes skills like knowing how to study for a test, how to manage time across multiple subjects and how to interpret assessment instructions. Teachers may explain what to learn but not always how to learn it. Students who naturally pick up these skills tend to progress smoothly, while others are left confused and frustrated despite putting in effort.

Assessment tasks are a common example. Students are often given a rubric and expected to know how to use it. Many do not realise that rubrics are essentially roadmaps for success. Without guidance they may focus on the wrong areas or misunderstand what higher level responses require. Tutoring helps students unpack these expectations and learn how to turn criteria into clear action steps.

Organisation is another hidden expectation. Students are expected to track deadlines, keep notes in order and plan ahead for exams. These skills are rarely assessed but strongly influence results. When organisation slips, stress increases and performance drops. Tutors often work with students to create simple systems that make school feel more manageable.

There is also an expectation around communication. Students are assumed to know when to ask for help, how to email a teacher or how to seek clarification before a deadline. Many feel uncomfortable doing this and end up falling behind unnecessarily. In a one on one setting students can practise these skills and build confidence using them at school.

Once the hidden curriculum is made visible, students often improve quickly. They realise they were not failing because they were incapable but because no one had shown them the rules of the game. With the right support these skills can be learnt and applied across every subject.

Freddie Le Vay

With only one hour a week, there’s only so much knowledge you can impart on a student or practice questions you can critique. Sometimes the most important thing you can teach a student, especially an older student, is how to study efficiently and effectively, so that they can improve the most in the time that they have across all their subjects. Many students are not taught about study strategies at school and have never heard about concepts like active recall, and therefore often resort to writing and rewriting notes or writing them once and then not coming back to them or jump straight to practice questions before ensuring they have covered all the content.
The most important study skills concept that has helped me learn both in high school and during my university degree is active recall. There were a few strategies I used that I teach to my students. First, I used cornell notes, which involves writing questions next to your notes and testing yourself by trying to answer the questions with your notes covered. Anything I missed using that strategy I would make a flashcard about using the Anki app, which gives you spaced repetition depending on how difficult you found it to recall the content. This strategy ensured that nothing fell between the gaps and I was confident with all content before starting practice questions
Another important strategy for year 12s is to structure their notes by syllabus dotpoints. This prevents students from memorising extra or unnecessary information and also ensures that they are confident in understanding what they need to know.
Some other strategies I suggest is brain dumping, where you try to remember everything you can about a concept and write it down and then compare with your notes to check what you missed. The last option I suggest to students is forming study groups with their friends and teaching their friends a concept. All these strategies use active recall which means students are much more likely to remember information. By allocating a certain amount of time each week to their subjects and using strategies like active recall, students are more likely to remember content and perform well in exams

Maya Anderson

Many students adopt ineffective study techniques that lead to poor retention, inefficient use of time, and increased exam stress. A common approach involves passive review; rereading notes, highlighting textbooks, or listening to recordings repeatedly. These methods create a false sense of familiarity with the content, but do little to reinforce long-term memory or deepen understanding.

Research in cognitive psychology suggests that more effective learning occurs through active engagement with the material. Active recall, the process of retrieving information from memory without looking at the source, significantly strengthens memory consolidation. This can be achieved through self-testing, completing practice questions, or verbally explaining concepts.

Spaced repetition is another evidence-based strategy, involving the review of information at increasing intervals. Unlike cramming, which leads to short-term memory gains, spaced repetition promotes durable retention by reinforcing material just before it is likely to be forgotten.

Time management also plays a critical role. Many students engage in prolonged, unstructured study sessions that lead to mental fatigue and reduced concentration. Short, focused sessions, such as those based on the Pomodoro technique, which alternates 25-minute study intervals with brief breaks, help maintain cognitive performance over time.

Overall, effective study is not purely a function of time spent but of the techniques employed. Understanding and applying principles from learning science allows for more efficient preparation and improved academic outcomes. Rather than defaulting to intuition or routine, students benefit from adopting methods grounded in empirical evidence.

Michael Fry

One of the most beautiful things tutoring gives students is something that can’t always be measured on a test, confidence. It’s the calm feeling that comes from knowing you are prepared, not because you memorised everything but because you truly understand it.

Many students walk into classrooms feeling anxious, unsure of what they know or how they’ll perform, tutoring changes that. When students spend time practicing, asking questions and strengthening their understanding, something shifts. They stop second guessing themselves and start trusting their ability to handle whatever comes their way.

Preparation isn’t about perfection, it’s about familiarity. When a student has seen a type of problem before, written similar paragraphs or revised a concept in multiple ways, it no longer feels intimidating. That familiarity builds a quiet confidence that stays with them during exams, presentations and classroom discussions.

This confidence also affects how students approach challenges. Instead of panicking when something feels difficult, they think, “I’ve handled hard things before, I can try this”. That mindset reduces stress and increases resilience. Students become more willing to attempt questions, make educated guesses and push through moments of uncertainty.

What makes tutoring so powerful is that it provides consistent support. Each session builds on the last, reinforcing skills and understanding until students feel steady on their feet. Over time, preparation turns into belief, belief in their own effort, their learning and their potential.

Tutoring isn’t just about raising grades. It’s about helping students walk into their academic world feeling capable and confident. That confidence, the kind that comes from truly being prepared is something they carry far beyond the classroom.

Isabella Naumovski

Building strong foundational skills in primary students is less about drilling content and more about creating the right conditions for deep, confident learning. At this age, children thrive when skills are introduced through clear structure, repetition with variation, and meaningful connection to real-life contexts. The goal is not speed or perfection, but the ability to understand, apply, and transfer knowledge across situations.

A powerful starting point is diagnostic observation. Before teaching, take time to notice how a child approaches tasks: Do they guess quickly? Do they rely on memorisation? Do they avoid challenges? These insights help tutors and parents identify gaps in math problems, phonetics, or language comprehension. Once you know the “why” behind a struggle, you can tailor instruction with precision.

Next comes explicit teaching, delivered in small steps. Primary students benefit from clear modelling, guided practice, and supported independence. This gradual style builds confidence while preventing cognitive overload. Pair this with the use of movement, visuals, manipulatives, and verbal reasoning to assist in making abstract concepts concrete.

Foundational skills also grow through consistent routines. Short, predictable activities such as daily mental math sheets, phonics warm-ups, or quick recall games help students consolidate learning without pressure. Repetition becomes engaging when it’s varied, playful, and connected to progress they can see.

Finally, nurture the habits that underpin lifelong learning: curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to make mistakes. Celebrate effort, model flexible thinking, and create a space where questions are valued. When students feel safe and capable, they take intellectual risks which is where foundational skills truly take root.

Strong foundations aren’t built in a rush; they’re built through thoughtful, responsive teaching that honours how children learn best.

Sophia McLean

NAPLAN tests shouldn’t surprise Year 7 students, but they do. The pattern is consistent: students enter high school, adjust to a new environment, and suddenly face a national assessment that claims to measure literacy and numeracy. The pressure increases because parents and schools treat the result as a diagnostic verdict. The more useful approach is to deconstruct what NAPLAN actually demands and align preparation with everyday learning rather than a sprint of cramming.
For Year 7 literacy, the reading test does not assess recall. It measures a student’s ability to extract meaning from unfamiliar texts. The practical implication is that students who never read outside short classroom extracts are disadvantaged. Sustained reading develops stamina, and stamina matters because the NAPLAN paper pushes students through multiple text typee, articles, narratives, opinion pieces, with increasing complexity. The preparation strategy should focus on exposure: weekly reading that forces a student to articulate the main point, locate evidence, and identify tone. Those three skills map directly to the test questions.

Writing is more mechanical. NAPLAN rotates persuasive and narrative genres, and students often freeze because they can’t plan rapidly. Time-boxed writing drills—five minutes to outline, twenty-five to write—mirror test conditions. The constraint trains prioritisation. Marking against the NAPLAN rubric (audience, ideas, cohesion, sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation) shows the student how assessors think. That transparency matters more than generic advice like “use descriptive language.”

Numeracy requires a different form of preparation. Many Year 7 students have learned content, but they make procedural errors under time pressure. NAPLAN rewards fluency. Short daily practice targeting common failure points—fractions, percentages, ratio, interpreting data—builds automaticity. Students should also learn to triage: identify low-effort marks first, skip time-sink problems, and return later. That is a test skill, not a mathematical insight, but it changes outcomes.

The broader point: preparing for NAPLAN should integrate into regular learning, not disrupt it. The test is predictable once broken into components—reading stamina, rubric-aware writing, and numeracy fluency. Treating it this way reduces anxiety and shifts attention from “performing” to demonstrating skills already in progress.

Anthea Preketes