When the time is ticking at the end of any maths exam for any year level (as well as the HSC), every second counts, particularly in the multiple choice section. This part of the paper is designed to test precision and speed so mastering some time saving techniques can make a real difference.

Firstly, scan the questions before you solve them. Beginning by quickly scanning all questions in the multiple choice section helps you to spot familiar topics. Then, you can answer the easy questions first to build confidence and secure marks. Don’t get stuck; mark tricky questions and come back to them later to keep your momentum!

Next, eliminate multiple choice options strategically and watch out for subtle traps. These could be: units that don’t match the question, values too large or small to be realistic or options that forget key steps. Using this logic could assist you in eliminating at least 2 options, then you can focus your working on the remaining answers.

Another important step is the use the clock wisely, especially for multiple choice questions. Set mini time goals such as 30 seconds – 1 minute on multiple choice questions. If you exceed the goal, progress to the next question and return later. Many students lose marks by spending too long on one question.

Additionally, it is very important to trust you first instincts when answering multiple choice questions. Unless you spot a clear error, your first answer is often correct! Avoid second guessing unless you have the time to complete working out again.

These techniques not only save time but help to build confidence in answering multiple choice questions, which can be a tricky section in maths exams for many students. With practice, these strategies become second nature and help students to stay calm while answering multiple choice questions in maths exams.

Sophia McLean

When it comes to learning, consistency isn’t just helpful, it’s transformative. Homework isn’t meant to be a chore; it’s an opportunity to reinforce what’s learned in class and build the habits that lead to long-term academic success.

One of the biggest benefits of keeping consistent with homework is knowledge retention. The brain thrives on repetition. Revisiting material in short, regular bursts strengthens neural pathways, helping students move information from short-term to long-term memory. When homework becomes a routine rather than a rush, understanding deepens and confidence grows.

Consistency also develops time management and self-discipline, two skills that extend far beyond school. Setting aside a regular time for homework encourages students to take ownership of their learning, reduce procrastination, and learn how to prioritise tasks. These small daily efforts cultivate independence and resilience, the foundations of lifelong learning.

Furthermore, doing homework consistently helps teachers and tutors identify areas of weakness early. When assignments are done regularly, it’s easier to spot patterns of misunderstanding and provide targeted support before small gaps turn into larger learning hurdles.

Finally, steady progress builds a sense of momentum. When students see their effort pay off, an improved mark, an easier test, or simply the satisfaction of understanding, they’re more likely to stay motivated and engaged.

In short, homework isn’t just about getting the answers right; it’s about creating structure, confidence, and self-belief. Staying consistent, even when it’s challenging, is the key to turning learning from something temporary into something truly lasting.

Allegra Pezzullo

Today, I had the opportunity to reflect on how my tutoring approach has to adapt for different students in terms of their ages, subjects and personal needs. When comparing my tutoring methods for primary school kids vs high school students, I found that a common thread was the value in creating a positive and supportive learning environment for my students. This allows for the lesson to be engaging and encourages the students to connect with their learning and feel comfortable in the First Education space. Additionally, for my younger students I have found it important to develop the ability of switching activities and teaching styles frequently enough to maintain their focus and engagement, due to these students commonly having a shorter attention span. This is contrasted to my high school students, who, depending on the individual student, often benefit from more discussion-based learning and also lead where they would like us to go in each session. Despite these differences, I have found the central focus remains on fostering confidence, curiosity and a sense of progress. This has been important for me to develop a cohesive and consistent tutoring approach where all my students feel supported and motivated to learn.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed working with a range of different students so far, as it has allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of how to adapt my teaching style to suit each student’s age, personality and learning needs. Through this experience, I’ve learned the importance of being flexible, patient and responsive — whether that means adjusting the pace of a lesson, incorporating more interactive activities, or allowing older students to take greater ownership of their learning. Each student has taught me something new about how to build engagement and confidence, and I’ve found a lot of fulfilment in being able to provide meaningful support across these different areas. This variety has not only strengthened my tutoring skills but has also reinforced my passion for helping students grow, both academically and personally.

Annabelle Molloy

The HSC can be the most challenging and demanding time of your school life. It might feel that your 13 years of studying has led to this very moment, so it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious or even lose motivation during this time when tackling the endless studying, workloads and the pressure. A lot of students struggle with motivation during this time as you feel like you have been studying all year but if you want to achieve the results you want you need to stay motivated and keep calm. Here are some practical tricks to help keep you focused and motivated during this time.

1. Set clear and realistic goals
Break down your tasks into small and manageable bits. Rather than focusing on cramming in the whole syllabus, set weekly or daily goals. This will help you track what you have done as well as keeping you focused on the immediate task.

2. Create a study schedule
Have a structured plan of what you want to study and when/for how long. Allocate time for each subject and focus on the subject that you may need additional study in. But be sure to include breaks and personal time.

3. Reward yourself
To stay motivated you want to celebrate small victories, after completing a task take the time to reward yourself, whether it’s with a fun snack, hanging out with friends or watching a movie. These incentives will give you something to work towards keeping your motivation high!

4. Take breaks and look after your wellbeing!
Make sure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals and incorporate physical activity into your routine. It’s extremely hard to continuously study without taking a break and can lead to you feeling burnt out, exhausted and unmotivated. So make sure you prioritise your wellbeing throughout this time!

Daniella

Today I had the chance to observe Kieran’s Year 12 maths session. Together they went through past questions on previous HSC papers, allowing Kieran to assess the student’s understanding and identify any gaps in their knowledge. Kieran carefully guided the student through each question. When the student made an error or seemed unsure, Kieran used hints or asked questions to lead them towards the right answer. Kieran also explained alternate methods of solving questions. Throughout the session, Kieran maintained a calm and supportive tone, creating an environment where the student felt comfortable.

Going through these exam questions demonstrates the value they have to strengthen knowledge. Moreover, it demonstrated the effectiveness of active engagement, encouragement and guided questioning in prompting confidence in the student.

Overall, a great session to observe.

Alexander Nikitopoulos

I sat in on another one of Bella’s Maths sessions this evening; this time, with Sophie – a Year 12 student. Honestly, it was really impressive to watch. The HSC Maths paper is literally tomorrow, so they were going through a full practice paper together… The focus in the room was next-level. Bella kept things super calm and relaxed, which I think really helped take the pressure off. You could tell Sophie was anxious at first, but Bella was really reassuring and explained things in a way that clearly made everything seem much more manageable.

They tackled the paper question by question, and Bella didn’t just hand over the answers; she got Sophie to talk through her thinking at first, which was cool to see. When Sophie got stuck, Bella would gently guide her back by breaking down the problem into smaller parts or using the whiteboard. She never made her feel wrong or stuck, just gave her the space to work it out with a bit of support. That kind of patience and encouragement goes a really long way, especially with the exam so close.

There was one especially tricky probability question, and instead of just giving Sophie the solution, Bella turned it into a back-and-forth brainstorm. They bounced ideas off of each other until Sophie finally exclaimed, “Wait! I’ve got it.” You could literally see her confidence click into place.

By the end of the session, Sophie looked way more sure of herself. Bella wrapped up by going over a few final strategies; time management, staying calm and double-checking answers. It didn’t feel like a tutoring session, exactly; more like a coach or a mentor getting her athlete ready for a big game. Just really supportive, thoughtful, and honestly, really inspiring to watch.

Great stuff, Bella 😀

Thomas Koutavas

A thesis statement is the central argument of your essay, the sentence that tells your reader not just what you’re writing about, but why it matters. A strong thesis turns a topic into a clear, debatable claim that shapes the direction of your analysis.

1. Understand What a Thesis Is
A thesis isn’t a statement of fact or a summary of your topic.
It is not “Shakespeare’s Othello is about jealousy.” Rephrase as: “In Othello, Shakespeare portrays jealousy as a corrosive force that distorts love and reason, revealing the fragility of human trust.”
The second example works because it takes a stance and signals the essay’s focus.

2. Start with a Question
Most essay prompts can be rephrased as questions:
How does Orwell explore truth and power in 1984?
Then, answer it with your thesis:
In 1984, Orwell depicts truth as a political weapon used by those in power to control both memory and reality.

3. Be Specific and Defensible
A good thesis makes a claim that requires evidence and interpretation. Avoid vague verbs like “shows” or “proves.” Use precise ones such as reveals, critiques, redefines, or challenges.

4. Use a Clear Structure
Think of a thesis formula: Author + Technique + Theme + Purpose.
Example: Through fragmented narration, Colum McCann’s Thirteen Ways of Looking questions the reliability of perception to reveal how storytelling constructs truth.

5. Refine as You Write
Your first draft won’t be perfect, and that’s fine. As your argument develops, return to your thesis and sharpen it. A strong thesis answers the question, takes a clear position, and sets up what each paragraph will prove.
Your essay’s clarity begins, and ends, with your thesis.

Allegra Pezzullo

Many students expect learning to be a straight path from effort to success. They imagine that if they study regularly, their marks should rise predictably. But in reality, learning is rarely linear. It comes with plateaus, sudden breakthroughs and periods of frustration that are all part of genuine progress.

When students first begin learning a new topic or skill, improvement often feels fast. Early concepts click into place, and confidence grows quickly. But as the material becomes more complex, progress can seem to slow down. This plateau is not failure; it’s the brain working to connect ideas and build deeper understanding. Even when students feel stuck, their minds are still processing and strengthening those neural pathways beneath the surface.

This pattern is familiar in many areas of life. Athletes, musicians and artists all experience moments when progress seems invisible, followed by sudden leaps forward. Learning in the classroom works the same way. What matters most is persistence. Students who continue practising through those flat periods eventually reach new levels of mastery that come from consistent effort, not constant success.

For parents and tutors, it’s important to recognise and normalise this process. Praising persistence instead of just results helps students understand that learning is a journey, not a scoreboard. When students feel supported during the slower phases, they are less likely to give up and more likely to keep engaging with the challenge.

By viewing learning as a series of ups and downs rather than a smooth climb, students can develop patience and resilience. They learn to trust that effort adds up over time, even when results take longer to show. Progress may not always look neat on paper, but every struggle contributes to the deeper, lasting growth that true learning brings.

Freddie Le Vay

This afternoon, I got the chace to sit in on one of Bella’s sessions with her Year 8 student, Dimitri. The topic for today was data; specifically, bar graphs, pie charts and mean/median/mode. While data isn’t always the most exciting topic, Bella managed to keep it fun, clear, and super engaging.

From the start, she made Dimtiri feel relaxed and comfortable. She chatted with Dimitri for a few minutes about real-life stuff before they started; mainly, about soccer. She also cleverly used some soccer examples to explain the different types of data – number of goals being an example of discrete numerical data, and names of teams being examples of nominal catergorical data. It was obvious that that instantly helped things click for Dimitri.

Throughout the session, Bella was great at guiding Dimitri without giving answers away. She asked loads of thoughtful questions like “What do you notice about this graph?” or “Why might this be the mode?” and gave Dimitri space to figure things out on his own. He made a few mistakes along the way, but she never jumped in too quickly, just nudged him in the right direction and let him get there himself.

It was also nice to see how she kept things light and moved at a good pace, especially when his focus started to drift off and wane. A few jokes and a quick recap helped reset his energy and keep him engaegd.

By the end, Dimitri was clearly much more confidently in differentiating the different types of data and was doing super well at identifying mean, median and mode. He looked really happy with himself as well.

A great session 😀

Thomas Koutavas

When most people think of tutoring, they picture a student who’s falling behind and needs extra help to catch up. But what about the student who’s already ahead? When a student is gifted, it doesn’t mean that they’re done learning. If your child is gifted, tutoring might still be one of the most valuable tools for their growth.

Gifted students often grasp concepts faster than their peers and may not need repetition or review. While this sounds ideal, it can actually lead to frustration and boredom in the classroom. Without enough stimulation, gifted learners can lose motivation, daydream, or disengage entirely. In some cases, gifted children may even underperform, not because they lack ability, but because they aren’t being challenged. A lack of academic stretch can lead to bad habits like procrastination, perfectionism, or a fear of failure.

In these cases, high-achieving students benefit from personalized tutoring that’s not just about catching up, and is focused on going further. One-on-one tutoring is designed to be able to cater differently to each student, and for gifted students, it can extend them in a number of ways. Tutors are able to accelerate and move ahead in subjects where gifted students have already mastered the current curriculum. They’re also able to use tutoring sessions to dive deeper into topics that interest the student, whether it’s creative writing or advanced maths. A skilled tutor can adjust the pace, level, and content to meet your gifted students exactly where they are, taking them beyond what’s available in a standard classroom.

Gifted students may also struggle socially or emotionally. They might feel out of place with peers or face pressure to always perform at a high level. Tutoring can provide a safe, supportive environment where students are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes, and grow. Tutors can also help gifted students set goals, manage time, and stay engaged without burning out.

Ceara Kearnes