What to Know When You're in Year 11 but Technically in Year 12

Year 11 is a bit of a weird school year. For most schools, it's only 3 terms long and in the 4th term, students start their year 12 syllabus, so it can be hard to know what to do in this term.

One of the most important things students can do is start developing consistent study habits. The HSCs might seem like they're on the horizon, but starting a habit of revising now helps to stop content piling up. It also helps to make sure that any exam studying that students face is revision, rather than learning new concepts right before an exam. Making this a habit early on also means that students are ingraining good studying habits into their schedule, a critical thing to have throughout year 12.

This term is also a good opportunity for students to figure out where their weaknesses lie for each subject. For English, is it the memorisation of quotes, forming a thesis, or relating technique and effect? For Maths, is it trigonometry, differentiation, probability of maybe figuring out what a question is really asking? Tutors can help students to figure this out, bringing an outside perspective that also has the familiarity with a student's abilities that tutors build each week. Understanding these strengths and weaknesses early on can help students focus their revision and studying towards the areas that need the most work.

Another helpful aspect of learning to think about during this period is the way that students learn. Whilst research does suggest that a mix of all learning techniques is the most benefitial for learning, for the most difficult topics, some students may learn visually, whilst others may learn by hearing the concept explained. Figuring out which learning devices they can go to when content gets difficult will help students traverse year 12.

Ultimately, this term is an important time for year 11s. It is an opportunity for students to start taking responsibility for their learning journey, and step into the shoes of a capable and focused year 12 student.