Practice Papers are a huge part of study from Year 11 to the end of the HSC. They are incredibly significant in a student’s preparation for their exams since timed practice is key to success in exams.

Firstly, the most important part of using practice exams in the lead up to a test is putting your phone away. Phones are very distracting and websites / apps like tiktok and instagram are consuming and causing procrastination. Once a student’s phone has been placed in a secure location or locked they can attempt a practice paper with a timer on their computer.

Secondly, timing the paper makes sure there is some sort of increased pressure that is intended to replicate an actual exam setting. The careful and precise use of the time is key, optimising the reading time to read and scan the entire paper before possibly creating answers to initial questions. Further, the timing of the paper should help student’s plan out the paper and provide an aim of what should be done by certain time periods. For example, in a chemistry HSC paper, the multiple choice should be finished within 20-25 minutes for a good start to the paper for a student who has studied hard. This decrease in time spent from the 35 minutes recommended to 20 – 25 means more time is able to be allocated to harder questions that require more understanding and brainstorming.

Lastly, there is importance placed on finishing the paper in the allocated time and not continuing to edit the paper or the test. Once completed, marking each question fairly and then producing a score shows where a student stands in preparation. Further, the marking should point a student in the direction of their areas of improvement, showing them the questions they should practise before attempting another paper.

Andrew Tan

Today I observed Jessica’s Year 5 English session. Roza had initially suggested that I observe a Maths session as this is what I typically like to tutor but I requested if there were any English sessions available to observe. I was really keen to observe Jessica’s English session and learn from her as I personally struggle with tutoring english and don’t have very much experience tutoring primary school students.

Jessica was really fantastic in maintaining an encouraging and relaxed environment, despite her student not being very engaged in the session and a little tired (as expected, its first week back and a Monday!). Jessica could sense this in her student and would give encouraging feedback like “you got this” and “you are very creative” and make amendments to her original plan to make the session more fun for the student, such as starting a new story rather than continuing an old one and taking turns in reading a comprehension passage after noticing it was quite long.

Throughout their revision of a story her student had written her leading questions were very clear and helpful in prompting her student when she was confused. She also gave her student great advice to improve her story for the following week by explaining how to translate the images in her head to the reader.

I was really impressed with Jessica’s ability to remain encouraging with her student which allowed the student to eventually warm up and become more involved. Great job Jessica!

Teoni Antonopoulos

Hey guys! I had a no-show today so I got the wonderul opportunity to observe Xander’s maths session.
At the beginning of the session, Xander emphasised the importance of having clear working out. Although there are no fixed rules around working out, mistakes are often made due to unclear writing or not setting out all the steps. It also makes it more difficult to check your own work and for markers to score your work if you haven’t made your thinking clear on the page. As students are often hyperfocused on the final solution and jumping ahead, I think this is a crucial thing to highlight.
The student also didn’t appear confident in his skills. Confidence can help to successfully tackle difficult questions. Xander used reinforcing positive comments throughout the session and often took time to check in with the student to see how he was feeling.
It was really nice to see the good rapport that Xander has with the student which makes the session much more enjoyable and productive.
Thanks for letting me observe such an insightful session!

Derus Kung

I observed Teoni’s session with her Year 10 student as they prepared for her upcoming exam.
Teoni effectively quizzed her student on various topics from the syllabus, carefully selecting questions to gauge the student’s understanding. Whenever she identified gaps in the student’s knowledge, she would provide additional questions to ensure she fully understood the content. This teaching approach not only reinforced the material but also demonstrated her own commitment to her student’s learning which was really awesome to see.

Throughout the session, Teoni maintained an encouraging and positive demeanor, which significantly boosted the student’s confidence. Her supportive attitude made it clear that she believed in her student’s capabilities and potential, creating a safe learning environment. Moreover, she dedicated time to share valuable exam tips, discussing strategies for tackling different types of questions that might come up during the exam. I plan to adopt a similar method when preparing my own students for their assessments, as I understand the importance of equipping them with practical skills for exam situations.

Teoni also emphasised the significance of working out problems for specific questions, showing her student how marks were allocated throughout a question. This insight helped the student understand the depth of response required for questions worth a chunk of marks. I found this particularly useful, as it showed the student how to create a structured response that an examiner can read and understand.

Additionally, I appreciated how Teoni built her student’s confidence by acknowledging the method they initially used to solve the problem, even if it was not entirely correct. She then demonstrated a more efficient technique which she ensured the student understood before moving on . Observing this session taught me valuable lessons about preparing students for exams and uplifting their spirits. Great job, Teoni!!!

Lily Powell

Since becoming a tutor, there are 3 key lessons I’ve learned that I would pass on to any future tutor.
1. The Importance of Preparation
When I first started, I was nervous before my first few tutoring sessions. Since then, I’ve found that preparation is essential to feeling confident about teaching a session, particularly with new students. Before each session, I plan out activities and review material to ensure the session time is used as productively as possible. However, preparation doesn’t mean planning out every single question because adaptability is equally important. Students may need more time working on one question or task, and as tutors, we need to be able to adapt our lesson plan accordingly.
2. Tutoring is a Continuous Learning Process
An important part of being a good tutor is learning alongside your students. Tutors have to consistently brush up on our knowledge and revisit subject areas from high school and even primary school. Continuous learning also includes learning new ways of teaching, such as new resources, tools, and methods. Also, it is important to learn from other tutors who may have more experience. I have received advice from friends who are experienced tutors, and I would highly recommend this, especially when starting out.
3. Encourage Independent Thinking
Finally, I’ve learned the importance of encouraging independent thinking. While it’s tempting to step in and provide answers, I’ve found that guiding students to think critically and work through problems on their own helps them develop essential skills and builds confidence. As tutors, our role isn’t to give students all the answers but rather, to help students become more self-sufficient and capable of solving problems independently. Sometimes this is a fine line, although observing other tutors is very helpful!
These are the 3 lessons I wish I had known when I was just starting out. Hopefully someone finds them useful!

Enya Rose

I had a late cancellation today and had the honour of observing Grace’s session with her Year Twelve Business Studies student. She had a great connection with the student and made sure he felt comfortable asking her questions for greater clarification when he was unsure of the content or what was being asked of him. Grace explained the different areas of the syllabus and difficult content extremely well and spoke slowly so the student could write down what she was saying and understand better. She also made sure to ask him questions throughout the session to test his understanding and see if any areas needed further explanation which I thought was a really good idea. Overall a great session to observe!

Daisy Brenac