First Education

Students often hear that they need to “improve their writing,” yet this advice means very different things depending on the subject. In the NSW curriculum, writing is assessed across English, HSIE, Science and even Mathematics, but each discipline values different skills. Understanding these expectations is the first step toward stronger results and more confident communication.

In English, good writing centres on clarity, control and insight. Students must craft arguments with precision, integrate textual evidence smoothly and interpret ideas with sophistication. Word choice, sentence variety and cohesion matter because English markers are looking for style as well as substance. A strong English essay shows flair, demonstrates conceptual understanding and guides the reader through ideas with purpose.

When students shift to HSIE subjects such as Modern History or Geography, the emphasis changes. Style becomes less important than structure. Good writing is measured by accuracy, relevance and the ability to link evidence to the question. Students should maintain a formal tone, avoid unnecessary embellishment and focus on building a logical argument that unfolds step by step. Dates, statistics and case studies become essential tools. In these subjects, writing is less about sounding polished and more about demonstrating knowledge clearly.

Science writing is even more specialised. Here, students must use concise explanations that follow scientific logic. The goal is not persuasion but clarity. Good scientific writing relies on correct terminology, sequenced reasoning and explicit cause-and-effect links. A strong response often looks simple because it avoids fluff and focuses on precision. Students succeed when they remove ambiguity and explain processes in a straightforward way.

Ultimately, good writing is not one skill but a collection of discipline-specific habits. When students understand what each subject values, they can tailor their approach and unlock higher marks. Writing becomes less confusing and far more rewarding once they learn the expectations behind the task.

Freddie Le Vay

Hey everyone, today I had the great opportunity to observe Sienna’s session.

It was great to see how friendly her student was and how well they got along. Her student was very comfortable her student felt with her!. They had a great relationship and they got along really well. They started by going through her students homework.

They then went through her students spelling words to prepare her for her weekly spelling test. Sienna started by reading out each spelling word. She would then get her student to spell out the word and to write it on the whiteboard. She then got her student to put the word into a sentence. If her student didn’t know the word, Sienna would then give her a definition of the word before her student would then put it into a sentence. If her student got the word wrong, Sienna would explain what error she made and would then go through the correct spelling rule her student needs to follow.

Sienna then worked with her student to plan a creative piece of writing. They used a prompt of a crime scene to help build the story. They worked on characters, including a detective and a criminal. They looked at a creative plot structure and made sure the story had an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and a conclusion. She also made sure her student added as much detail as possible. They added imagery and other literary techniques to help create the narrative. They then did some editing of the response, looking at spelling and grammar. When her student got stuck, Sienna would give her student some hints to help her. Sienna then gave her student some homework, based on what they worked through in the session. Overall, Sienna did a great job helping her student. It was a great session and such a pleasure to observe. Keep it up!

Ashley Cohen

I observed a Year 8 maths tutoring session with Anthony and his tutor David. They were working through the SCEGGS Darlinghurst 2021 Semester 1 paper, which covered a range of topics like Pythagoras’ Theorem, algebra, perimeter, area, and solving equations. It was an insightful session, and I could see how much of a difference personalised tutoring makes.

The session kicked off with Pythagoras’ Theorem. David did a fantastic job explaining the concept in a way that really clicked with Anthony. While Anthony knew the formula for finding the hypotenuse, David made sure he understood why it worked. They used some simple examples like finding the length of a ladder leaning against a wall—and that helped Anthony visualise the problem better. It was clear that once he could see how the theorem applied to real-world situations, it started to make more sense.

Next up was algebra, and this is where Anthony was a bit more hesitant. They worked through solving equations like (3x+5=20). David was patient, breaking each step down to make sure Anthony wasn’t just memorising steps, but truly understanding what was happening. At one point, Anthony got a little stuck when trying to isolate the variable, but David guided him through it, showing him how to simplify and solve for x without skipping any steps. By the end of it, Anthony was solving equations more confidently.

They also tackled perimeter and area, which Anthony was more comfortable with. David reminded him about the importance of applying the right formulas for each shape and checking units something that’s easy to forget when you’re in a rush.

Finally, the pair went over more complex equations. David was great at reassuring Anthony and encouraging him to take his time. By the end of the session, Anthony seemed more at ease with the content, and I could see his confidence growing.

David personalised the session to Anthony’s needs. Instead of just focusing on answering the questions, David made sure Anthony understood the “why” behind each concept. It was a reminder of how crucial it is to build a strong foundation in these early years of learning maths.

James Maatouk

Tira began the session by explaining the concept of Show Don’t Tell with Alyssa. She provided practical examples that make this technique easy to grasp. She thoroughly broke down each step in story telling and used visual techniques to allow the student to strengthen their vivid description and apply it to structured narrative writing. She also illustrated her points by allowing the student to use memories from her favourite movie scenes and what makes those scenes really stand out from the rest. They analysed a paragraph about a forest at night which involved heavy description and emotion to prove how important description is in order to attract audience or readers. Tira’s exceptional teaching of this concept really guided the student through rich detail, sensory detail and clear modelling and it was wonderful to see the student grasping the idea and begin to love writing. They ended the session with a small spelling quiz where the student performed well.

Razan Rustom

Being able to explain a tricky concept to yourself in simple language is a skill. It demands a deep understanding: you can only condense an idea clearly if you grasp the reasoning behind it, not just the buzzwords. This habit moves students beyond memorisation which often feels like progress but can be a trap. Reciting a textbook can give the illusion of knowledge without true comprehension, and exam-focused memorisation is usually short-lived: you drill facts in, keep them for a few days, then they fade.
Explaining a topic without jargon increases the chance you’ll remember it, because you’re anchoring the idea to what you already know rather than storing an abstract string of complex terms. Simple explanations also make transfer easier: when the logic is broken down into plain steps, you can apply the same reasoning in new situations instead of relying on memorised procedures. Finally, simplifying exposes gaps in your thinking; if you can’t explain it, you know exactly where to study next.
I apply this process into my tutoring sessions be helping my students along this path. I ask them questions to help them develop their critical thinking and ask them to explain the concept to me simply is though I didn’t understand. I have found this to be a highly effective method of improving student understanding and memory.

Riva Burkett

Over the past year of tutoring, one idea has consistently resurfaced in my sessions: progress in learning rarely arrives in big, dramatic breakthroughs, it come quietly through small wins. I’ve started calling this the micro-confidence effect. It’s the way a student’s belief in their ability goes from wanting to master entire topics at once, but from understanding a question they once found intimidating, completing homework without help, or correctly explaining a concept back to me.

Recently, I worked with a Year 8 student revising Linear Relationships. At the start of the session, she was hesitant, often answering with “I’m not sure” even when she was on the right track. But as we broke down each question into small, achievable steps, she started recognising that she could do it. By the end, her confidence had not only improved, the way she addressed difficult questions changed.

This has reminded me that tutoring is not simply about delivering content, it’s about shaping a student’s mindset. When students experience steady micro-successes, they become more willing to try, take risks, and engage deeply, especially in topics they’ve labelled as “hard.” Over time, this shift can be transformational, and so crucial to learn in the early years of their schooling, successfully setting them up for their senior years of high school.

As tutors, we often prioritise curriculum goals, exam preparation, and content coverage. But I’ve come to believe that one of the most valuable strategies we can adopt is intentionally designing opportunities for these small wins. Breaking tasks into shorter sections, celebrating incremental progress, and helping students recognise growth cultivates the motivation that content alone cannot create.

In an education system that often measures success with big tests and big numbers, micro-confidence is easy to overlook. But in my experience, it’s one of the most important parts in helping students not only improve academically but enjoy learning again.

Nicole Stamatelatos

What’s Changed in the New 2028 Biology Syllabus
The new Biology syllabus, set to be implemented in 2028, brings several key changes to the course structure, offering a more integrated and modern approach to learning. Here’s how the new syllabus compares to the previous one:

Year 11 Course:
Old Syllabus (2017):

Module 1: Cells as the Basis of Life

Module 2: Organisation of Living Things

Module 3: Biological Diversity

Module 4: Ecosystem Dynamics

New Syllabus (2028):

Cells as the Basis of Life

Cells to Systems

Evolution and Ecosystems

What’s Changed?
The new Year 11 syllabus consolidates the original focus areas and introduces a more integrated study of biology. The former “Organisation of Living Things” module is now merged into the broader focus on Cells to Systems, which helps students understand how cells form the basis of more complex biological structures. The addition of Evolution and Ecosystems in the new syllabus creates a stronger focus on ecological principles and evolutionary biology from the outset.
Year 12 Course:
Old Syllabus (2017):

Module 5: Heredity

Module 6: Genetic Change

Module 7: Infectious Disease

Module 8: Non-infectious Disease and Disorders

New Syllabus (2028):

Heredity

Diseases

Biodiversity

Biotechnology

What’s Changed?
In Year 12, the new syllabus streamlines the content by combining the modules on Genetic Change and Non-infectious Diseases into broader categories. The new Diseases module encompasses both infectious and non-infectious diseases, providing a more holistic approach to understanding health and disease. Biodiversity and Biotechnology are introduced as separate modules, reflecting the growing importance of biotechnology in fields like medicine and agriculture, as well as the need for conservation in an increasingly threatened world.

Summary of Key Differences:
– More Streamlined Structure: The new syllabus is more streamlined, with fewer modules that integrate related concepts. This reduces fragmentation and creates a more cohesive learning experience.
– Emphasis on Biotechnology: The new syllabus places a larger emphasis on biotechnology, reflecting its increasing relevance in modern biology.
– Evolution and Ecology: The integration of evolutionary biology and ecosystems into the
– Health and Disease: The revision of disease-related modules combines infectious and non-infectious diseases, reflecting current health challenges.

Mary Diamond

I got to observe Fred teach a Year 11 Chemistry session. While I personally do not take Chemistry, it was interesting to see how he structured his session and helped his student understand a subject as complex as Chem. It was their last session before the test, so Fred made sure to focus on the topics she had expressed she felt less comfortable in. I was really impressed with the way he had prepared worksheets on the topics he knew she struggled with before the session so that no time was wasted and they could jump straight into practice questions ! I appreciated that he would mimic a real exam by giving her questions and a time-limit to stick by. He would also complete the question himself at the same time. When the time was up, he would read her response and compare it to his own to show where she went both right and wrong in her answer. By writing his own response, it helped the student have a tangible “perfect” answer to look back on when studying as well.

Additionally, when the student showed confusion he would break down the query into a diagram alongside much simpler language. Even though I never did Chemistry for my HSC, I could still understand the rationale behind his explanations because of how easy he made it sound ! The diagrams helped a lot as well ! He was encouraging without being overbearing, and he maintained a relaxed tone that made the student feel comfortable asking questions without fear of judgement. By the end of the session, I could see a noticeable improvement in her confidence, and she expressed that she felt much more prepared for her test.

Overall, Fred’s session demonstrated thoughtful preparation, strong communication skills, and an ability to adapt his teaching style to the student’s needs.

Annaliese Lakis

The HSC is a challenging and stressful time for many students, with increasing workloads, long hours of study, and the pressure to perform. It’s natural to feel anxious, but managing stress effectively is key to staying focused and performing your best.
One of the most effective strategies is to organise your time. Create a study schedule that allows for regular breaks, which helps prevent burnout. Prioritise your tasks, focusing on the most important subjects first, and be realistic about how much you can achieve each day.
Physical activity is another powerful tool for reducing stress. Whether it’s a walk, yoga, or a workout, regular exercise helps reduce tension and boosts your mood by releasing endorphins. Aim for at least 20 minutes of physical activity daily.
Sleep is crucial too. While it may be tempting to pull all-nighters, proper rest is essential for concentration and memory retention. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Finally, talk to someone if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or a tutor, sharing your concerns can help lighten the load.
By taking care of both your mind and body, you can manage anxiety and stress, and tackle the HSC with confidence!

Anthea Preketes

When it comes to learning, what separates students who thrive from those who struggle isn’t always talent or intelligence, it’s mindset. As tutors, helping students develop a growth mindset can be just as important as teaching content.

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, strategies and perseverance. Students with this mindset see challenges as opportunities, mistakes as lessons and feedback as guidance. In contrast, a fixed mindset, believing intelligence is innate can lead to frustration, avoidance of difficult tasks and fear of failure.

In tutoring, mindset work can be subtle but transformative. Celebrating efforts rather than just results is a simple yet powerful strategy. For example, praising a student for tackling a tough math problem, even if the solution isn’t perfect, reinforces the idea that persistence matters more than immediate success. Over time, these small affirmations help students build resilience and confidence.

Another effective approach is encouraging reflection. Asking questions like, “What strategy worked best here?” or “How could you approach this differently next time?”, shifts the focus from right or wrong answers to the learning process itself. Students start to see mistakes not as setbacks but as opportunities to grow.

Ultimately, fostering a growth mindset changes the way students engage with learning. They become more motivated, self directed and willing to take risks. Tutoring, then isn’t just about transferring knowledge it’s about shaping attitudes, building confidence and helping students realise their potential.

When students believe they can improve, the possibilities are limitless.

Isabella Naumovski