Want to know the secret to achieving a Band 6 in HSC Chemistry?ย
Well, youโve come to the right place because weโve put together the ultimate guide to help you get the results you want! Weโll cover the essential skills you need to develop, take you through turning the syllabus into a study checklist, show you how to perfect your chemistry notes and prepare for the exam!ย
Itโs time for you to become a HSC Chemistry whiz, so letโs dive in!ย
Part 1: Developing Essential HSC Chemistry Skills
Part 2: Identifying What to Study
Part 3: Perfecting Your HSC Chemistry Study Notes
Part 4: Preparing for Your Exams
Part 1: Developing Essential HSC Chemistry Skillsย
Knowing how to write an extended response and research report are very important skills for HSC Chemistry. Even if youโre on top of all the content, you still need to make sure youโre able to communicate the information in an effective way.ย
How to Write a Research Reportย
Under the current HSC syllabus, it is possible that you may have to write a research report as part of your Depth Study. While itโs not rocket science (excuse the pun), there is a particular way to structure a research report and it does take some practice getting it to all flow together!
These are the seven parts included:
Part 1: Title
Your title has got to include your main variables and the subject matter.ย
Part 2: Abstract
This is a succinct summary paragraph (less than 200 words) which explains the purpose, the results and how the results were gathered.
Part 3: Introduction
Thereโs a lot to include but it shouldnโt be more than four paragraphs long! Youโve got to fit in your research question, background information, hypothesis, approach and the contribution your research will make to the world of science.
Part 4: Method
This is where you explain how you tested your hypothesis and go through each step in chronological order. Keep in mind that illustrations and flowcharts can also be useful in explaining the steps you used.ย
Part 5: Results
You can use a table or graph to showcase your results or perhaps if the data is qualitative, youโll simply describe the results.ย
Part 6: Discussion
This is where youโll take about any results that stand out to you or are of particular interest. You want to beย really detailed in this section.ย
Part 7: References
Make sure you know which referencing style youโre meant to use! Ask your teacher if you’re not sure.ย
For more information, take a look at our comprehensive guide which goes further into all the details of each step โ make sure you spend a bit of time reading through each step so you know exactly what to include and then youโll be well on your way to acing that research report!
Don’t worry if this is a little overwhelming. Our expert Chemistry tutors near you can support you with Mastering the HSC Chemistry course and acing your HSC Exams through our personalised HSC Chemistry Tutoring.
How to Write an Extended Response
Learning how to master answering HSC Chemistry extended responses can make the difference between a Band 5 and Band 6.ย
Weโve got four simple steps for you to follow:ย
Step 1: Read the questionย
Once you know how to answer the question, youโre already off to a great start!
Now, the how usually relates to that one verb in the question โ whether itโs assess, compare or justify (or any of the others), that already tells you a lot about how you should answer the question. So, be sure to read it!
Step 2: Plan your answer
You need to make sure your answer will cover the syllabus dot points! So be strategic about how you answer it โ think about the best way to structure your answer clearly.ย
Step 3: Consider the use of diagrams, tables or flow charts
To make best use of the space you have, consider some illustrations to help explain your answers which take up less space that a huge written explanation. You donโt want to be penalised for using more space than provided for the answer.ย
Step 4: Picture the marking criteriaย
What will the markers be expecting of you? You’ll probably be able to guess a few points on the marking criteria depending on the question.
For example, if itโs a โcompareโ question, there will be marks for showing how different or similar something is.ย
For more detail on the steps and a sample response, have a look at our article here!
In our article, weโve also compiled a list of verbs from NESA which could appear in any of your extended responses. Get familiar with them!ย
Part 2: Identifying What to Study
When we tell you that the Chemistry syllabus is secretly your best friend โ weโre not lying! Everything youโre expected to know lies within the syllabus.ย
Now, while that may sound slightly daunting because a) itโs a lot to cover and b) the syllabus is kind of messy, weโve got a tip for you thatโs going to make what you need to know a whole lot clearer!ย
Youโre going to create a checklist by breaking down the syllabus one dot point at a time to make sure youโre on top of all the theory and practicals!ย
Take a look at the steps for the Theory Study Checklist:ย
Step 1: Highlight the key word/s in the dot point
Donโt go too crazy with that highlighter; you want to highlight unique terms and then find their definitions!ย
Step 2: Identify any underlying chemical or molecular interactions
Ask yourself questions about each dot point and if you donโt have a good understanding, consult the internet or you teacher!
Step 3: Identify what the verb is asking you to do
Whether itโs identify, account for, discuss or analyse, take notice of it because the verb tells you what you need to know and how to answer the question.
Alrighty, now that youโve got an idea of how to convert the syllabus into a checklist for theory, itโs time to learn how to stay on top of practicals!ย
Check out our HSC Chemistry study checklist guide here for more information!
You can also check out our Module breakdowns below:
Part 3: Perfecting Your HSC Chemistry Study Notes
How are you going to learn all the content?ย
The key to ensuring you cover all the content and have a thorough understanding of it is having a good set of study notes which you can look at regularly!
Of course, youโre going to consult your best friend, the syllabus, to make sure you cover every dot point.
We know perfecting your study notes can take some serious time but once youโve got them, itโs going to make all that content learning so much easier.ย
Youโre in luck because weโve got a few tips and tricks so you can make an awesome set of HSC Chemistry study notes!ย
The Process
Thereโs just five simple steps involved:
So, that first step: target the syllabus is about organising your study notes using the syllabus as a guide to ensure that youโre covering every dot point.
You can either do this by using subheadings from the syllabus or labelling the syllabus dot point in brackets next to your notes โย whatever works best for you!
The next step is to write your study notes out. Diagrams, tables and mind maps are going to make your life a lot easier when it comes to processing all of the information and developing a good understanding of it.
Handwriting your notes out at least once a week is a great way of remembering the content!ย
For more detail on the rest of the steps, take a look at our guide here!ย
What about all those chemical equations to remember?
Apart from getting your head around all of the content, you also have to remember a lot of chemical equations! But fear not because weโve got some more tips and tricks for you.
This is just one way:ย
Write out each chemical equation on an individual sticky note. Put the sticky notes in different places around your house so that way, youโll see them everyday! You can also colour coordinate the sticky notes for each topic.ย
In this article, Tip #4 takes you through a very smart way on how to make sure all those equations stick in your head!ย
Part 4: Preparing for Your Exams
Practice Papersย
Practice papers are the best way to cement your knowledge and to find out what you still need to work on.
Instead of waiting until just before an exam, itโs useful doing practice papers as you go. That way, youโll see what you can and canโt do so youโll realise early on where you need to spend more time to improve.ย
Just as important as doing the practice papers is using the worked solutions to see how you actually went. Thatโs the only way youโll learn and improve.
By doing practice papers, youโre also exposed to a whole range of different questions which will not only help better prepare you but also make you feel more confident when you get into the exam room.ย
Weโve compiled a list of all the HSC Chemistry past papers so you can practise as much as you want! Be sure to use the marking guidelines so you can compare your answers.
So what are you waiting for? Start working through those practice papers!ย
Practice Questionsย
Just so you have access to even more questions, weโve put together 20 questions for each of the four different modules!
Take a look at all of them here:ย
Module 5: Equilibrium and Acid Reactions Practice Questions
Module 6: Acid-Base Reactions Practice Questionsย
And thatโs it!ย
Thatโs our ultimate guide to help you on your way to achieving that Band 6 in HSC Chemistry.
Depending on where you’re at in the school year, we’ve also got some study plans to help you study for Chemistry, check them out:
Now, itโs time to get studying and practising โ youโve got this! Good luck!ย
If you’re looking for other Band 6 guides for your subjects, we’ve got ones you can check out below:
- HSC Advanced English
- HSC Standard English
- HSC Visual Arts
- HSC Ancient History
- HSC Modern History
- HSC Biology
- HSC Physics
- HSC Economics
- HSC Business Studies
- HSC Maths
Are you looking for some extra help with HSC Chemistry?
We have an incredible team of HSC Chemistry tutors and mentors!
We can help you master the HSC Chemistry syllabus and ace your upcoming assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or the Hills!
Weโve supported overย 8,000 students over the last 11 years, and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!
To find out more and get started with an inspirational HSC tutor and mentor,ย get in touch todayย or give us a ring onย 1300 267 888!
Tanna Nankivell is a Senior Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently in Germany completing a year of study for her double degree in Communications (Journalism) and Bachelor of Arts (International Studies). She has had articles published on Central News โ the UTS Journalism Lab and wrote a feature piece for Time Out Sydney during her internship. Tanna has a love for travel and the great outdoors, youโll either find her on the snowfields or in the ocean, teaching aqua aerobics or creating short films.ย