BlogStudyGet a Band 6 in HSC Biology Using These 4 External Resources

Get a Band 6 in HSC Biology Using These 4 External Resources

It’s true that HSC Biology has a lot of content. There’s a lot to learn, understand and memorise over the year to prepare for your exams, but using external resources in HSC Biology can really help you get that Band 6!

In this guide, we’ll tell you how external resources can help you get a Band 6 in Biology, as well as which external resources are best to study for HSC Biology!

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s jump right in!

How Will External Resources Help You Get That Band 6?
Finding External Resources for HSC Biology

How Will External Resources Help You Get That Band 6?

1. Improve Your Notes and Your Understanding

We’ve spoken before about how difficult it can be to understand and memorise concepts in Biology. There’s a lot of content, you need to know it in a great amount of detail and there’s not a huge amount of time to accomplish that!

For this reason, external resources are a good way of filling in any gaps in your knowledge, which in turn, will help you gain a better overall picture and enhance your understanding of the content. Having a better understanding will help enormously when it comes time to memorise and communicate the content in the exam.

Additionally, because each person has a different study style, using external resources that cater to different learning styles may be useful for understanding concepts that you find difficult to grasp or just can’t remember!

Basically, you can shop around for resources that offer different explanations of the same concept.

Pro tip: If you use external resources to gain a clearer understanding of the concepts in HSC Biology, you will be able to add more detail in your notes and in your written answers for the exam! If you’re struggling to get your notes together, check out our article on writing Bio notes here!

2. Improve Your HSC Biology Exam Responses

Not only can using external resources aid in your understanding of the content and help you make more comprehensive notes, but it has been shown that all Band 6 exam and assessment responses refer to external sources. 

Top students in the HSC become top students because they take the time to do extra research and find external sources that boost their understanding, allow them to make better notes and write Band 6 responses in HSC exams and assessments. A Band 6 in HSC Biology goes along way in boosting your ATAR as well!

So now you know why you need to find and use your own external resources, let’s go through how to use them! 

Using External Resources to Study For HSC Biology

Now, the really great thing about Biology (well, one of the really great things about Biology) is that there is a lot of stuff out there.

Remember that this isn’t only studied at high school – biology is also studied by university students worldwide and there is a whole industry out there.

The only problem with having the world of biology at your fingertips, is that there is a lot of content out there. What I mean to say is that you should be aware of the fact that there is a lot of information out there that is outside the scope of the HSC Biology syllabus.

That’s why it is super important to keep on top of the HSC Biology Syllabus!

That way, if you ever feel uncertain about the material, you should double check the syllabus, and if it isn’t there, you can relax and read on (or watch on) for the purpose of broadening your knowledge without having to worry about memorising the material!

It’s important you take note of the verbs at the start of each syllabus point as that will give you direction as to what you need to be doing with the information you collect on a syllabus dot point.

For example, let’s look at the syllabus section on ‘Mutation’ below.

It can be really helpful to outline each verb as it helps you identify what you need to do.

For example, assess mean to make a judgement whilst distinguish means identifying recognising why something is different from another.

As you go through the syllabus when making your notes, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for these verbs as they’ll direct what you actually do with the content you learn!

Finding External Resources for HSC Biology

Resource #1: HSC Together

HSC Together is a fantastic FREE video resource platform with thousands of videos focused on the HSC syllabus!

It has detailed videos on every single dot point in the HSC Biology syllabus, which means it’s a pretty valuable resource when it comes to revision!

All you have to do is select your HSC subject, module, and the dot point you want to learn, then watch away!

Recap the basics you need to know with a complete breakdown of Year 11 Module 1: Cells as the Basis of Life to fill any learning gaps you may have and to collect organised study notes for your upcoming exams! More module guides inside…

Resource #2: Textbooks

A really great place to start is with your class textbook. I know this seems really obvious, but a lot of the time classes work from worksheets or separate notes that their teachers create, which is really great. It also means that your textbook can be a back up source!

Textbooks often give really good, brief explanations of the concepts, accompanied by lovely diagrams. You will be able to find the topic you want by looking in the index and table of contents first to save flipping time.

If your class isn’t using a textbook, you can head to your local library and find the HSC section or ask your local librarian!

Resource #3: Google Advanced Search

Not many people are familiar with this amazing function, but seriously, it’s amazing.

screen-shot-2017-01-25-at-3-02-53-pm

The really great thing about Google Advanced Search is that you can narrow your search by domain to make sure that you only get sites which will be useful to you.

I recommend that you narrow your search to .edu domains because this will give you educational sources from high schools and universities around the world. It’s also useful for filtering out information that’s irrelevant and outside the scope of the syllabus.

Resource #4: Pictures/Diagrams

Google Images is always useful, but again, bear in mind that you might get diagrams that are outside the scope of the syllabus, so it is good to check these against a diagram or picture in your textbook to know which parts you will need to know.

Using the pictures and diagrams you can find online is also super helpful for use as templates for super amazing HSC Biology notes!

How to Use Sources to Get That Band 6 in HSC Biology

External sources are especially great for understanding the real life applications of the concept that you are painstakingly learning.

This helps to make HSC Biology more interesting, and it makes it easier to recall because you can think of the content in terms of your own life! You can also use them as examples in your responses, especially if you find those particular examples more interesting or insightful.

Finally, as I said before, any extra research that you do shows through the way you answer questions because you can demonstrate that you understand the concepts in more ways than one. This is invaluable in HSC Biology because the possible questions can come from many different angles!

But remember, don’t let yourself get hung up on the details if they are not within the syllabus and you cannot wrap your head around them. If you’re unsure, ask your teacher or your Art of Smart Coach! 

Looking for some extra help with HSC Biology?

We pride ourselves on our inspirational HSC Biology coaches and mentors!

We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at our state of the art campus in Hornsby!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today! 

Give us a ring on 1300 267 888, email us at [email protected] or check us out on Facebook!


Isabella Hanley loves science. She loves it so much she’s making it her career. While completing a Bachelor of Medical Science at the University of Sydney, Isabella is also a Coach, Team Leader and the Social Media Manager at Art of Smart. She is super passionate about sharing her knowledge on surviving the HSC since completing the HSC herself in 2014, complete with a state ranking in Music 1. In her downtime she enjoys re-watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, singing in the shower and baking cakes that are almost as tall as she is.

Gia-Yen Luong has been an Art of Smart coach for 3 years, coaching a range of subjects including HSC English, Legal Studies, Biology, Chemistry and General Maths. She is in her final year of a mega double degree in Law/Science (Neuroscience). She graduated high school with an ATAR of 99.9 and spends most of her time trying to convince people that it’s wholly possible to get such a mark while still having a normal life during Year 12. She enjoys reading, podcasts and truly believes that she was born to be a blogger. In effect, she is a true nerd.

45,861 students have a head start...

Get exclusive study content & advice from our team of experts delivered weekly to your inbox!

AOS Website Asset 2

Looking for Biology Support?

Discover how we can help you!

AOS Website Asset 1