BlogStudyHow to Use the Traffic Light System to Improve Your Marks

How to Use the Traffic Light System to Improve Your Marks

Traffic Light

When I was in high school I had to play the clarinet in an orchestra, and whenever we had a major performance I’d be practising.

While I was practising, I’d often identify parts of the pieces that I was making mistakes in and would just focus on those parts. 

Instead of practising the whole piece, which would take a lot of time, I’d just focus on the key areas that I knew I needed to improve on. Then, once I’d aced that part of the song, I’d add the rest in and practice it as a whole.

Particularly in music and sport, this is how we practice and improve our performance. We know that to get better at something, we need to identify our weak areas and focus on improving those.

This is called the Traffic Light System, a concept that we’ve actually coined ourselves at Art of Smart! Our HSC tutors are experts with the best study methods out there, so get in touch if you’re looking to improve your techniques!!

So, let us take you through why you should be applying the Traffic Light System to your school studies!

What is the ‘Traffic Light System’?
How can you implement the Traffic Light System?

What is the ‘Traffic Light System’?

The Traffic Light System is a study method which helps you focus solely on your weaker areas.

This method can help enormously in making your study time more effective and improving your marks more quickly.

When you sit down to study, don’t automatically start with the easy areas that you’re confident with, go straight to your weak areas and focus on those.

The easiest way to identify the areas you’re confident in and your weak areas is to use the Traffic Light System.

How can you implement the Traffic Light System?

Regardless of which subject you are studying for, these steps will work for anything!

Step 1: Grab a copy of your syllabus and print it out.

Step 2: Go through each syllabus dot point and mark each one based on your confidence and understanding.

Red is for dot points you’re struggling with or have no idea about!

Orange is for dot points you’re okay with, but need to work on a bit more.

Green is for dot points you’re confident about and don’t need to spend much more time on.

Let’s apply this to the Ancient History syllabus core content as an example. Your syllabus will probably end up looking something like this:

The point of using the traffic light system is that it helps you identify the key areas of weakness you need to be focusing on and spending the most time on.

Remember you should be reusing the traffic light system a couple of times during the year so you can figure out which areas you’ve improved in and what you still need to focus on.

This is because as you study and revise, dot points that were once red will become orange or green over time, so make sure you’re keeping it updated.

And that’s how simple it really is to improve your HSC marks for school. Now you’ve got to actually do it!

On the hunt for other useful study resources?

Check out some of our other articles and guides below:

Looking for some extra help with study?

We pride ourselves on our inspirational coaches and mentors!

We offer tutoring and mentoring for Years K-12 in a variety of subjects, with personalised lessons conducted at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby (for North Shore tutoring) or the Hills! Our tutors can also provide one-on-one lessons at your home in Burwood, Blacktown, or wherever suits you!

Stay accountable to your study plan and commitments with one of our Campbelltown HSC tutors!

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 TikTok!


Isabella Hanley loves science. She loves science so much she’s making it her career. While completing her Bachelor of Medical Science she is also a Coach and Digital Content Manager at Art of Smart. She is super passionate about sharing her knowledge on surviving the HSC since completing the HSC herself in 2014. In her downtime she enjoys Netflix binging like a pro, singing in the shower and hanging out with her awesome rescue dog, Ruby.

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