My advice for you during the holidays:
English
- Read the syllabus and gain a brief understanding of the module, even if you haven't started it (e.g. ask your teacher if your going to be doing Texts in Time in Module A, or Yeats in Module B, or Julius Caesar in Module C etc.)
- Read all your prescribed texts and watch films for Eng advanced. Based on the reading of the module - underline quotes in the book while your reading, note key scenes in the film
- Make a reading log, briefly summarizing each chapter of the books with the relevant quotes. Do this on microsoft word. Learn the quotes - bold them
- Find related texts, for belonging it's easy. I used Of Mice and Men (only 110 pages), read/analyse the books/films/poems you use as related texts. Remember for an essay, you'd only need 4 quotes (essays should be focused more so on your prescribed text, I think 65-35 is a good way to split it in the body, but if your asked for two related texts, you need to do justice to both related texts equally) , so if you grasp an understanding of the text, and know a few key quotes you'll be fine
Legal Studies
- Use the Cambridge HSC Legal Studies book by Milgate et al; 2010.
- This is probably one of the better textbooks out there but, it lacks sufficient case law, legislation and media reports - which legal responses must be based on!
- The HSC for legal is split up like this: 20 multiple choice on Crime and Human rights + 15 marks short answers on human rights + 15 mark extended response on crime + 2 x 25 mark extended responses on your options (I did family and consumer law)
- The textbook is good for the 20 multiple choice, and to an extent for the 15 mark human rights short answers. But it's not as good for the extended responses, where you need less content and more so evaluation, through cases, legislation and media reports.
- Legal studies is up to research. You need to use austlii and other sites for finding cases/legislation etc. Make sure you keep a log of media reports throughout the year that relate to the topics
-Base your notes on the themes and challenges of the syllabus - print the syllabus out and make dotpoint notes for crime and human rights, but use examples - cases, legislation and media reports
- I have some notes on human rights and crime (and the options, if your doing the same as I). Send me an message on my wall/email me, if you would like these notes
Btw, use study guides for legal - imo better than the textbook. Same with English. Try the Excel ones, and go through the Cambridge study guide as well.
Damn I give pretty good advice. Lol, wish I actually followed this, this time last year!
All the best with the HSC!
