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The final year of school is the most wonderful, exciting, and nerve-racking year of our young lives. Let’s look at how, as parents, we can best prepare them for that final exam.

1. Develop A Love of Reading With Them

One of the best ways to prepare your child for the HSC is to raise them with a love of reading. Reading to many can be a chore, but if we instil in our children that reading is a wonderful thing, they will grow a love for it, and become better writers by the time they sit the HSC. If your teenager hasn’t yet found a love of reading, share with them your favourite book, blogs or newspaper articles.

2. Don’t Let Them Leave It Too Late To Form Good Habits

What is a successful roadmap of the HSC all about? Having all the habits you need before you enter your final year of schooling. Year 11 is the last best chance to brush up on good habits and dispel any bad ones- it’s the year of preparation for Year 12 after all. Ask your teenager to compare exam responses with past papers. What did they see in that past paper that provided a better response? What habits can they improve on to achieve a better result?

3. Make Sure They Take Ownership

Ownership is a hard trait to learn because it’s easier to blame others for our mistakes. Before your teenager enters Year 12 they must understand that they are now young adults. Students that take ownership of their results and efforts will likely do better in the HSC. As an exercise, sit down with your child and ask them about why they think they underperformed on a recent paper. Do they make excuses, or do they take ownership of the result and can they come up with a solution to mastering their subject?

It’s important that parents, teachers, and students understand that the HSC isn’t just about performing well on a test. It’s about showcasing the knowledge that they have learned throughout their schooling life. A great mark in the HSC is a wonderful result, but the best results are when students retain their knowledge past the HSC and continue with a lifelong love of learning.