WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• Syllabus changes in recent years have made it problematic to analyse how often Focus Study topic questions are asked in any meaningful way. Questions often have a significant overlap with other strands, but this Worksheet has been constructed to best cover the Health and Resources focus studies as the syllabus currently stands.
• This has meant that a few "supplementary" HSC-like questions have been included to give you as good a coverage of potential questions as possible.
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you 37.5 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• The Focus Study - Health can test you in areas of Body Measurements, Medication and Life Expectancy. Recent history has shown that examiners like questions that require interpretation from a graph in this context, where calculations and explanations of gradients are required, and sometimes finding the equation of a line of best fit (You may note a BIG overlap with linear relationships in the Algebra strand). Two excellent examples are in this Worksheet => KNOW THEM.
• Correlation also comes under Health and is often tested in a multiple choice question. Ensure you understand this concept, which appears a number of times in the Worksheet.
• The Focus Study - Resources has been tested in the past through an Electricity Bill example and in a cross-strand question that required the application of Simpson's Rule in estimating the capacity of a lake. Both examples are in the Worksheet.

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• Syllabus changes in recent years have made it problematic to analyse how often Focus Study topic questions are asked in any meaningful way. Questions often have a significant overlap with other strands, but this Worksheet has been constructed to best cover the Driving and Communication topics as the syllabus currently stands.
• This has meant that a few "supplementary" HSC-like questions have been included to give you as good a coverage of potential questions as possible.
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you 34.5 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• DEPRECIATION: This area is examined every year with allocated marks in the last 5 years ranging from 1 in 2010 to a massive 8 marks in 2011. This topic area now comes under the Focus Study "Mathematics and Driving" (so expect a car to be depreciated in the 2014 exam). Despite the fact that past questions have looked at photocopiers and other "non-car" assets, they are included in this Worksheet because the concepts are exactly the same.
• DEPRECIATION (Cont.): Know how to deal with both straight line and diminishing value examples. The formulas are on page 1 of your "Formulae and Data Sheet" but again, learn them by heart and don't rely on this. Both types of questions are covered numerous times in this Worksheet.
• Distance = Speed x Time. See Q2 and Q5 for the types of questions asked.
• The Focus Study "Communication" could test you on a mobile phone plan or data calculations (See Q6). Note that page 3 of your "Formulae Sheet" has conversions for "bytes".

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The PROBABILITY strand has accounted for around 15% of the General 2 paper in the last 5 years.
• Worksheet B has a weighting toward higher band questions and will challenge you with the hardest questions that have appeared in the HSC in recent times in this topic area.
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• IMPORTANT: Know how to construct and calculate probabilities off a probability tree. This type of question was in Worksheet A and appears again here because it is a MUST KNOW area.
• Drawing up tables is sometimes required and at other times, the most efficient way to answer probability questions. This is required in a number of questions and make sure you practice to do this efficiently!
• Relative frequency tables and probability are often tested together. Exposure to this type of question is important and is included in both probability Worksheets.
• Financial expectation questions are common and often worth substantial marks. This type of question is again tested in this Worksheet. KNOW IT! 

 

 

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The PROBABILITY strand has accounted for around 15% of the General 2 paper in the last 5 years.
• Get your confidence up by working through Worksheet A first which has a weighting toward lower band questions (although some harder questions still may be included). 
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• IMPORTANT: Know how to construct and calculate probabilities off a probability tree (see Q17).
• The preliminary topics in Probability provide a fertile ground for picking up marks in this topic area, representing 6-7% of the paper each year in recent history. Relative frequency questions are the examiner's favourite area within the prelim syllabus (see Q9,10 and 12), along with other multiple choice questions that involve some basic fundamentals of probability (numerous examples appear in the Worksheet).
• You will probably be required to calculate the number of possible combinations in both ordered (Q13,14,16) and unordered (Q5,7) examples. Make sure you can recognise and answer both types.
• Financial expectation questions are common but are a magnet for careless errors (see Q18).

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The MEASUREMENT strand has been the largest contributor of any strand to the General 2 exam over the past 5 years, accounting for an impressive average of 24%!
• Worksheet B is weighted toward higher band questions so you can get familiar with the level of thinking that is required to solve the hardest questions on the paper.
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. Keep track of your speed with reference to this.

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• Bearings questions are prominent within this strand and are guaranteed to be in the exam (they account for 3 marks on average over the past 5 years). KNOW HOW TO DO THESE (see Q5). Use diagrams in your answer and add information to them as you proceed (see Worked Solutions on Q5).
• The second guaranteed area for questioning is the use of the cosine and sine rules (2.5 marks per year). These were asked in Worksheet A as well, but are asked again here due to their importance (see Q8).
• 2 triangle questions are also very common (see Q4). Beware the TIME TRAP in some of these questions where students start using sine and cosine rules when the much simpler right-angled trig ratios is all they need (Q4).
• The three types of questions above belong to the sub-strand "MM5-Applications of Trig". A BIG ADVANTAGE OF THIS SUB-STRAND IS THAT IT HAS ACCOUNTED FOR A SIZEABLE 7% OF THE EXAM OVER THE PAST 6 YEARS, AND THIS HISTORY GIVES US A VERY GOOD IDEA OF THE QUESTIONS LIKELY TO BE ASKED. KNOW THIS AREA!

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The MEASUREMENT strand has been the largest contributor of any strand to the General 2 exam over the past 5 years, accounting for an impressive average of 24%!
• Get your confidence up by working through Worksheet A first which has a weighting toward lower band questions (although some harder questions still may be included). 
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• The preliminary topics in Measurement have been actively tested in recent history, accounting for a substantial 9% of your exam. You will find numerous examples of such questions in this worksheet, covering basic trig and pythagoras, scale diagrams, similarity, angles of depression and elevation, units of measurement etc ...
• Notice the consistent presence of questions on different times zones between cities and others requiring calculations for composite area/volumes => KNOW THESE.
• You will be tested on the sine and cosine rules. GOLDEN RULE: KNOW THESE BY HEART. They are in your formula sheet but treat this simply as a back-up if you have a mental blank!
• Be prepared for a question on measurement error (Q13). It was badly answered last year and is a MUST KNOW area.
• Note that Simpson's Rule is in this topic area but will be tested in the "Focus Study Worksheet" that covers "Resources". This not only tests students on the rule, but also in using it to calculate the water capacity of a dam. A critical MUST KNOW area but tested later.

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The DATA and STATISTICS strand has accounted for an average of 19% of your total General 2 exam over the past 5 years.
• Worksheet B is weighted toward higher band questions so you can get familiar with the level of thinking that is required to solve the hardest questions on the paper.
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• Fundamental knowledge on things like the process of statistical enquiry, categories of data, and different types of sampling are often tested in early multiple choice questions. 
• Make sure you are familiar with all of the charts/plots in this Worksheet: box-and-whisker, frequency histogram, and area graph.
• Be confident in understanding and finding interquartile ranges using the above charts (consistently asked!).
• Capture and recapture (Q9). This type of question is rated a good chance to come up. KNOW IT.
• Normal distribution. Pay careful attention to how the Worked Solutions set out answers in these types of questions (Q7). It is particularly important to have a plan with your working out in this area.

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The DATA and STATISTICS strand has accounted for an average of 19% of your total General 2 exam over the past 5 years.
• Get your confidence up by working through Worksheet A first which has a weighting toward lower band questions (although some harder questions still may be included).
• The WORKED SOLUTIONS in this Worksheet have taken into account Marker's Comments and give you an example of best practice in how to set out your answer. 
• TIMING: The Worksheet gives you exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time. 

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• Make sure you are familiar with all of the charts/plots in this Worksheet: (double) stem-and-leaf, box-and-whisker, cumulative frequency histogram (and ogive), area graph, radar chart and dot plot.
• Know how to find interquartile ranges using the above charts (asked a number of times in this Worksheet).
• Capture and recapture (Q6).
• Normal distribution. Note carefully how the Worked Solutions set out answers in these types of questions (Q10) because it is easy to get very messy in your solution.

 

 

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The FINANCIAL MATHS strand is likely to account for approximately 18% of your total General 2 exam. 2014 saw less emphasis although some content traditionally in the topic has been reallocated to Focus Studies.
• Worksheet B will be weighted toward the higher band questions in this topic area.
• Remember that our study focus is now dominated by past-HSC exam questions, and all questions in this Worksheet come from the past 6 HSC's.

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• Calculating credit card interest using the exact number of days (Q3 & Q7).
• Understand how GST works (Q1).
• Know how to use and interpret the following tables: Future Value of $1 Annuity (Q4,11), Monthly Home Loan Repayment table (Q13 - a different version from Worksheet A. Review Worked Solution carefully!), Compounded value of $1 (Q9 - Typically over half of students answer incorrectly).
• IMPORTANT: The Future Value and Present Value of an Annuity formulas were taken out of the syllabus last year. However, you will still have to understand the concept and (most likely) use a table to answer such questions. Make sure you look at an example of a Present Value of an Annuity table from your notes, as it has never been asked before but is now more likely to come up.

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• Recent history tells us that the FINANCIAL MATHS strand is likely to account for around 18% of your total General 2 exam, although some of its traditional content now appears in the recently introduced Focus Studies.
• Note that this worksheet is dominated by past-HSC exam questions, from the past 6 HSC's.
• Get your confidence up by working through Worksheet A first which has a weighting toward lower band questions (although some harder questions may still be included).
• Remember to KEEP MOVING. If you're spending too much time on a question, refer to the Worked Solution or your notes but don't get bogged down.

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• The preliminary syllabus in Financial Maths is a SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR to the General 2 exam, averaging nearly 8% of the paper in recent years. Worksheet A tests you numerous times in this area, notably in the wages and budget sub-categories.
• Harvest some of the easiest exam marks by practicing the numerous wages and budget questions in Worksheet A, and making NO CARELESS ERRORS!
• Interpreting tables is critical. Worksheet A revises the following: Compounded value of $1 (Q4,7), Home Loan table (Q6), Tax table (Q13) ... further tables to know will be included in Worksheet B.
• Look carefully at and make sure you understand Simple (Flat) Interest (Q3 & 12).
• Dividend yield is an easy concept that the vast majority didn't know in 2013. Be aware of it (Q11).

 

WHY IS THIS WORKSHEET IMPORTANT?

• The ALGEBRA AND MODELLING strand will account for approximately 15% of your total General 2 exam.
• Worksheet B contains past-HSC exam questions exclusively, and although it broadly covers a spectrum of questions, it has a weighting toward those targeting higher bands.
• TIMING: The Worksheet provides work that should account for exactly 45 minutes of HSC equivalent exam time.
• DON'T GET STUCK. This Worksheet will throw at you some of the harder HSC questions asked in this strand in recent times. Make an honest attempt but if you can't do it, use the  Worked Solutions (or refer to your notes).

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

• LINEAR GRAPH questions are common and often account for substantial marks. Make sure you are comfortable finding and interpreting a gradient off such graphs (see Q10). 
• The harder questions in this strand often involve the area of linear and non-linear relationships. By this, we are referring to "inverse" relationships, quadratics and straight line graphs. An examiner favourite is to ask you where these relationships stop working and why? Practice this type of question in Q8,9.
• BIG TIP: Even if you struggle in some of the high mark questions, there are some easy marks to be gained in the earlier parts. Don't miss this low hanging fruit by thinking the whole question is too difficult!
• Note the simultaneous equation question was poorly answered in 2014 (see Q4), while expressing relationships of how things vary with each other are always answered poorly (and commonly asked! - see Q2,7).