VCE Chemistry

It is at this time, when you are working through practice exams that you can get a little discouraged if your marks aren’t what you were hoping for.  Occasionally, my students experience these frustrations and wonder where they should go from there.  The following provides some suggestions that I might make to a student in this predicament. Remember, you are not alone! Over 8000 students are studying for this Chem exam and many are feeling the same as you might possibly be right now.

“I can understand and appreciate that this must be both frustrating and upsetting. Your knowledge of the course work is solid, as you have shown consistently this semester in your SAC results. So why are you achieving at a sub-optimal level on your exam preparations? Examinations require a level of precision in your responses; you need to know exactly what you are talking about to achieve full marks. Note that many of the practice exams are written by experienced teachers for that very purpose; to allow students to dissect their knowledge and apply a forensic examination to it. So this means that you do not know what you are doing? Not at all, it just means that you need to hone your knowledge and fill in any little gaps that still may be present in either understanding or technique.”

“And how, pray tell, am I to achieve that?!”, asks the student.

“You already know the answer, of course.  At this point, practice examinations are your greatest friend. Look carefully at the Examiner’s reports (from VCAA website at vcaa.vic.edu.au) and see where other students struggled with questions. Did they make the same mistakes as you? What kinds of things were they getting wrong? What does the Examiner suggest? Read over the solutions that I prepared for this year’s Neap exam. When you get something wrong, classify the error as (a) I had and still have no idea! {Okay, forget it or email/ask your teacher}. (b) I was on the right track but I chose the wrong option or made a few small errors. {You are human and are in the same situation as the majority. Practice makes perfect} (c) I disagree with the answer and I think I am right. {Possible, but unlikely. Email/ask your teacher so that they can have a look at it}.”

Best wishes for your upcoming exams,

Mr Ellett

Dear Kilbreda girls

I hope that you are all feeling okay with the June Examination not far away now.  In class on Friday I said that I would try to get the solutions to the exam for you.  Unfortunately I do not have the official solutions but you can access my draft copy at the link here.

Good to hear from Michelle earlier today. I will keep an eye on the email and website if you want to communicate with me over the long weekend, girls.

Best wishes, Mr Ellett

This message is to the Year 12 students of Kilbreda College whom I shall be teaching this year. Welcome to the new year and I look forward to getting to know all of you as soon as possible and to a positive and successful year. Our first topic for the year will be Modern Instrumental Analysis, with specific focus on the spectroscopic techniques of Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and UV/visible spectrophotometry. This is done to prepare us for the visit on Friday 6 February of a guest presenter in these areas. This task will also constitute part of your first major assessment.

Best wishes, Mr Ellett

To Salesian boys

When term 4 begins we will get started on our penultimate topic for the year: The Atmosphere. This topic is fairly descriptive and looks at the gases that make up our atmosphere and how these key gases can be produced on both an industrial scale and in the laboratory.

Look forward to seeing you all next week. Regards, Mr Ellett

This site is the work of Brian Ellett, currently Head of Science at Salesian College, Chadstone and co-author of Chemistry Dimensions 1 (Year 11) and 2 (Year 12), published by Pearson Education. In 2009 I will be taking up an appointment as Assistant to the Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Kilbreda College Mentone. This site will be an integral part of my program at the college.

Prior to this appointment I worked for many years as the Year 12 Co-ordinator and Senior Chemistry teacher at Loreto Mandeville Hall in Toorak, Melbourne.