THE stresses of exams and the added uncertainty of Covid-19 continue to loom over Nambucca Valley Year 12 students in the build-up to their graduations in mid September.

“My HSC trials were difficult to work with because I had an exam everyday on the first week of trials, making it hard for me to organise my studying schedule and to fit my revision in before the next exam the day after,” said Nambucca Valley HSC student Tracy Nguyen.

“Although, I feel like this was a good experience to prepare for my HSC in October.

“After my trial exams were over, I was relieved and most of my stress disappeared.

“I’m glad I made it through the two weeks.”

HSC Trials have been spread across the Nambucca Valley’s high schools over multiple weeks, some finishing recently while others are yet to sit them.

In the Sydney region, students are sitting their trials at home rather than at their schools.

For this region, however, HSC students have had the opportunity to sit their exams in person at school in recent weeks.

Local HSC student Ellie Spain said that developing a strong study routine is key for success.

“When I had my trials, I’ve been making sure I prioritised my study time and got myself into a good routine, which also ensured balance,” Ellie said.

“Finishing the trials was a massive weight off the shoulders and it also motivated me to keep going for the HSC.”

After the trial exams come the official HSC exams.

As of recently, those exams were delayed a week from October 12 to October 19 due to the continuing outbreak of COVID-19 in Sydney and other NSW regions.

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) came to the decision to push the exams back a week, but exam dates could change again depending on the spread of Covid-19 in the regions.

 

By Rhys GLEESON, Junior Re