Advice from past HSC Languages students

Are you thinking about studying a language for the HSC? Or are you a senior student already studying a language? Are you interested in the benefits of language study? Or are you looking for some tried and true study strategies?

The Language and Culture unit of the Department of Education has recently produced a great resource to support languages students – “Reflections and Advice from past HSC students”. This PowerPoint presentation contains two videos in which university students are interviewed about their motivations for studying languages for the HSC. Students cite broader job opportunities, living and travelling overseas and a passion for culture and history as t

heir main motives. The students also share tips on what strategies worked for them when it came to preparing for their language exams. Overwhelmingly, the students found their language studies fun and invigorating as they opened a world of possibilities.

Two Fortians participated in the project. Ilha Jung studied Japanese Continuers in 2021. He is currently studying at the University of New South Wales and uses Japanese to communicate with clients at work. Luca Butterworth studied German Continuers and Extension in 2021. He is currently studying Arts/Law, also at the UNSW, and has so far found German useful in his philosophy course. Both students intend to make use of their valuable language skills in their future careers.

The presentation can be found on the HSC Hub on the NESA website: www.hschub.nsw.edu.au/languages-items/reflections-and-advice-from-past-hsc-students

Kristina Reynolds

Languages Faculty