Study guides
Revision advice with the receipts attached.
Guides built on published learning science, not folklore. Every claim cites its study, and none of it promises a grade. Written for Year 11 and 12 students in every Australian state.
Command terms in HSC, WACE, SACE and TCE exams: which verbs head each subject, state by state
9mWe counted the verbs that open the written items in 155 recent HSC, WACE, SACE and TCE exam papers. Which verbs each subject runs on in New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, what they are usually worth, and where the glossaries fall short.
Command terms in VCE exams: which verbs head each subject, and what they're worth
8mWe counted the verbs that open 2,067 written items across 80 VCAA exam papers, for 17 VCE subjects. Which verbs each subject runs on, the marks they usually carry, and the ones the VCAA glossary never defines.
Command terms in QCE science and maths exams: what determine, evaluate and justify earn
7mWe counted the cognitive verbs that open 1,376 QCE short-response items across 183 QCAA papers. Which verbs head each science and maths subject, what they're usually worth, and how to answer to the verb.
How to revise for Year 12 exams (what the evidence actually says)
9mSix revision rules with real research behind them: retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving and more, for QCE, VCE, HSC and every Australian Year 12 exam.
Spaced repetition for exam revision: how it works and how to use it
7mWhy forgetting follows a power law, what the spacing effect means for a fixed exam date, and how to run spaced repetition yourself or with a scheduler.
AI study tools: help or harm? What a large classroom trial found
6mA large trial found unrestricted AI tutoring lifted practice scores but lowered exam scores; guardrails removed the harm. What that means for studying with AI.
The best study apps for Year 12 in Australia (2026): an honest roundup
8mVideo lessons, notes, flashcards, exam practice and free official papers compared for Year 12 students in every state, by a company that sells one of them.
How the QCE English external assessment is marked
7mWhat the QCE English EA asks, how the QCAA marking guide's criteria and bands turn an essay into a mark out of 45, and how to use them while you write.