Putting a love of history to use for the community
Mob’s modern history fuels legal ambitions
Paris Mitchell has known since the age of 13 she wanted to be a lawyer – to make a difference in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
A proud Darug woman who graduated from Plumpton High School in 2021, Mitchell felt compelled to use her academic ability to do something “that helped other people”.
Paris Mitchell.
“Although I’ve always felt connected to my community, I couldn’t deny or hide the fact that I look white, and that comes with privileges. Not utilising my privilege to help community would be wrong,” said Mitchell, who is now studying Law and Psychology at Macquarie University.
“My teachers were incredibly supportive throughout my senior years ... but the biggest thing was that I wanted to make myself proud and not feel like the last 13 years of my life went to waste at the last moment.”
She plans to specialise in criminal defence law, driven by her knowledge of the hardship faced by many Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – which also fuelled her interest in taking Modern History in the HSC.
“That’s what my passion has been since I was 14, and I’ve always worked towards,” Mitchell said.
“I was motivated to study law because I always had an interest in politics and I want to help those that are failed by the inequalities of our judicial system.”
Mitchell credits great teachers with helping her perform well in the HSC and pursue her career goals. But for Year 12 students still uncertain about their direction post-school, she cautions against forcing a hasty decision.
“If you don’t have a clear destination in sight, think about what you like to do in your free time. Pay attention to what you enjoy and what you feel passionate about, because that is where your motivation is going to come from.”
Use all of the resources available to you to succeed in Modern History.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Mitchell’s tips for HSC Modern History
- Indulge in all the resources the teachers provide: “Different sources will highlight different parts of what you’re studying, and by utilising all the resources you’re provided, you’re a lot more likely to find sources that help you understand the information you need.”
- Connect what you’re learning to things that interest you: “If you’re able to find ways to make the past be specifically relevant to your present, you will be significantly more engaged with the content, and find that you’re able to understand it better, because you have current examples of the result of the events you’re studying.”
- Use every moment of your exam time: ”Once you’re in the exam, the most crucial thing is to just keep writing and use all of the time you’re provided. You’ll find yourself remembering all the content that you learnt throughout the year. Using all the time you’re given will really allow you to write everything you remember and will give you time to go back through your exam and double-check your answers when you think you’re done.”
- Trust yourself and don’t get overwhelmed: ”My advice for the Class of 2023 is to trust themselves and not let themselves get too overwhelmed – once you’re actually sitting the exam you’ll realise that the HSC exam isn’t as daunting as you’ve always thought, and you already have all the knowledge you need. Encourage yourself to do well and push the boundaries of your knowledge and education, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself thinking that this is a defining moment of your life. The HSC is important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.”
Right side of the law
Desmond Ma speaks about HSC Legal Studies with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for the creative arts.
“Legal Studies not only provides insight into how the legal system works, but the different societal tensions the law tries to balance,” the former Dux of North Sydney Boys High School said.
“It gives students a chance to consider normative values and formulate their own perspective on what they think the law should be and why.”
Ma topped the state in HSC Legal Studies in 2020 and is now in his third year of a double degree in Law and Commerce at the University of Sydney.
“Ultimately, Legal Studies is a subject that rewards you for your preparation – you can do really well by preparing consistently over time. A lot of the work I did for in-school exams and trials could be directly translated into my HSC responses and still helps me now,” he said.
To achieve top marks, Ma stuck to a few tried and true methods, such as working with his peers, using counter-examples, reviewing the syllabus and aiming to always improve.
“When scaffolding my essays, I would look to include current legislation, cases or media articles to show the marker that I am actively engaging with the legal system, not just what I’ve learned from the textbook.”
Studying alongside his peers also proved to be a successful strategy.
“Working with your classmates allows you to share knowledge with one another, including more relevant or recent cases, stronger arguments and examples. One of your friends might think of something that you didn’t know about or had overlooked, and you’ll produce stronger work as a result,” said Ma.
Incorporating the use of counter-examples also proved a highly effective tool.
“Instead of saying something is completely effective or completely ineffective, take the route of moderate effectiveness and have points on both sides to demonstrate a stronger evaluation of the legal system. This gives you scope for further analysis, rather than pigeonholing yourself on one side,” Ma said.
Ma hopes to complete university by 2025 – and while he’s not entirely sure what comes next, he’s excited for the future.
Ma’s tips for HSC Legal Studies:
- Search out new sources: Make sure your sources are unique, interesting and relevant.
- Look at the syllabus when making your notes or essay scaffolds: Ensure there’s no part that’s unaccounted for.
- Go through the syllabus themes, challenges and principal focus of each topic: It helps you understand why you’re learning what you’re learning, keeps you motivated and gives you a sense of direction.
- Incorporate established terminology in your writing: Use the appropriate terminology in your responses to show your understanding of the concept.
- Know the effectiveness criteria and how to use them (PEARRJAM):
- Protection and Recognition of Rights
- Enforceability
- Accessibility
- Responsiveness
- Resource Efficiency
- Justice Achieved?
- Application of the Rule of Law
- Meeting Society’s Needs
Top tips from a HSC Business Studies teacher
Nin Eath, Head Teacher, HSIE and Languages
Community of Engagement for the HSC Strategy
St Johns Park High School
Nin Eath.
It’s all connected
Strong responses demonstrate the interrelatedness of role, influences, processes and strategies (RIPS).
Think of it this way:
- The role is how the business function is expected to run effectively.
- Influences are what can inhibit or help the role.
- Processes are how the role functions.
- Strategies are what the business uses to achieve the role.
Reading, watching and listening to credible media sources can help you with critical analysis on how business deals with change, such as the impact of inflation on sourcing inputs for production.
It can also help you with business terminology and provide contemporary business examples that you can include in your responses.
Short answers: Section 2 includes hypothetical business situations on which a series of questions are based, and every topic can be assessed in this section. You will need to refer to the provided hypothetical business situation or provide a contemporary business example as you answer each question. This is where knowing RIPS for each topic will be useful.
Business report: Section 3 provides a hypothetical business situation which you write a business report on. Think about the business’s legal structure, the industry it operates within, its prime function and the challenges or success it is experiencing. You don’t need to include any other business case study examples.
Extended response: Section 4 provides two extended response questions drawn from different topics in the HSC course. You will be required to answer one question.
You can use hypothetical and/or real business case studies in your extended response. Be realistic with your hypothetical case study. For example, “Hungry Macs saves $1 billion in costs by switching their suppliers for tomato sauce” is a stretch of the imagination.
Try mnemonics: Mnemonics can help you remember concepts. They can be songs, rhymes, acronyms or phrases. Here’s an example: “PLEGS”: P for profitability; L for liquidity; E for efficiency; G for growth; S for solvency.
Writing responses: To successfully respond to an HSC exam question, apply relevant business theory and draw out implications to the business situation. Business theory includes definitions and concepts whereas implications refer to the impacts on or responses from businesses.