jezzmo said:
I was very close to doing non-awards, simply because i did extremely little work pretty much throughout my secondary schooling life. I was lucky enough to be able to memorise hordes of information in the morning of each exam (i had summarised subject notes to about 1-2 A4 pages per sub), and although at the time of the exam i had barely bothered to try and understand any concepts, simply recalling slabs of information was enough to get a substandard but sufficient uai.
put simply, i held the HSC with no importance and had no interest in working for a good mark. this was the same with several of my friends (who went on to do non-awards and passed). i still have to improve my work ethic somewhat, but my HSC results certainly had no bearing on my uni ability.
Yeah, it also depends on the subjects you do - e,g if you do say, economics or legal studies (not sure, i didnt do them?), you can retain lots of definitions - but not in all cases.... hence why i beleive it falls back on ability..
Also, when i said "its a stats game" - i was referring to "leeching" off students who are intellectually brighter than you by being in their classes (i.e, being pulled up)..i know its happen to me - and it surely doesnt mean you displayed brillant ability like ur mates, NOR does it mean u can hold more information...
Dont forget, half of your marks are already obtained before walking into the HSC exam room - so memory doesnt earn someone 99UAI rather, yes, a person's study habits/ethics.