Headstart is an excellent, results-focussed program for Year 10 Students that helps students score the highest ATARs by starting early. By introducing Year 10 students to the core concepts of the Year 11 Mathematics, English, Physics and Chemistry course, Headstart students are able to perform much better when they get into Year 11, and are therefore able to position themselves for achieving the highest marks and ranks in Year 12. In fact, our 2008 Headstart students out- performed their non-headstart peers in our standardised exams by an average of 5% in Mathematics and 6.5% in the Sciences.

The philosophy behind Headstart is simple: When students study subject for a first time, most students are aiming to merely pass or score 70%. In contrast, when students do a subject for the second time, they are more likely to be aiming to score in the top 10 of their school, or above 85%.

Headstart therefore gives students a competitive advantage when going into Year 11 and 12 by teaching them the bulk of the course at an earlier date.

We currently offer:

1. Headstart English
2. Headstart Phys&Chem (Science)
3. Headstart Mathematics

One of the main advantages of Headstart is that by teaching the fundamentals of the year 11 course a year early, Headstart Students can achieve a competitive advantage on their peers in Year 11, who will be covering the material for the first time.

In contrast, our students will have already covered the key theory in the highest scaling subjects, leaving more time for: exam practice where they can work to eliminate costly careless mistakes; consolidating knowledge so that they can tackle harder questions; and most importantly, more time to allocate to weaker subjects. Overall, this allows Headstart students to achieve a higher ATAR.

One of the best features of the Headstart program is that it allows students to 'test' the subjects BEFORE they get into Year 11. That way students are able to see if they are capable of coping with the demands of the highest scaling subjects and then able to make an informed decision about which subjects to pursue in their final years.

Despite the high scaling of the Mathematics and Science subjects, many Year 10 students opt not to do Physics, Chemistry and Extension Mathematics because they perceive the subjects as difficult, even if they are capable of achieving a good score.

Headstart is for any year 10 student looking to score top marks in Year 11, without having to 'cram' all the information in a short space of time. By teaching Year 11 coursework earlier, it gives students flexibility in their frantic final years of school, so that they can achieve top marks, and still have time to pursue other activities

Whilst Headstart covers Year 11 course material, it has been developed specifically for Year 10 students in mind.

Many of the harder concepts are approached in a way that is easy for Year 10 students to understand, whilst at the same time, maintaining the standards required in Year 11.

There is in fact a big 'jump' in standards in the syllabus from Year 10 to Year 11 & 12. For instance, calculus is not taught in Mathematics until Year 11, and many students who may have performed well up to Year 10 suddenly find themselves struggling in Year 11 & 12. Likewise, students who were good at 'junior science' (a mix of biology, geology, chemistry and physics that students study in Year 7to 10) can find the Physics and Chemistry course difficult because they are forced to specialise in one topic area of science.

Headstart hence provides a good transition from the junior years to the senior years, and helps students adapt more smoothly to the rigours of the Year 11 and 12 course.

Even if you're scoring top marks in Year 9 and 10, our Headstart programs can ensure that you remain competitive in Year 11 and 12 - the years which will ultimately determine your ATAR.

Many students who do well in the earlier years of secondary school are often surprised when their rankings and scores start to drop in Year 11 and 12. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the syllabus from Year 7-10 is much easier than the syllabus for Year 11-12. As stated before, hard topics such as calculus are only covered in Year 11 and above, and science is taught in a very general way in Year 7-10. Because the course material is relatively easy, it is often not the most capable students who score the best marks in exams.

Secondly, in year 11 and 12, the level of competition becomes much higher, as most students start to take their studies seriously. A lot of students find that their marks start suddenly start to drop, as many students who did not usually perform well academically start concentrating more time and effort on their studies.

If you are a top student, Headstart will in fact be well suited to you because it will extend you to a Year 11 level, and hence prepare you to score top marks next year.

Whilst the Headstart Program covers topic areas from the Year 11 program, the main difference lies in the standards and rigour of the courses. Headstart is designed to introduce the core concepts of the Year 11 course. In contrast, the Year 11 Yearly Program is designed to teach and test comprehensively ALL parts of the syllabus. Concepts are tackled in greater depth in the Year 11 course, with harder questions to challenge and extend students learning. Whilst Headstart aims to build understanding, there is a much greater emphasis on examination technique in the Year 11 course and on marks maximisation.

Furthermore, the Year 11 Physics and Chemistry Yearly Program, teaches part of the Year 12 course early to once again, help students maintain their competitive advantage in their final year.

Whilst there is no 'right' or 'wrong' combination of subjects to take, there are subjects that scale higher and subjects that scale lower in terms of calculating your ATAR. In general, the best subjects to take are:

1. Advanced English or higher
2. Mathematics Extension 1 or 2
3. Physics and Chemistry
4. Economics or Modern History

Doing moderately well in these subjects will ensure that you get a relatively high ATAR whilst doing even exceptionally well in the lower scaling subjects does not guarantee a high ATAR, after the marks have been scaled.

For instance, if you were in the top 1% of Standard English, your score will be scaled lower than someone who ranked in the Top 25% of Advanced English. Similarly, scoring the average mark in 4 Unit Mathematics will give you a higher mark than someone who came in the top 2% for Biology, Top 3% for Economics, and Top 5% of English and Physics. For this reason, the profile of most students who score a ATAR of over 99 usually includes 3U or 4U Mathematics as well as Physics, Chemistry and Advanced English.

For more information on Scaling, please read our Scaling FAQ here

Our aim is to help our students score the absolute maximum ATARs, and it is for this reason that we only offer courses in the highest scaling subjects Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English. Of course, if you are not able to do moderately well in these subjects, then no amount of scaling will help you. One of the best features of Headstart is it lets you "try" these subjects before you are forced to make a choice, and if it is clear that you can perform relatively well in these subjects, you should definitely take them if you are looking to maximise your ATAR.

If you would like more specific information on scaling and how it is used to determine your ATAR, you should attend our "Secrets of the HSC' Seminar", which explains the process in detail.

If you'd like to join the Headstart course, simply fill in the Enrolment Form and send it via email to info@talent-100.com.au. Alternatively, you can contact us on 8003-6887 to let one of our friendly staff know what classes you wish to join.