For a lot of Year 9 and 10 students, school is an ongoing cycle of learning content and completing assessments. However, apart from getting good grades, you may be wondering - how do high school subjects and electives help me?
We’ve drawn together the top things you need to know about Year 9-10 subjects, and how the skills you learn can actually be really beneficial to you in the future.
Top questions we get asked about Year 9-10 subject selection:
1. Does Year 9-10 matter?
Teachers and tutors hear this question all the time. Short answer: Yes – but maybe not for the reason you think!
Years 9-10 are often referred to as the ‘bludge’ or ‘easy’ years in high school and yet they’re the training ground for your Preliminary and HSC studies. Not only that, Year 10 is often the year that you’re offered the opportunity to do work experience before choosing your HSC subjects.
Trying to figure out what you like and how you like to work can be a rollercoaster. It seems like everyone is asking you what you want to be and what your plans are. The truth is that no one really expects you to have it figured out yet.
Think about it this way - Years 9-10 is a bit like eating at a buffet. There are the things you have to eat like everyone else – English, Maths, Science and HSIE – but there are also different sides you get to try – e.g. Visual Arts, Design and Technology, Languages and Commerce.
Some food tastes good to you and gives you energy – that’s the stuff you’ll go back to for seconds. There are others which leave you feeling dissatisfied – that’s the stuff you might want to avoid.
Use this time to take note of what you like so that when you go to choose next time, you can make the best choice for you.
2. How do my subject choices affect my future?
Often, it’s the skills, rather than the content, which actually carries forward from Year 10 into your senior years and even beyond the HSC. We call these skills ‘transferable’ – skills which you can use across a wide variety of subject areas.
| Subject | On the surface, it’s... | You actually learn to... | You can use these skills in... |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Memorising quotes and writing essays |
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| Design and Technology | Making new things |
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| Physical Activity and Sports Studies | Playing sports |
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All of these skills can be applied to not only other subjects in Year 11 and 12, but also beyond high school in your study, work and everyday life.
3. How do I make the best subject choice for Year 9-10?
There is never one ‘best’ subject when it comes to Year 9-10 electives. You might be a little stressed out, with your parents or family encouraging you to do certain subjects or follow a particular pathway, or perhaps they’re leaving it up to you to choose and you’re feeling a bit lost.
Year 9-10 is a time for experimenting with your subject interests, giving you a chance to figure out what you like, how you learn and which skills you would like to build. Every student approaches it differently!
Meet Sam
Sam finds out that she’ll need to learn more about the human body and physical activity, so she chooses Physical Activity and Sports Studies (PASS) for Years 9-10.
She also wants to learn more about running a business, so she takes Commerce.
Meet Tyler
Tyler decides to take Visual Arts for Years 9-10.
His school also allows students to take a different second elective in each year – he chooses Multimedia for Year 9 and Information Software and Technology (IST) for Year 10 because he likes both the creative and technical side of computers.
When choosing your electives, consider the following three factors:
- Your interests both inside and outside of school
- Your strengths and weaknesses, including the things you might like to get better at
- Any potential career pathways which sound interesting to you
4. What do I do if I hate my electives?
So what do you do when you realise that your choices were not the right ones for you?
Well, the options really depend on your school’s electives policy and the reasons why you don’t like your elective choice. Some schools will allow you to change subjects after you’ve spoken with your Year Coordinator and parents or carers.
Other schools might not allow you to switch. In this case, it’s important to think about why you dislike your electives:
If you think you might grow to like your subjects, you can try to wait it out and find aspects or skills which you like.
Things to Remember
In any case, it’s best to chat to your teacher about how you’re feeling and what your options are. They are the subject experts and can help you decide if it’s right for you to continue.
At the end of the day, your Year 9-10 subject choices don't necessarily have to correlate towards concrete goals - Rather, they offer you a taste test before you have to commit. Pay attention to what you like and dislike in Years 9-10 and you will be able to figure out more about yourself, your interests and your skills.
We hope that understanding your own learning earlier will make your next subject choice, and eventually post-school pathway decision, that much easier for you.
Written by
Liv is an experienced high school tutor with a passion for insights into contemporary topics in education. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Media & Communications at the University of Sydney.
