Why early decisions matter more than late writing
One of the most striking differences between high-scoring Sociology students and everyone else is not what happens in the last ten minutes of the exam. It is what happens in the first five. The Examiner’s Reports do not describe this explicitly, but the patterns of mark loss and gain make it clear that early decision-making has a disproportionate impact on performance.
Strong students do not rush into writing. They use the opening minutes to establish control.
The first five minutes are about orientation, not answers
High-performing students treat the opening of the exam as a diagnostic phase. They scan the paper to understand its structure, the distribution of short-answer and extended questions, and the areas of study being assessed.
This matters because Sociology requires students to move between different kinds of thinking. Short-answer questions reward precision and efficiency. Extended responses reward depth, synthesis and evaluation. Knowing where these shifts occur allows students to pace themselves mentally as well as temporally.
Students who begin writing immediately often commit to a rhythm that is hard to adjust later.
Identifying the high-cost questions early
Experienced students quickly identify which questions carry the most marks and therefore the most risk. The four 10-mark questions shape the final outcome more than any individual short-answer item.
High-scoring students note where these questions sit in the paper and mentally allocate time accordingly. They do not let early short-answer questions consume attention that should be reserved for extended responses.
Students who fail to do this often arrive at the 10-mark questions under time pressure, which undermines planning and evaluation.
Reading questions before choosing examples
Another early decision that matters is whether to read questions before committing to examples. Many students revise Sociology by memorising a small set of case studies or movements and then looking for opportunities to use them.
High-performing students reverse this logic. They read the question first and then decide which example best suits the task. This prevents forced application and reduces the risk of misalignment.
The Examiner’s Reports show that inappropriate example selection is a recurring source of lost marks, even among students with strong theoretical understanding.
Planning is brief, but deliberate
High-scoring students do plan, but their planning is efficient. They do not write full outlines. They jot down key concepts, evidence points and the direction of evaluation.
This planning often takes no more than a minute or two per extended response, but it dramatically improves coherence. It allows students to avoid repetition, control concept selection, and integrate evaluation rather than appending it at the end.
Students who skip planning entirely often write themselves into corners they cannot escape within the time limit.
Deciding what not to write
One of the most important early decisions strong students make is what they will leave out. They recognise that they cannot include everything they know, and that trying to do so is counterproductive.
By deciding early which concepts and examples they will use, they reduce cognitive load during writing. This clarity makes their responses appear confident and controlled, which examiners reward.
Students who defer this decision often hedge throughout the response, including unnecessary material and weakening focus.
Using the first minutes to manage anxiety
There is also a psychological benefit to deliberate early behaviour. Students who pause, read carefully and plan briefly tend to settle more quickly. Their writing is clearer, and their thinking is more organised.
Students who rush often carry anxiety into their responses. This increases the likelihood of misreading questions, over-answering short tasks, or forgetting procedural constraints.
Calm is not a personality trait. It is a consequence of process.
Why this matters for otherwise capable students
Many capable Sociology students underperform not because they lack understanding, but because they never fully take control of the exam. They react to questions rather than managing them.
The first five minutes are where that control is established. Small decisions made early compound across the paper.
How to practise this skill before the exam
Students can practise early-exam behaviour deliberately. Sitting down with past papers and spending the first five minutes reading and planning without writing full responses helps build this habit.
Reflecting afterwards on whether time was allocated appropriately reinforces learning. Over time, this process becomes automatic.
An ATAR STAR perspective
At ATAR STAR, we train Sociology students to treat the exam as a strategic task, not just an academic one. For high-achieving students, refining early decision-making often produces immediate gains. For students who struggle, it can be transformative.
VCE Sociology rewards students who think before they write. The first five minutes are where that thinking begins.