What is highschool in Australia like?

Question

I live in the US, and just wondering what school there is like

1. Do they go by trimesters, semesters, etc?

2. Is school all year round? All day?

3. Does the grades go by years? (we call 9th graders: freshmen, 10th graders: sophmores, 11th graders: juniors, 12th graders: seniors)

4. What are the teens there like? How about the cliques? Easy to fit in and make friends?

5. What subjects or classes are required and offered?

6. Are there uniforms?

7. Are schools just categorized as public or private school?

and also wanting to know about the australian accents :)

do u develop it if u live there for a long time? what are some slang words and meanings?

Any additional information would help, thanks!

Answer 1

1. We have 4 terms, and 2 semesters.

2. We get holidays throughout the year for a few holidays (usually 2 weeks per holiday), and 6 week Christmas holidays which start in December and finish in..early February?.

3. We call it "year _". Highschool is year 7, year 8, year 9, year 10, and the seniors are year 11 and 12, but we don't call the younger ones "juniors" or anything. The average age for a year 7 kid is about 12.

4. We don't really have cliques, there are no "jocks", no particular "nerds group" or "popular group", it's nowhere near like what I see in the typical American movie cafeteria scene (we don't have cafeterias either). Kids tend to group together in small friends groups so cliques don't really form. The only ones I noticed in my school were the "cool group" - usually kind of mean or just simply ignored everyone else. And the "cool but smart group" - goody-two-shoes who were nice and also popular. These ones were not actually much better than the other cool group, because they tended to be snotty people who looked down their nose at others.

5. I remember having Japanese (compulsory in year 7) woodwork, metalwork, home ec (cooking and sewing). Math, english, science, geography, history, music, art. I may be forgetting some.

6. Yes, all our schools have uniforms and they are pretty strict about it (even the public ones). They don't let us wear jeans, non-school jumpers aren't allowed unless it is the same colour as the uniform and has no visible pictures or logos all over it. I used to wear my sports uniform as an everyday uniform sometimes because I liked it better, which got me into trouble and they'd give me a blue note (basically a naughty note, lol).

There are a few small schools that don't have compulsory uniform (called "independent schools").

7. Yeah ^ Most of us go to public schools.

Answer 2

1. We have two Semesters in a year. A Semester is two Terms. A Term has between 9-11 weeks. So a Semester is half a year.

2. School days generally run from 8.30am to around 3.00pm in most high schools. Holidays are for 2 weeks between Terms 1 and 2, 2 and 3 and 3 and 4. The break between Term 4 and 1 go for around 6 weeks. We have no school pretty much the whole of January.

3. Depending on the state you're from, we either call them "Years" or "Grades". I'm from NSW and we call them "Years". For example, I'm in Year 11. We call Year 7-10 "Juniors" and Year 11 and 12 "Seniors".

4. We have very strict rules about bullying. Cyber bullying can result in expulsion immediately. The difficulty in making friends is based on who you are personally. You can have the nicest peer but you're quiet, hence, you won't make friends as easily. But generally, everyone gets along well with each other here in my school. I don't know of any cliques and if there is, it won't be tolerated here.

5. It's different in every state. But in NSW, mandatory subjects you MUST do in Year 7 are: English, Maths, Science, HSIE (History & Geo), PDHPE, Design and Tech, Music, Visual Arts and in Year 8 a language. For some schools, Religion is mandatory for everyone. In Years 9 and 10, students will start picking subjects known as "Electives". They are required to pick 2. Some offered are: Photography, Food Technology, Textiles, Visual Arts, Music, Drama, Dance, Graphics, IT Metal, IT TImber, Information Software and Tech etc... In Years 11 and 12, you need to pick ALL your own subjects except English, which is compulsory. Your Grades from subjects in Years 9 and 10 determine the courses that will be available for you to select is a policy in most schools.

6. Yes, there are uniforms. In religious/private schools, they are a must and the rule is strongly enforced. It isn't as strict in public schools though.

7. Yes, we have private and public schools. We also have religious schools such as Catholic schools which are half private half public as it does receive fundings from the Government.

For accents, you will develop it naturally if you are in a country for a while.

Some slangs:

"G'day" = Good day /hello

"Fair dinkum" = True, genuine

"Bloody" = A word used to show distress, anger... eg. Bloody h**l!

Aussie slang, however, is uncommonly used in schools as teenagers have their own slangs already.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Well since I live in Australia, and I am a high school student in Sydney in Australia I will tell you what it's like.

1. We have 2 semesters in a year where one semester consists of two terms. School begins in February and ends in December.

2. School normaly begins at 8.15-8.30 and ends by 3.30.

It is from Monday to Friday. We have Easter holidays which is normaly during the april holidays but this year we had it separately. The april holidays is two weeks, the july holidays last for two weeks also, the october holidays are two weeks and then the longest holidays is the december one which lasts for about two months.

3. Yup we have Year 9, 10, 11 and finally Year 12. Though we don't call it freshmen or sophmores like Americans do.

4. I think the levels of attitudes of teens varies, but majority of the time are friendly and open. I go to a small school, so we tend to encourage each other, and we end up knowing everyone in the whole school which has the nice community atmosphere. In the early years of highschool groups are evident, but in our late years especially by year 11 or 12, we are all friends and close after so many years of being together rather than having several obvious groups.

5. Well English is compulsory. Maths, History, Geography, Science are all compulsory until end of Year 10. Afterwards you are given the choice of what you want to take on in order to pass the exams at the end of Year 12 to get into universities (or what you I guess call colleges!) After Year 10, you are able to take extension maths and english courses, advanced geography, ancient and modern history, all the sciences including earth + environmental, physics, chemistry, biology. Other subjects include languages such as French, German and Japanese (but you can also learn Chinese, Latin, Italian etc - up to you), Commerce (which is business studies), Drama as well as music. You are able to choose what you are interested in continuing.

We also have Health/Personal Education (Sport) and Personal Development. Christian Studies is also a subject choice (which depends on what kind of school you go to in Australia - Christian or non-christian school).

6. Yes high schools have uniforms. Private schools (which requires more money to go to the school, and is usually not co-education have hats which must be worn, and certain bags which must be carried to school.)

7. Yes schools are categorized as public and private schools. Mostly public schools are co-education (where there are both females and males in the schools) and private schools are normally where only a single s*x is educated together. But this is not always the case!

Australian accents is definitely definitely different to the American accent. I love America and I often visit family friends there, but I think once you stay here long enough, you adjust to the accent and as you say, develop it after a while.

We have really Australian words such as Gday mate and barbie (meaning Barbecues) which is often enjoyed by families. Visit this websites for a whole list of Australian slang words http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-sl... . These are not always used in everyday language, but I think if you were to visit the middle of Australia (rural areas) I think you will realise many people using these words as a day to day basis.

I think the great thing about Australia is the nature. We are abundant with animals (kangaroos, koalas) and nature which we experience in our backyards. In the summer seasons where the temperature rises to 45 degrees celcius which is about 113 Farenheit, people who live near the bush or national parks are in danger of bushfires. Many people have swimming pools or tennis pools (sometimes both) in their backyards, and often have family get togethers through having barbies cooked on a barbecue.

If you are planning to visit here for a holiday, I'd highly recommend it. There are a lot of sceneries around Australia that you'll enjoy including the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Ayers Rock in Northern Territory, Hamilton Island also in Northern Territory as well as the Opera House or Harbour Bridge in Sydney (just to name a few.)

Hope this helped! And if there is anything else you want to know, please ask me, I'll be happy to help!

Answer 4

1. usually two semesters, semester one semester two etc

2. no, 6-8 week holidays around christmas, 2 week holidays at end of terms (usually about 10 weeks) and sometimes mid term breaks. my school day starts at 8:30 and finishes at quarter past three, and we have five periods

3. nah just year 8 year 9 year 10 etc

4. theyre pretty cool, but theyre some who are a bit weird

5. normal ones, science sose maths english etc

6. yep in just about every school i think

7. there are public and private schools, private schools generally cost more though

im pretty sure we dont have an accent and its everyone else who has one, but every one else says its us who have one lol.

Answer 5

hey i go to highschool in australia lol

1. yeah we have 2 semesters and 4 terms

2. school starts in january & ends in december

3. yea they do go by the years. example yr 1 are 6 yrs old. but we dont get called freshmen, sophmores and juniors or seniors. the grade 7s are part of the highschool and as well as 8s and 9s and they are part of "junior" year but they still go to the same school as the "seniors: who are the grade 10s, 11s and 12s and sometimes 13s

4. umm well i probably go to a different kinda of school because i go to a privite school but at my school there are cliques but not like massively. like the so called "popular" girls just get all the "popular" guys who are hot. but they arent bitchy or whatever. but its really easy to fit in at my school cause the new kids generally hang out with some of the "popular" kids first then they find were they belong.

5. well in yr 10 you have to do science, english, maths, and sose which is either history or geography and then you have electives which you have to do you just choose i do drama and art and a spare because i do a tafe course.

6. yea we have to wear uniforms. and in winter we have to wear a tie and a blazor. but i think its a good thing because i would die to think of what to wear to school every morning.

7. yep i go to private which you pay for and they are a bit more strict.

hope that helped.

yea you develop an australian accent but they arent as strong as people think. they arent as strong as the english accent or the american it is in between. it depends where you live also. if you went to like the country side of australia like in the middle everyone would have a twang and stuff but if you lived in sydney or brisbane or in the city somewhere even on the beach you would have just a normal accent. i find in some movies they over do the australian accent. you know steve irwin well no one spoke like him. maybe if you lived in the bush. you know?

umm words...

prawn = shrimp

footy = football

maths = math

tv/telly = television

chick = hot girl

jumper = sweater

thongs = flip flops

sandshoes = sneakers

g-string = thong

softdrink = soda

chips = fries

moblie = cell phone

biscuits = cookies

maccas = mcdonalds

shops = mall

excersions = field trips

mum = mom

umm we say things that end in "er", "ah"

hope this helped ;)

Answer 6

In canada, which is supposedly a lot like Australia,

1. Usually trimesters

2. All day (approx. 8-3:30), summer breaks are same as Us, approx. Depends by school.

3. .It goes K-6, 7-9, 10-12. There's no "freshies" or whatever.

4. I don't really know this one, i only went to Candian school for K-5, and everyone was a b****, but they were really immature then.

5. Usually Latin languages (French, Spanish, maybe German)

Standard maths, english, gym, art or band or tech, mostly same as US.

6. Usually not.

7. no, it's usually Public (free), Catholic/Religious ($200-500 a year) and Private non-religious ($1000 a year)

And if you go anywhere long enough, you develop an accent.

I don't know slang, since i never lived there.

Answer 7

woah you got quite a lot of good answers but i thought i'd just tell you about my scholl as I live in australia (NSW)

1. At my school we have two semesters, in each semester we have two terms. This is how it would go for example SEMESTER 1; TERM 1 (10 weeks) HOLIDAYS (two weeks break) TERM 2 (11 weeks) HOLIDAYS (two weeks break) SEMESTER 2; TERM 3 (9 weeks) HOLIDAYS (two weeks break) TERM 4 (10 weeks) HOLIDAYS (6 weeks( this is pur long summer/christmas break) Then its back to semester 1. By the way thats for publich schools, private scholls generally have shorter terms and longer holidays.

2. Mon- Frie, My school is 8.45- 3.15 my old scholl was 9.25-3.25. All differ slightly. Private schools tend to have slightly longer days but school can go any were from about 8.00 till 4.00.

3. The years in High school go

Year 7 : The first year of highschool students are gennerally 12-13

Year 8 second year students are gennerally 13-14

Year 9 : third year students are gennerally 14-15, also in year seven and eight you study all subjects then in year 9 you get electives. You still have to study core subjects but you get some fun ones two.

Year 10:fourth year 15- 16. This year you have your first very important test school certificate (this is in NSW may be different in other states) You may leave school after this year although most people dont they also usully have a small formal/prom

Year 11: fith year 16- 17 You usually have some subject changes here as your work from now will go towards your HSC (most important school test(calles op in QLD and various other things in different states)

Year 12:sixth year 17-18 This year only goes for 3 terms and then the final term you only come to school when you have HSC tests. At the end of your HSC you get a UAI which stands for university admissions index and this determines what causes you can do and which  uneiversitys you can got to.

All of this info is differnt in various states, this is more for NSW

4. Well i think its easy to make friends and fit in but of course at every school there is a bit of a popular group or a ***** group and there are people who dont make friends and get bullied but its pretty good.

5. Subjects required in most years (CORE SUBJECTS) HSIE Maths Engligh in latter years but earlier you usually must to a bit of everything.

6.Yes their are uniforms in pretty much every school. Some schools have very strict rules others are a bit kinder. Some schools also have diferent uniforms from the early years (7-9) to senior (11-12) Most of the uniforms are ugly and annoying well i find that.

7.Yes, There is Public, Private, Catholic and Independant. I go to an independant school but everyone calls it private and i am not sure of the difference between Privat and Independant.

If you live hear long enough well even not to long you will develop the accent.

Answer 8

Some of the answers you get will vary depending on which state the answerer is referring to.

1. The school year is divided into 2 semesters.

Each semester is divided into 2 terms.

There is holiday time/vacation time between each term.

2. Our full school year starts in late January/early February and ends in late November/early December.

The students attend school Monday to Friday.

The school day is approximately between 8.30am and 3.15pm. Times can vary depening on the state and school.

3. In some states high school starts in year 7, in other states high school starts in year 8.

We don't use the terms freshmen, sophmores etc.

Year 12 students are commonly called Seniors.

4. It's the same as anywhere else you do get the "in" crowd, the nerds, the sporty types etc. It's up to the individual as to how they fit in.

5. What subjects you take after year 10 depends on what you intend doing after high school. You'd have to discuss this with the school.

6. In almost every school in Australia, wearing of the school uniform is a requirement. There are very, very few schools that don't have any uniforms at all.

7. ALL schools in Australia receive an amount of government funding per student.

Schools in Australia are categorised into 3 groups:

a. State school - These are state government run public schools. Basic education is free, books, any field trips, all extras, etc must be paid for.

b. Catholic school - These are run by the Catholic Education Department of each state. Tuition is paid.

c. Independant school - These used to be known as private schools. They are usually expensive and often have "day students" and "boarders" (live in students). Tuition is paid.

Some people have been in Australia for many years and still have the accent of their homeland.

Other people sound Australian after only a short time.

It seems to be up to each individual as to how their accent changes.

Aussie slang dictionary.

http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-sl...

Answer 9

well we have terms.

4 terms in a year and each term goes for about 10 weeks.

then we have 2 weeks off for easter.

then 2 weeks off at the end of june and start of july.

then we have two weeks off in september.

and then early december we have our christmas/summer holiday which for puplic schools usually go for 6 or 7 weeks.

but for private schools usually about 9 weeks.

school starts at around 9:00 and well for my school ends at 3:00 but my primary school (elementarty school u call it) and most private schools end at 3:30

it depends on what state your in for what years we call it.

in victoria we have prep, 1 , 2, 3 , 4, 5 , 6 (which is your primary school years. then 7,8,9,10,11 and 12 are your high school years. year 11 and 12 are called vce. 10 and 9 are middle school and 7 and 8 are juinor school.

i think we have bigger groups here

we usually have about half the year in the popular group and the other half in the unpopular group.

there are usually pretty big groups.

um we do maths english history.. a language, i'm going german but most school do french.

yeah there are uniforms in every school private and public. i only know of one school who dont have uniforms but they can't wear pink or any colour like that only brown and colours like that.

i think i heard that if someone lived in say australia until they were around 13 or 14 then they will never really lose their accent. but when your younger you can get a new accent.

ummmm yeah we do have some slang words but i live in the city and i think we have the same as americans maybe.

i know i say like c.b.f   short for "can't be fu****" but thats now been shortened to ceebs for short lol.

um i cant think of anything else.

but my uncles live on a farm in like the sorta outback parts of australia. and i know they all speak VERY aussie like

they all say g'day mate and have heeps of slang words but i can't think of them :( sorrry.

um yeah australia is awsome :)

hope i helped :)

Answer 10

watch out there's Australian kids in the schools

Answer 11

NO IDEA, I LIVE IN SEATTLE =D

Answer 12

All i know about American schools is what i see in movies and in the headlines.

From that limited perspective I'd take an Aussie high any day.

1. Semesters. 2 terms in each

2. Starts after Christmas break (summer holidays). 9>3.30

3. 7th > 12th. Usually no jnr or snr high.

4. Depends on where you are in country. Same groups as everywhere else in world though. Nerds > Jocks

5. Everything you'd expect

6. Private schools universally. Public schools it varies

7. Public and Private. Private can be broken into religion or whatever if you want.

Come on down and try it out. As long as your not an ultra patriotic American you'll be fine.

Answer 13

1.Yehh we have four semesters in a year :)

2. Yeh pretty much is all year round. and my school starts at 8.40 AM and ends at 2.52 PM

3.Yeh we have year 7,8,9,10,11 & 12. but we dont call them freshmens or sophmores!! we just call them 8th grader or something!

4. In Australia, its fairley easy to make friends. Some of the girls are bitchy but thats only if their popular.!

5.There are alot to choose from. Our MAIN subjects that we have now are METAL/WOOD, cooking, maths, english, music, art & yeh a few others!

Yeh. there ARE uniforms. every school uniform is different though. Such as my high schools uniform now is a white top, grey skirt and meroon jumper. My old schools uniform was a RED top, black pants//black skort//black shorts and a red jumper!!

7.Some schools ARE privet and you have to have an interview to get in. they are a lot of money were as a normal public school like mine is less expensive and although you still need an interview to get in, its much easyer to do so!

The aussy accent. well. its just how we talk. I have an england friend call gemma cowley and i call her alot. let me tell you this.. we sound HEAPSSSSS dif!!

We love our vegimite!!

there are a lot of slangs!!

Ace MEANING Excellent-very good!

Aussie-Australian

Arvo- afternoon

blowie- blow fly

Chook- Chicken

Dogs eyes- meat pie

Dunny- toilet

Esky- Large containor for storing drinks.

G`day- HELLO

Us aussies call you Englanders.. POMS!

add me for more info.

[e-mail]

Answer 14

1. They go by terms and semesters most of the time.  But it varies.

2. They go to school from 8:30 or 9:00 to 3:00.  The holidays are 1 or 2 weeks depending on the state, 3 times a year.  From mid December to late January/early February is a fourth break, which goes for about 6 weeks.

3. Yep.  There is year 8 (13). 9 (14). 10 (15). 11 (16). 12 (17).

4. I am not familiar with that, but I know there are cliques.

5. It really depends school to school.

6. Yes.  Usualy a blouse and skirt.

7. Yes.

Answer 15

1: Yes, we go in semesters. We hae 2 semesters which is broken up into 2 terms. so there are 4 terms in a year.

2: School year is just like in america. We get 6 weeks of summer off and 2 weeks in winter. We also get a one week Easter holiday and another 2 week break in late september/early october.

A school day goes for around 6 hours. THis includes Morning tea and lunch. Different schools start at different times. There is a school near me which year 11 and 12's start at 7.30am and finish at 1.30pm. My school starts at 8.30am and finishes at 2.30pm

3: High School in the state I live in (queensland) starts in year 8. Year 8-10 is known as the 'juniors' and 11 and 12 are known as 'seniors'.....although we dont have junior and senior high schools like in the USA

4: Us teens are now bombarded by american TV and american brands although we add our own little touches.....little hard to explain as each different school has a small difference to the school in the next town. Firends are easy to find but beware, some friendship groups can be a bit nasty (especially girls....be careful)

5: At my school, year 8 (first year of high school) must do 10 subjects during the year, but they only do 8 at one time. the 8 at my school is English, Maths, Social Science, Science, Sport and Art. They go all year round. The other 4 subjects that goes for half the year are Home Ec, Woodwork/Metelwork, Japanese and Music.

Grade 9 and 10 MUST do English, Maths, Science and Social Science and they may choose 2 other subjects that were done in grade 8. 11-12 may choose any subject and their only compulsary subject is English.

6: School uniforms are required. Most schools have very strict guidelines and penelties is the FULL correct uniform is not worn.

7: in queensland, there are state schools (so yes, public schools) and private schools.

The Australian accent is not something that is developed easily. I know 2 americans who moved to Australia over 20 years ago now and they still sound like americans!!! However, since you are only a teen, you may deveop a slight aussie accent if you live here for a whilee (these men came in their 30's and 40's)

otherwise as a new student, test the waters. DOnt do anything  stupid like attmepting to say "g'day" in an american accent. just try to be yourself and you will fit in and be 'old news' after a couple of weeks....

if you have any more specific questions (i do know a bit about other states and their schooling systems), then drop me an e-mail!

good luck

Answer 16

Its a little different in each state but I'll tell you what its like in New South Walse.

1. We go by semesters, we have two of them which are both divided into four terms a year. We have december to january-february as our christmas/summer holidays for about 6 - 8 weeks. We have two week holidays between other term.

2. Our school year starts from late January/early February to late november/ early december(it depends what grade you are in).

3. Yes, the grades go by years but we usually call them years(Like for example: That boy is in year 8) We don't have special names for them, but the 11th and 12th graders are called seniors and usually have a different coloured uniform to the rest of the school.

4. There are cliques in Australian highschools just like any other country. Although, they are not like the american cliques but there is an "in" croud at every school, it depends where your school is and what type of school it is.

I think its fairly easy to fit in but you need to make a little effort to introduce your self but once people know you well enough and your with people you can get along with then you will be O.K.

5. The subjects offered are quiet like the American subjects. English, Maths, Science, History, Geography(Hiatory and Geography are sometimes combined as one subject), Health/P.E.(Health is about personal health, s*x ed, teenage social education .etc. its all for your safety really) and electives (electives are different at every school and you get at least two. They usually included art, music, woodwork, metal work, cokking, home economics .etc.).

5. Just about every Australian school has a uniform, its just the way down here. The uniforms quality depends on the type of school you are going to. The uniforms in private schools are more sophisticated and the ones at public schools are usually just polo shirts and checkered one peice dresses for girls, but girls can wear polo shirts if they want to.

7. Most school are either public or private. Public schools are government school and are govenrment funded and are under all the state governments laws, they are all secular and are usually more multicultural). Privates schools are usually religious, they arn't as funded by the govenrment and arn't as run by government laws. The majority of private schools are catholic, then there are protestant schools and then secular private schools(I have only ever heard of secular private schools in Australia though, I've never seen one).

I've heard that it is hard for americans to do the Australian accent but I'm not entirely sure. Bloody h**l or bloody oath is a good slang word to start of with. You learn slang pretty quickly once you come down here. The slang used depends on where you are in Australia. We swear quiet a lot too so don't be surprised if you hear it from someone you wouldn't expect to swear, but don't swear in a formal situation or if you are working in a sophisticated industry or working with the public. Hope I havn't confused you.

Hope I've helped

Answer 17

Hi,

I live in Australia and this is what high school is like

1. In my school we go by terms and semesters. 1 semester=  two terms

2. School is Monday-Friday. Most schools start from 8:30am to 3pm. We have 4 holidays. About 1 holiday every 9 weeks for 1-2 weeks per holiday except for our summer holiday in December which is about 1 month.

3. Err, not sure, but I never heard of any one saying that.

4. dunno

5. Core Subjects- Maths, English, SOSE, Science, PE, Health

Electives- Dance, Music, Art, Aviation Studies, Graphics, French, Japanese, Civics, Drama, Woodwork, Metalwork, Home Ec, Business.

Most electives differ between schools and subjects are different at different grades.

6. Yes

7. State schools are owned by the government and private schools are not. Private schools are usually better (USUALLY), but more expensive. In christian schools there is Christian ed. as a subject.

Slang words- Differ between states, cities

Answer 18

1. 2 semesters in each year. One semester is 2 terms (half a year, approx.20 weeks)

2. Yes we have school all year. A school year starts on the last day of January/first of February (around there), that goes for 10/11 weeks up till April. I am now in my school holiday. We have school holidays for 2 weeks. Then back to school for 10-11 more weeks, then 2 week holiday. This continues so there are 4 terms by the end of the year, and we officially finish school for the year mid-December. Then we have Almost 2 months of holidays :) Start the next year late Jan/early Feb yet again ... At my school, school starts at 8:45 and ends at 3:17 but it's different at every school.

3. Yes. First is pre-school, it is like a childcare centre ..its like training before you go to primary school (Kindergarten to Year 6). You do that for one year. Then, you officially enter primary school, KIndergarten is just a name for the year before Year 1. You enter high school in Year 7. Most people change schools for this because generally there's 2 types of schools - primary and high school(secondary). But some schools are from KIndergarten to Year 12. My primary school was co-educational, but my high school is all girls.. it really depends what you choose. I'm in year 10 right now, that means it's my last year of compulsory schooling (we can leave school at 15, after completing year 10 and getting the School Certificate). In year 12 we do the Higher School Certificate; our mark on this really determines our future and gives us a UAI. We need this mark to apply for courses at University and college. Years 11&12's are seniors and wear the senior school uniform. we dont have "freshmans" and stuff like that.

4. Well it really depends - some teens aren't well behaved, some are. Generally, where I live (Sydney), it's fine. Of course not everyone's really conservative but there's no major issues. Perhaps you have heard of the Cronulla riots a while back... I'm actually not 100% sure of what that was about, but...

As for cliques, at my school there is none (in movies from the US there tend to be films that show cliques like jocks, geeks, etc). Well we dont really have that here, but I'm just talking about my school really. We have people that think they're really cool and stuff, and we kind of have 'silent' categories to put people into - losers, 'normals' and 'think they're popular'. They're not actually cliques or anything, it's just that some people are liked and accepted more than others. But nothing's official, if you get what i mean (eg in the US there are jocks,preps,goths etc..its like you just fit into a group, right?).  Teens are generally okay, some are nice, some are mean, its like any other place... Sometimes it's easy to make friends, but it really depends.. I've stuck with some friends from primary school and made some new ones..

5. It really depends on the school you go to, so i cant answer that. The schools that offer really extensive subjects are the best schools, such as James Ruse and North Sydney Girls High for example. But at most schools the main subjects you HAVE to study until Year 11 are: maths, science, english, PDHPE, history, geography.. . Electives are languages, technology (textiles,food,etc), computing studies, commerce, drama,art,music etc

6. Yes. I know in the US there arent.. but i like uniforms because even though they look kinda blah I dont have to worry about what I'll wear everyday :) Very, very few schools don't have uniforms. At pre-school you don't need them.(That's when you're about 4-5). My uniform is a dress at summer and a tunic, thicker dress and stockings at winter. The senior uniform is a tunic and skirt.

7. Are schools just categorized as public or private school? Yes. Public schools are run by the government and there are no school fees (but you do have to pay for other stuff), private schools are more expensive... I go to a catholic girls' school so it's not entirely private, but it's not public either.

I don't get this thing about Australian accents! It's just how we normally talk! I find it 100% normal..I think American and European accents are really captivating because I hardly hear it. There's a girl from England in my class and her accent is so peculiar, I love it :)

I just talk normal. I couldn't talk any other way if I tried. It's just like how you speak your accent! You can't help it.

I guess you could develop it, but I dont know.

There's heaps of slang words but we rarely use them! The only one we use A BIT is 'G'day', that means "Hi". But really we just say usual words. You hear some really funny ones like 'Steak and Kidney' means "Sydney" but it's never used. Umm, but instead of sweater we say jumper.. Instead of 'whine' we say 'whinge'. We call flipflops 'thongs'. That's about all i can recall :) If you look at the above answer there's some slang words that we use :)

INteresting question! Tell me about your school :)

Deb x