HSC Classical Greek Continuers study plan
HSC Classical Greek Continuers · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Prescribed Text: Translation and Comprehension & Grammar, Syntax and Vocabulary in Context
Parse and translate 40 lines of the prescribed text daily, marking every verb's tense, mood, voice, person and number
Build a running vocabulary list of 60 prescribed-text lexemes with principal parts and test yourself to 90% recall
Write out and label every subordinate clause type (purpose, result, conditional, temporal, relative) in the first third of the set text
Re-read each translated passage once for sense before checking a translation, recording errors by category
Your checkpoint
A clean annotated translation of the first third of the prescribed text with a clause-analysis column and a 60-item vocabulary list scored at 90% or better
Prescribed Text: Translation and Comprehension & Unseen Translation: Greek Prose
Translate the second third of the prescribed text, this time under timed conditions of 45 minutes per 30 lines
Complete two unseen Attic prose passages of 120-150 words each, identifying main clauses before translating
Drill the ten most frequent prose constructions (genitive absolute, accusative and infinitive, dative of agent, articular infinitive) with five examples each
Log every vocabulary item missed twice or more and add it to a cumulative review deck
Your checkpoint
Two completed unseen prose translations with self-marked accuracy notes plus a cumulative missed-vocabulary log of at least 40 entries
Prescribed Text: Translation and Comprehension & Prescribed Text: Literary Analysis and Interpretation
Finish translating the final third of the prescribed text and produce a full continuous translation of the whole set text
Annotate the set text for literary devices, marking metaphor, simile, hyperbaton, chiasmus and rhetorical question with line references
Draft a one-paragraph summary of each major section's argument or narrative function
Identify and record three passages that could support an essay on characterisation or theme
Your checkpoint
A complete continuous translation of the prescribed text plus a device-and-theme annotation sheet keyed to line numbers
Prescribed Text: Literary Analysis and Interpretation & Cultural, Historical and Literary Context of Prescribed Texts
Write two full literary-analysis essays of 400-500 words on set themes, each citing at least six line references
Research and summarise the historical and social background of the set text in 300 words, distinguishing fact from scholarly inference
Compare two passages for style and effect, articulating how word order and sound support meaning
Draft a reusable essay-planning template covering introduction, argument, evidence and evaluation
Your checkpoint
Two marked practice essays and a 300-word context brief, all reviewed against the essay template
Unseen Translation: Greek Prose & Unseen Translation: Greek Verse
Translate four unseen Attic prose passages of increasing difficulty, aiming for 80% accuracy on content words
Translate three unseen verse passages (iambic trimeter or hexameter), scanning each line before translating
Practise recognising verse-specific forms (Homeric and tragic endings, poetic licence) with a 20-item identification drill
Time yourself at exam pace: 45 minutes for prose, 30 minutes for verse, and record completion rates
Your checkpoint
A timing log showing four prose and three verse unseen attempts with accuracy percentages and completion times against exam pace
Prescribed Text: Literary Analysis and Interpretation & Unseen Translation: Greek Verse
Write one comparative essay linking a prescribed passage to an unseen verse passage on a shared technique
Produce close-reading notes on two prescribed passages, analysing diction, rhythm and imagery in 150 words each
Revise all literary terms in your annotation sheet and apply each to a fresh example from the set text
Practise turning a close reading into a thesis statement in under five minutes, three times
Your checkpoint
One comparative essay plus two 150-word close readings and three timed thesis statements
Prescribed Text: Translation and Comprehension & Grammar, Syntax and Vocabulary in Context & Cultural, Historical and Literary Context of Prescribed Texts
Re-translate the entire prescribed text from scratch without notes and compare against your week-3 version
Complete 30 grammar and syntax items drawn from set-text sentences, explaining each answer in writing
Write a 250-word synthesis of how historical context shapes interpretation of the set text, citing specifics
Review the cumulative vocabulary deck to 95% recall and retire mastered items
Your checkpoint
A clean re-translation with a discrepancy list against the earlier version, plus 30 explained grammar items scored at 90% or better
Prescribed Text: Translation and Comprehension & Prescribed Text: Literary Analysis and Interpretation & Unseen Translation: Greek Prose & Unseen Translation: Greek Verse & Grammar, Syntax and Vocabulary in Context
Sit two full mock papers under exam conditions and mark them against assessment criteria
Rework every error from the mocks into corrected sentences or translations with a brief reason
Rehearse three essay plans on likely themes, each with six line references, in 15 minutes
Final-pass the vocabulary deck and grammar checklist, flagging any remaining weak items for exam-week review
Your checkpoint
Two completed and self-marked mock papers with a corrected-error log and three rehearsed essay plans
Milestones
Week 2: Translate 30 lines of unseen Attic prose in 45 minutes with at least 75% of content words correct and all main clauses identified
Week 4: Produce a full prescribed-text translation and two essays that each cite six or more accurate line references and reach 400 words
Week 6: Sustain exam pace on both prose and verse unseen translation while writing a comparative essay that links prescribed and unseen material
Week 8: Score at least 80% overall across two full mock papers, with no domain below 70% and all mock errors corrected in writing