Out Of School And Into The Hsc Record Book

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday January 11, 1993

By DAPHNE SIDER

Adrian Banner is not a swot.

The Sydney Grammar student, who topped the State in last year's Higher School Certificate examinations with a perfect score, did not spend the year socialising with his textbooks.

"I really started studying three weeks before the HSC for about one or two hours a day," Adrian said from his holiday location in Israel. "In stuvac (the study vacation before the exams), I studied all day, but never for maths. I don't need to study very hard to do well."

Adrian is one of the 15 students who got a Tertiary Entrance Rank of 100. A spokeswoman from the Board of Studies said all 15 had topped the State, but it used "finer discrimination" to determine that Adrian performed just that little bit better.

Adrian, who was dux at Grammar for five of his six years there, said topping the State was "more than I could have hoped for".

Two of the other top students were Pradnya Valanju from Abbotsleigh , a private school in Wahroonga, and Stephen Free from Springwood High School, in the Blue Mountains.

Adrian sat for 4-unit maths, 4-unit science, 3-unit English and 3-unit music. Having a good memory helped, as did having a father who was a professor of applied mathematics, Adrian said. "My father has been helping me and teaching me maths since I can remember," he said. "I have always been a few years ahead of my year. I was doing fractions at about five."

Adrian, who lives in Northbridge, wants to do a Bachelor of Advanced Science at the University of NSW. Last year the pass mark was 83.

Pradnya Valanju did not spend her entire year swotting for the HSC, either. Pradnya, of St Ives, studied at most for between five and six hours a day as her exams for 4-unit maths, 4-unit science, 2-unit French and 2-unit English loomed.

"I suppose I do have a good memory and I learn things quickly and can recall things quickly and easily in exams," Pradnya said yesterday, hours after flying home from Bombay after a three-week holiday visiting relatives. She was "in shock" when she heard the news of her exam results, she said.

Pradnya will follow her father in a medical career and has applied to study at Sydney University. Her mother is a medical receptionist. Pradnya said they were "over the moon".

Stephen Free, one of the three sons of the Federal Minister for Science, Mr Ross Free, was hoping for a Tertiary Entrance Rank of 99. Stephen was amazed he got 100, considering he did 3-unit ancient history, 3-unit modern history and 3-unit English (as well as 3-unit maths). "Some people say you can only get perfect scores with maths or science," Stephen said from his home in Faulconbridge, in the Blue Mountains.

Although he was dux of his year for nine years in a row, Stephen said Year 12 was more competitive. His schedule was tough - 10 to 12 hours of study a day up to the exams. Now he plans to study an arts-law degree at the Australian National University in Canberra.