Hi I’m Kartik. I graduated from Haileybury College in 2017 with an ATAR of 99.50. Last year, I had the opportunity to complete both French and Japanese units 3/4 (Yes I love scaling).

Whilst I enjoyed the oohs and aahs that came with saying I studied two languages at school, the pressure to succeed was immense. But the passion I had for developing my cultural awareness through French and Japanese propelled me to strive for excellence.

I felt that being able to express myself in so many ways through different languages was one of the two things that drove me to dedicate myself completely to these subjects. The other reason being that speaking to my twin brother in French without my parents understanding was too good an opportunity to miss.

Last year I had the privilege of being the first ever Haileybury student to achieve above 40 in both French and Japanese. In particular, I received 100/100 on my French oral exam and 99/100 on my Japanese oral exam. I would like to transfer these skills to students to not only develop their speaking ability, but also their self confidence, which I feel is equally important.

People often have told me that the 15 minutes in the oral exam is the most intense 15 minutes of Year 12. I'm going to try make sure that idea no longer exists. My aim is to make sure that students don't sound like a nervous wreck during their exam. Instead, I'm going to make you sound like a fun-loving native speaker.

Rote learning grammar, neglecting the oral exam until the end, memorising essays for the exam, I've heard it all. Of course that may work for some, but it's not the most effective way of preparing for these languages. I plan to give detailed feedback to students to ensure that they understand ways in which to maximise their chances in both oral and written exams.

All the best!!!!

Kartik graduated from Haileybury College in 2017. He is now studying Medicine at Monash University and eventually hopes to pursue a career focussed on the business side of medicine.