Getting started and enrolment
PEAK HSC specialises in Year 11 and Year 12 Physics and Chemistry. PEAK Tuition offers English, Mathematics, Biology, Economics and Junior Science.
The two branches allow each teaching team to focus on its specialist subjects and provide dedicated academic support, course development and class management.
PEAK Tuition manages enrolments for English, Mathematics, Biology, Economics and Junior Science. Please complete the PEAK Tuition enrolment form and contact PEAK Tuition directly with any questions about those subjects.
The new PEAK program usually begins in early August. This gives students moving from Year 10 to Year 11, or from Year 11 to Year 12, a head start before the new school program begins.
Enrolments generally open around July. You can submit an expression of interest before class selections are available; class selections are added once tutor allocations have been confirmed. See the PEAK calendar for upcoming dates.
In most cases, yes. Once you have submitted the enrolment form, you can attend your selected class without waiting for a confirmation email. If your name is not yet on the class roll, the tutor can record your details and our administration team will follow up.
If you have submitted the form, it is generally better to attend than to wait for a reply, especially if you want to start promptly.
Yes. Your first lesson is a free, no-obligation trial. After the lesson, you can either continue by paying the invoice for the first lesson and the remaining weeks of the term, or decide not to continue and pay nothing.
If you decide not to continue, please let us know so we can update your enrolment and stop any further payment reminders.
No. You can join after the program starts. We will provide the relevant resources so you can work through missed content, and we recommend joining as soon as possible to give yourself more time to catch up.
Year 11 students who join later in the year may be able to join a LATE class. These classes begin from Module 1, usually around February, and gradually catch up with the regular program before Year 12 begins in early August. You can register your interest in a LATE class through the enrolment form.
LATE classes are for Year 11 students who join after the regular program has started and would prefer to begin from Module 1 rather than self-study the missed content. They usually start around February and gradually catch up with the regular program by the start of Year 12 in early August. From Year 12 onwards, students join a regular class.
To register your interest, select the LATE class waitlist option on the enrolment form.
Choosing and attending classes
Focus classes are designed for students from a particular school. They allow students from the same school to learn together, with teaching that can be more closely aligned to their school’s syllabus, program, assignments and exams.
Focus classes are identified on the timetable by the school name shown beneath the class time. They are not strictly limited to students from that school, but students from other schools should generally choose a regular class if one suits their timetable.
We can consider a focus class when enough students from the same school would benefit. As a general guide, we usually need at least five students for Parramatta or ten for Canley Heights.
Please contact us to request a focus class. Whether one can be arranged depends on student demand and tutor availability. If it is possible, we will work with students to find a suitable class time.
Most NSW schools teach Year 12 Chemistry Modules 5, 6, 7 and 8 in that order. Some schools teach Modules 7, 8, 5 and 6 instead, including Girraween High School, Macquarie Fields High School, St Marys Senior High School and Good Samaritan Catholic College.
PEAK’s MOD 7 classes follow the Modules 7, 8, 5 and 6 sequence so students can study in the same order as their school program. Students from these schools are encouraged to choose a MOD 7 class where possible. If the class time does not suit, you can attend a regular Chemistry class, where modules are taught in the standard order.
The course schedule on our website is a general guide. The pace can vary between classes and from year to year, so it may not show exactly where your class is up to.
If you are new to PEAK, a trial lesson is a good way to experience the class and see what content it is covering. If you are already a student, ask your tutor through Discord for the current schedule for your class.
Each class has a set capacity based on the room limit. If your preferred class is full, you can still enrol and join its waitlist, but we cannot add more students to the class while it is at capacity.
New students can select their preferred class on the enrolment form to be added to the waitlist. Current students should let us know that they would like to join it. If a place becomes available, we will contact students on the waitlist.
Yes. PEAK classes usually continue through NSW school and public holidays. The regular exception is a four- or five-week break over Christmas and New Year.
See the PEAK calendar for the exact dates, including the end-of-year break. We send a reminder in early December. If you expect to be away for an extended period, please contact us to discuss your circumstances and whether a fee adjustment may be possible.
PEAK provides lecture booklets for class and homework sheets to complete at home. Homework is marked by our team and returned with feedback. Tutors may also provide other printouts or worksheets as needed.
Year 12 students receive a PEAK HSC textbook as part of the Year 12 resource fee. It is provided in PEAK Term 5, the second term of the Year 12 program, and contains past HSC questions with detailed answers.
PEAK provides most class resources, including lecture booklets and homework sheets. Please bring basic stationery to each lesson, and an exercise book in case you need one.
Where possible, attend a make-up lesson during the same PEAK term. Most regular classes cover the same content each week, and make-up sessions are available Monday to Sunday. You do not need to notify us in advance; the tutor will record your attendance.
Check the timetable for available sessions. If you are unsure which class to attend, ask your tutor through Discord.
Focus classes and other non-regular classes, such as MOD 7 classes, may follow a different schedule or module order. Check with your tutor before attending another session. If no suitable make-up lesson is available, ask your tutor about other ways to catch up, such as self-study using the relevant notes and homework materials.
After your first invoice, including the one-off resource fee, has been paid, your tutor can provide the notes and materials you need to work through missed content. These are usually hard-copy materials, such as completed lecture booklets, homework sheets and other relevant class resources.
Speak to your tutor after class to collect the materials. Depending on the subject and tutor, class recordings may also be available with the tutor’s approval. You can contact your tutor through Discord for help with missed content.
Join the official PEAK HSC Discord server, where we share announcements and learning resources and provide academic support.
After joining, post your full name and class in the #the-sorting-hat channel so we can give you access to the relevant channels. You can then message your tutor directly.
Discord is also used to arrange access to online make-up lessons. If you would like to attend one, contact an administrator through Discord first.
Online classes use Discord and Zoom and follow the same program as in-person classes. Your tutor posts the Zoom link on Discord each week. Lessons are taught live, and you do not need to turn on your camera or microphone to participate.
Homework is completed and submitted digitally, usually through Google Classroom. Tutors mark and return work online. Exams can also be completed online, although we recommend sitting them in person where possible. Only students who sit the exam in person, around the same time as all the regular classes, are eligible for the Top 20 discount.
Online classes are offered according to student demand. Chemistry is the most commonly offered online subject; online Physics classes have not run recently because of limited demand.
Program and exams
PEAK has five terms each year, while NSW schools have four. PEAK classes generally continue through school and public holidays, with a four- or five-week break over Christmas and New Year. The PEAK academic year also usually starts in early August, giving students a head start on their school coursework. See the PEAK calendar for the exact term dates.
When enrolment or payment information refers to a “term”, it means a PEAK term unless stated otherwise. PEAK term dates do not necessarily match NSW school term dates.
PEAK runs the following exams during the Year 11 and Year 12 programs:
- End-of-module exams: Two-hour exams held during a regular lesson at the end of each module.
- Mock Preliminary Exam: A two-hour exam, usually held in July near the end of Year 11, during a regular lesson.
- Mock Trial Exam: A three-hour exam, usually held in July near the end of Year 12, in a separate supervised session during the school holidays.
- Mock HSC Exam: A three-hour exam that is part of the separate five-week HSC Preparation Program, which usually runs around September after regular Year 12 classes finish. It has separate enrolment and payment.
Exams are marked and graded, and feedback is provided in a following lesson. Students who sit the exam in person, around the same time as all the regular classes, and perform highly will be eligible for the Top 20 discount
We strongly encourage students to sit end-of-module, Mock Preliminary, Mock Trial and Mock HSC exams under supervised conditions at one of our centres.
If you cannot attend a scheduled session, you can usually arrange to sit the exam in a separate room at a centre during its opening hours. Check the contact page for current opening hours. As a last resort, your tutor may provide a soft copy for you to complete at home. Please discuss this with your tutor before making arrangements.
Exam vouchers are free lesson credits awarded based on exam performance. The top 20 students in each cohort will usually receive one free lesson on their next term’s invoice. The number may vary slightly depending on the cohort’s results.
Vouchers are only available to students who sit the exam in person, around the same time as all the regular classes. Vouchers are applied automatically. Exam leaderboards are posted on Discord. If you think a voucher has not been applied to your invoice, contact us and we can check the results and correct the invoice if needed.
The regular Year 12 program finishes at the end of PEAK Term 3, usually in early August. The new Year 11 program generally begins around the same time.
After regular Year 12 classes finish, PEAK runs a separate HSC Preparation Program for Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It includes mock exams and feedback lessons. The program is optional, has separate fees that are generally lower than regular term fees, and is strongly recommended as part of HSC preparation. We provide more information closer to the end of the Year 12 program.
Fees, payments and discounts
No. If you join partway through a PEAK term, your invoice is pro-rated from your joining date to the end of that term. You pay only for the remaining weeks. The PEAK term dates covered by your invoice are shown at the top of it.
Yes. The first lesson is free only if you decide not to continue. If you continue, your invoice includes the trial lesson and all remaining weeks of the term.
Term fees are non-refundable, including for lessons you do not attend. Fees cover lessons, class resources, catch-up materials and ongoing academic support outside the classroom. New students can use the free trial lesson to decide whether to continue before paying for the term.
Refunds are considered only in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. If you stop one subject but continue another, you may transfer the unused amount to the subject you are continuing. You may also transfer an unused amount to another current PEAK HSC student. Please tell us who the transfer is for; you can arrange reimbursement directly with that student.
The early-bird discount applies when you pay the full invoice amount within the first two weeks of the PEAK term. The discount is $20 for one subject or $50 for two subjects. The deadline is firm, and partial payments made after it do not qualify.
If you make a discounted payment after the deadline, the remaining balance will carry forward and appear on your next term’s invoice.
Any overpayment or underpayment is automatically adjusted on your next term’s invoice. We do not issue immediate refunds for overpayments; any credit or outstanding balance is carried forward to the next invoice.
If you think an amount is incorrect or are unsure whether a payment has been recorded, please contact us so we can check your account.
You can pay by bank transfer or cash. Card and EFTPOS payments are not available.
- Bank transfer: Your invoice includes the bank details. After transferring the money, send us a screenshot of the payment confirmation so we can verify and mark the invoice as paid.
- Cash at Canley Heights: Pay at reception.
- Cash at Parramatta: There is no reception. Pay your tutor directly or place the cash in an envelope and put it in the designated box.
The early-bird discount is available for both bank transfer and cash payments, provided the payment meets the discount requirements and deadline.
When a new student enrols, they can enter the name of the student who referred them on the enrolment form. The referring student receives a discount on their next term’s invoice: $80 for Canley Heights or $100 for Parramatta.
The discount is applied automatically. A new student can nominate one referrer, but there is no limit to how many students one person can refer. If you forgot to enter the referrer’s name, contact us and we can add it and apply the discount to the referrer’s next invoice.
The sibling and staff discounts work as a fee cap for one eligible student, rather than as a fixed dollar or percentage discount. The sibling discount applies once both siblings are paying a full term with us. The staff discount applies when a student is eligible through a PEAK staff member.
The eligible student with the lower fees pays no more than the applicable discount cap; the other student pays their full fees. For example, if the cap is $400 and the students’ fees are $600 and $500, the eligible student pays $400 and the other student pays $600.
Contact and careers
Our phone line is managed by one person, so we may not be able to answer every call immediately, especially when assisting students and families. Email is usually the quickest way to reach us because several team members can help, and it gives us space to respond clearly to questions that need more detail.
If you cannot reach us by phone, please email our team and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
PEAK only recruits teaching and marking staff from former students who have completed their HSC and studied with us. If you are interested in working with PEAK after Year 12, please contact us to express your interest.