Frequently Asked Questions
Is my payment secure?
Your payment is guaranteed to be 100% safe and secure. Both this site and Gumroad (our payment service provider) are PCI-compliant, leveraging the latest HTTPS/SSL technologies to ensure any traffic between your computer and our site cannot be intercepted by third-parties. Additionally, The HSC English Black Book does not keep any credit card details, names, email addresses, or other sensitive information on its own servers.
For more information regarding payment security, please reference the terms of conditions of both The HSC English Black Book and Gumroad, Inc.
Do I need any specific technology or applications to purchase and use this eBook?
Purchases of this eBook can be made via any modern web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) that supports HTML5/CSS3. The eBook can be used on any electronic device that supports the ePub/AZW3 format. Our recommendations for eBook readers: iBooks (Mac, iOS), Amazon Kindle (Android), Calibre (Mac/Windows/Linux), and Readium (Chrome).
Where can I access this eBook (phone, tablet, etc.)?
The eBook will be available to download from your browser upon payment. Additionally, the eBook will be emailed to your nominated address. Please note that The HSC English Black Book takes no responsibility if you misplace, delete, or otherwise lose any purchased copies.
What is your refund policy?
Refunds will only be issued if it can be proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that one did not receive a copy of the eBook after a successful purchase. Given the nature of electronic purchases, the probability of such an event occurring is highly unlikely.
How is this eBook different to other HSC materials available online or in print?
With the new syllabus descending upon the HSC, many previously useful materials have become outdated. For recent HSC graduates who still vividly remember the pressures of being an HSC student, and recall the sort of advice and information they wished they received in Year 12, Jonathon and Lorenzo have widespread experience teaching school students across Australia, and even abroad, the skills required to succeed in English. Having both received very high state ranks in Advanced English, Jonathon and Lorenzo know the ins and outs of the HSC, and have devoted much of their time to understanding the new syllabus. In this definitive text, they reveal everything they know.
Does this eBook guarantee an improvement in my marks?
We can’t definitively guarantee that your marks will improve. We do, however, believe that the HSC English Black Book contains the advice you need to succeed, as long as you’re willing to put in the effort yourself.
Am I able to plagiarise anything from this eBook?
No. This eBook does not contain full essays you can replicate. Rather, it guides you through the best ways to write your own essays and stories, and that you would feel comfortable writing in an exam situation.
Are there any exercises in this eBook that I can complete?
Yes. This eBook contains practice questions and papers for various sections of the HSC English exam.
Can this eBook replace my teacher?
No. This book should be used in conjunction with, not in opposition to, the specific textual analysis you undertake in the classroom, and the targeted assistance you may require from a private tutor.
Is this eBook relevant for Standard English students?
Yes. A lot of the book is devoted to explaining the bread and butter of HSC English for any course; things like thesis construction, body paragraph structure, and how to discuss technique. There is also a lot of material on the Discovery Area of Study that both Standard and Advanced students are required to learn.