Stage 6

This Course Selection Guide has been produced to inform students and their parents about the nature of Stage 6 courses on offer at the College and to guide students in expressing their interest in an appropriate pattern of study. 

It assists with:

• Understanding the possible future options

• Finding out about the courses offered in Years 11 and 12

• Informing parents and students about the Senior School and the requirements for gaining a HSC.

During advertised dates in Term 3 students will have many opportunities to talk with their families and other members of the College community in order to make informed decisions about which courses to choose for Stage 6.

The only two courses that are compulsory in the senior years at McCarthy Catholic College are:

• English and

• Studies of Religion or Studies in Catholic Thought.

Consistent with current educational thinking, the selection of courses should be based on:

Some useful web links that may help students are: HSC Syllabus – NESA http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home

Choosing HSC Courses: Facts and Myths - Universities Admission Centre (UAC) http://www.uac.edu.au/schoolink/year-10.shtml

About the ATAR - Universities Admission Centre (UAC) http://www.uac.edu.au/schoolink/atar.shtml

Careers and link to courses http://www.myfuture.edu.au/

If students or parents have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. 

McCarthy Catholic College is a systemic coeducational Catholic secondary school. In offering course choices for Year 11 and Year 12 students the College considers first and foremost how this will reflect its underlying philosophy and then how the courses can be managed using the resources, both human and material, that are available.

There are six 2-unit lines and the expectation of the College is that students choose 12 units for Year 11.

The lines, that form the basis of the senior timetable, are created based on student choices. Not all courses offered may run. The College will make a judgement, on which courses will run based on course numbers, available resources and the nature of those courses.

The anticipated pattern of study at McCarthy Catholic College for Year 11 is 12 units. Under exceptional circumstances, 13 units may be considered, dependent upon course selection and extension courses.

Some courses, including extension courses may be timetabled outside the normal College hours. TAFE and Extension courses may require flexible timetable arrangements and therefore may not run between the hours of 8:40am and 3:00pm.

It is expected that students will stay with their courses until the end of Term Three of Year 11. If changes can be made, they are to be done through the Leader of Pedagogy (Curriculum) and in the first half of Term One.

Course contracts may be required in some courses such as TAFE courses, where there is a specific commitment required until at least the end of Year 11. All TAFE courses will attract a levy. Some funding may be available however, this will not be known until November each year. The TVET Course Levy must be paid in advance. Quoted costs are approximate based on previous years.

Requirements for the award of the Higher School Certificate.

Students must study a minimum of 12 units in the Year 11 course and a minimum of 10 units in the HSC course. Both the Year 11 course and the HSC course must include the following:

• a minimum six units from Board Developed Courses including at least two units of a Board Developed Course in English

• a minimum three courses of two units

• a minimum four courses

• a maximum seven units of courses in Science can contribute to HSC eligibility.

• students must complete the practical, oral or project works required for specific courses and the assessment requirements for each course. They must have sat for and made a serious attempt at the required HSC examinations.

Students considering an ATAR for University entry requirements should remember that to be eligible for an ATAR they must have:

• a minimum ten units of Board Developed courses including a minimum two units of English

• a minimum three courses of two units (Board Developed Course)

• a minimum four courses (eight units)  must be satisfactorily completed.

To be eligible to receive a Higher School Certificate, students must satisfactorily complete:

• a Preliminary pattern of study comprising at least satisfy NESA

• be enrolled at a school or TAFE

• complete HSC: All My Own Work (or its equivalent) before you submit any work for the Year 11 or HSC courses, unless you are only entered for Year 11 and Year 12 Life Skills courses

• study a permitted combination of courses (see course requirements below),

• complete all associated Year 11 courses to a satisfactory standard,

• complete the requirements of each course, including any necessary oral, practical or project work,

• complete tasks designed for the internal assessment program in each HSC course at school, and

• sit for, and make a genuine attempt at, the Higher School Certificate examinations.

• Pass HSC minimum standards testing in literacy and numeracy.

In choosing your combination of courses students must ensure that they follow a pattern that meets the following requirements:

To be eligible for the award of the Higher School Certificate, students must satisfactorily complete:

• at least 12 units in the Year 11 study pattern eg: 6 two-unit courses

• at least 10 units in the HSC study pattern eg: 5 two-unit courses

Both Year 11 and HSC study patterns must include:

•  2 units of a Board Developed Course in English 

• at least 4 more units of Board Developed courses

•  at least 3 courses of 2 or more units (either Board Developed or Board Endorsed Courses)

•  4 subjects. 

No more than 6 units in Science can contribute to the 11 pattern and no more than 7 units of HSC Science

It is compulsory at McCarthy Catholic College to include a Religion course in a senior pattern of study.

Students wishing to go to university must ensure that their course selections also meet the following guidelines.

• Students must study and complete at least 10 units of Board Developed HSC courses.

• From the units studied, the marks from the best 10 units with the compulsory inclusion of 2 units of English are used in the calculation of the ATAR,

• Students studying VET courses must complete the optional HSC exam if they want that course to be included in their ATAR

• Marks achieved by students in Board Endorsed Courses that they have studied will not be included in the calculation of the ATAR.

• Each course will be assessed both externally with HSC exams and internally at school.

• Internal assessment involves all students completing certain compulsory assessment tasks in each course during their time in both Year 11 and Year 12.

• Marks are allocated to each student in each course based on the student’s performance in the compulsory pieces of work e.g. exams, essays, assignments, projects, performances, etc.

• For Year 12 students, these internal assessment marks count towards 50% of their final HSC mark in each of their courses. The other 50% of their marks will come from their performance in the HSC exams.

• The number and type of assessment tasks varies between courses and is determined by each faculty. NESA suggest not more than three in Year 11 and four in Year 12.

• Students who do not meet the due dates or fail to complete the task satisfactorily will receive warning letters.

• Students who receive a number of warning letters may be deemed as having not satisfactorily completed either the Year 11 or HSC Course and not be eligible to receive either their Year 11 Record of Achievement or Year 12 Higher School Certificate.

• Only those students who are deemed to be satisfactory in the Year 11 course will be permitted to proceed on to the HSC course.

• Your HSC mark for 2 Unit courses will be reported on a scale of 0 to 100. A mark of 50 will represent the minimum standard expected. If you achieve the minimum standard expected in a course, you will receive a mark of 50. There will be five performance bands above 50 that correspond to different levels of achievement in knowledge, skills and understanding. The band from 90–100 will correspond to the highest level of achievement.

• The College will report on each assessment task via COMPASS.

What sort of courses should I do?

Choose courses that you are interested in and enjoy. Consider courses that you are good at and those that are related to your chosen career. Make sure that you choose courses that you will be successful at. When choosing your courses, be realistic and honest with yourself. Read the course outlines carefully and ask lots of questions from teachers who can give you good advice. Don’t choose a course because your friends are doing it.

Will I get to do all of my preferred courses that I have selected?

Every effort is made to ensure that as many courses as possible are available for the students to study. But, if insufficient students choose a particular course, then that course will not be offered and the students would need to modify their selection of courses. Most students will get five (5) of their preferred courses but may have to study a less favoured course as their sixth course.

How many units do I have to complete satisfactorily in Year 11?

12 units (i.e. six 2-unit courses)

How many units do I have to complete in Year 12?

At least 10 units (i.e. five 2-unit courses)

What type of courses do I have to study in Year 12?

At least five 2-unit courses, including English and 2 other Board Developed Courses

I only want to get my HSC (I don’t want to go to UNI), what courses do I need to do?

In Year 11, you need to choose 3 Board Developed Courses including English as one of your courses. You can then choose the remaining 3 courses from any of the remaining courses. In Year 12, you must keep the 3 Board Developed Courses as part of your minimum of 5 courses.

What happens if I am not declared satisfactory in some or all of my courses at the end of the Year 11 course?

This would lengthen the time that the student would have to be at a school before they would have met all of the requirements for the award of a HSC. The student will not be eligible to go on and study the HSC section of these courses until the Year 11 course(s) have been completed satisfactorily. The Year 11 course(s) will have to be repeated and the student would not receive their Year 11 Record of Achievement until the following year. The HSC content of the course(s) would then have to be studied resulting in a further delay.

How many Science courses can I study?

It is not recommended to study more than two different Science courses unless you are an extremely academic student. If you wish to study more than two Science courses please consult with the Leader of Learning, Mr Vella

Do the internal assessment tasks set in Year 11 count towards my HSC?

Marks in each course obtained during Year 11 do not count towards your final HSC mark. Only the marks obtained during the HSC courses contribute to your college assessment which is 50% of the final HSC mark.

HSC – Higher School Certificate

The qualification awarded to students at the end of Year 12 who complete all of the requirements set out by the NESA.

Students must attend regularly, attempt assessment tasks and exams and “apply themselves with diligence and sustained effort”.

ROSA - Record of School Achievement

The credential for students who leave school after completing Year 10, but before receiving the Higher School Certificate.

The ROSA will be a record of the full range of student achievements right up to the day they do their HSC or leave school.  It will:

Provide an electronic record of achievements that students can use at any time

Use assessment by teachers in schools, moderated by NESA, NSW to ensure reliability and fairness of grades.

Offer on-line literacy and numeracy tests, with particular emphasis on work readiness that students will be able to undertake twice a year from next year.

NESA – New South Wales Educational Standards Authority

The organisation responsible for determining the content of the courses to be studied, setting the external HSC exam and awarding the Higher School Certificate to successful students.

There are two types of courses that NESA allows schools to offer students to study: Board Developed Courses or Board Endorsed Courses. 

UAC - University Admissions Centre

In September of Year 12, students who wish to go to university must apply to the University Admission Centre nominating their preferred university and course options that they hope to gain entry into.

All of the Board Developed Courses created by NESA have been described as either a Category A or Category B course based largely on the degree of difficulty of the course.

Students aiming for university should study mostly Category A courses with a very limited number, if any, of Category B courses in their set of courses.

ATAR – Australian Tertiary Admission Rank

A ranking of student performance, calculated by the Universities Admissions Centre to determine eligibility for entry to courses at university.

This mark is based on the best 10 units that the student scores in his/her HSC. It must include 2 units of English with a maximum of one only Category B course in the best of 10 units included in the ATAR calculation.

Year 11 Courses

All senior courses are divided into two sections. The content studied in the first three terms of Year 11 is the foundation for the HSC content.

There is no automatic progression from the Year 11 course to the HSC course.

Students need to satisfactorily meet certain criteria in the Year 11 course before being permitted to commence the HSC course in Term 4.

Students who do not meet all of the Year 11 requirements will not go onto the HSC section and may have to repeat all of their Year 11 courses.

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HSC Courses

This is the second section of each senior course. It refers to the content studied from Term 4, Year 11 through to Term 3, Year 12.

The HSC exam for the course will be largely based on the content of the HSC course; however, aspects of the Year 11 course will be relevant and may be examined as part of the HSC exam.

Units

Each course is described as a 2 unit course and is studied for 8 lessons per fortnight.

Students will complete 12 units in the Year 11 course and a minimum of 10 units in the Year 12 HSC course.

Each 2 unit course is marked out of 100.

Each 2 unit course is offered in a line of the timetable at our school.  Students must choose 6 courses to complete in Year 11.

1 unit equals approximately two hours of class time each week or 60 hours per year. 

Extension Courses

Some courses have an additional section which builds on the content of the 2 unit course and requires students to study beyond the depth of the 2 unit course.

Most extension courses are studied in the HSC year only but there are some extension courses offered in Year 11 as part of the Year 11 course e.g. Year 11 Extension I in English, Extension 1 Mathematics.

Additional time is allocated to the study of these extension courses. Usually these courses are offered offline either before or after school.

Exclusions

Exclusions arise from situations where there is the potential for overlap in the content that is studied and/or the projects that students are asked to complete. The course outlines will list any exclusion that applies to that course.

By restricting these, no student gains an advantage over others by any duplication of work.  For example, students cannot study Early Childhood at the College and Child Studies at TAFE; Computer Applications cannot be studied at the same time as Information Processes and Technology (IPT).

Prerequisites

There may be courses that students need to have studied previously or concurrently in order to do a particular course in the HSC year.  For example, Extension 1 Mathematics is a prerequisite for any student wishing to study the Extension 2 Mathematics course. Year 11 Extension 1 English must be studied in conjunction with the Advanced English course.  Extension 1 Mathematics must be studied in conjunction with the Mathematics course. 

Board Developed Courses – BDC – Contribute towards an ATAR

A course that has had its syllabus developed by the NESA.

Students across the state study this common course.

HSC examinations for these courses are set by NESA.

All Board Developed Courses can contribute to the calculation of the ATAR. UAC determine that these courses are Category A courses.

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Board Endorsed Courses – BEC - Do NOT contribute to an ATAR

The second type of course that NESA allows students to study. These courses count towards qualifying for a HSC but do not count towards the calculation of the ATAR. UAC determine that these courses are Category B courses.

The results from the school’s internal assessment program will appear on the student’s Higher School Certificate. There are no final externally set examinations for these courses.

Category A Courses

Category A courses are those that are considered to have sufficient academic rigour, depth of knowledge and understanding and contribute to the assumed knowledge required for study at the university.

All Category A courses have a compulsory HSC exam and can be included in the calculation of the ATAR.

Category B Courses

This is the second group of Board Developed Courses that students can study however, the universities have placed a restriction on the number that can be included in the calculation of the ATAR.

Students in Year 11 can choose to do 2 category B courses but only 1 course will count towards their ATAR.

Students can study more than one Category B course but the marks from only their best one will be included.

VET – Vocational Education and Training Courses

Courses developed by NESA in conjunction with industry representatives.

Students can study these courses as part of their HSC and ATAR and simultaneously be working towards a TAFE credential that is recognised nationally by industry.

These courses are competency based with students being assessed on their demonstrated ability to meet set standards of course skills (competencies).

No marks are awarded for these courses.

If a VET course is to be used in a student’s calculation of their ATAR, then the student must complete the optional HSC exam and the mark is obtained from this exam performance.   No internal school assessment counts toward the HSC mark.

Not all VET courses can count towards an ATAR only those that are ‘Framework’ courses.

These courses are determined to be Category B courses by UAC.

TVET – TAFE delivered Vocational Educational and Training Courses

Courses are offered by local TAFE colleges to Year 11 and 12 students.  Students can complete these courses as part of their HSC and also gain qualifications at TAFE.

Some of these courses are used to calculate the ATAR.  Others are Board Endorsed Courses that cannot be included in the calculation of the ATAR rank.

Courses are held on different days of the week in the afternoons from about 1:30pm until 6.00pm.

Limited spaces are available as most of the private and public secondary schools in the Tamworth district access these courses.

Many of these courses are online or a combination of online and face-to-face. All have compulsory work placement requirements during school.

All students applying for a TVET course will be interviewed by the Careers Adviser and TVET Coordinator.

SBAT – School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

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SBAT’s are a pathway for students to train and work whilst they are completing the HSC.

They are paid work, training, and school.

Some count towards an ATAR.

The student MUST find an employer willing to sign them up for a work and training contract.

They involve a specific workplace component and a minimum number of hours working.

These courses are delivered by TAFE or other providers.

Only SBAT’s are eligible to undertake Industry Based Learning as a 2-unit course.

Distance Education and Online Learning

A small number of specialty courses may be studied via Distance Education or Online. 

Students must be self-directed learners in order to undertake these courses.

All of these courses incur additional fees.

Any student wishing to do these courses must make an appointment to see Mrs Sparke.

Pathways

Students can study for their HSC over a maximum of five years.  This is beneficial for students who have very busy schedules in addition to their school commitments or have medical reasons that inhibit their academic performance.

Most students who take this option spread their studies over three years rather than the typical two years.   They complete all of their Year 11 courses in the first year and then spread their HSC courses over the remaining two years.

Students planning to do this need to discuss this carefully with the Assistant Principal (Mrs Sparke)