Welcome to Yr 11 2024 Subject Selections

Dear students and parents/carers, 

Our 'G25' students have almost reached Stage 6; the next, and final phase, of secondary education that culminates in the achievement of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and transition to the world beyond school. This site has been prepared to assist students and their parents/carers in better understanding HSC requirements, the subject selection process, and features of the Stage 6 courses. 

A successful HSC provides a foundation for tertiary education, employment and continued life-long learning. In choosing a pattern of study, students are encouraged to consider their individual areas of strength, interest, ability, other commitments and career aspirations. Course prerequisites, exclusions, particular requirements and management of major projects should also be carefully considered.  

NBSC Manly Campus offers a broad range of courses. However, a course will only run if there are sufficient numbers of students interested in studying that course. Students who wish to study a course not offered at the school may be able to study at other campuses within the Northern Beaches Secondary College, NSW School of Languages, Distance Education and TAFE.  

Please carefully read the information provided on this site. This includes: 

• an Overview presentation that provides vital information about the Stage 6 pattern of study and subject selection process.  

• course information videos to help shape decisions 

• an online copy of the Stage 6 Course Outline booklet (a hard copy was distributed to students, in addition to the UAC Steps to Uni Year 10 guide in Wk 10, Term 2). 

I look forward to seeing the students choose and enjoy courses tailored to their own unique interests and aptitudes. Whilst there will be some challenging work ahead, it is also a time of great excitement as students can enjoy and reap the rewards of rigorous Stage 6 learning.  

Yours sincerely,
Marisa  Carolan
Deputy Principal 

Will dropping a course at the start of Year 12 impact my HSC marks? 

No 

What is the maximum number of units that can be taken in year 11? 

12 units is the number of units that are required by NESA. It is strongly recommended that students do not undertake more than 14 units total.

Do you have to be an outstanding student to do extension course? 

It is recommended that you have a strong record of performance in the base courses before undertaking further units. You will need to have the Head Teacher of relevant faculty sign off that they recommend the student to do the course on your pre-interview form.

Can you tell me some more information about how well subjects scale in the HSC?

Subjects marks are scaled for each course based on the quality of the candidates in that course in that particular year. The best advice is to choose subjects that interest you and get your the strongest individual results. 

Can I find out what teachers will be assigned to courses next year?

Not before subject selections are completed. The timetable will be built after subject preferences submitted by students and finalised when staffing arrangements are made for next year. It is strongly recommended that students choose subjects based on interests and ability rather than teachers. 

Would it be possible to start in Maths Advanced and drop to the Maths Standard course if the work was too hard? 

Yes, dependent of whether there is a Maths Standard class. The creation of a class for Maths Standard will be depend on whether there are enough students who select this option. 

After the online subject selection has closed on 19th July,  is there any further opportunity to make changes to individual courses prior to Year 11 commencing? 

Careful decisions should be made when completing online subject selection in Wk 1, term 3 as we use these to build our curriculum lines. Changes after this are strictly dependent on availability due to courses offered and class sizes.

How can a 1 unit (extension) course contribute towards my 10 best units? 

If a student performs better in a 1 unit course - it will replace 1 unit from a lower performing subject. For example, if a student is doing 11 units, and they perform better in Maths Extension 1 than in their 2 unit Geography, 1 unit from Maths Extension and 1 unit from Geography will contribute towards the ATAR. 

How do units in the Accelerated HSC Maths course work? 

The completion and results for these 2 units will be 'banked' in their HSC Record of School Achievement at the end of Year 11. 

Please note: there were some questions that were very course specific or about careers advice. Students should see teachers or the careers adviser for answers to these queries.