Year 11 Information

YEAR 11 2021 final.mp4

INTRODUCTION

Students who intend to proceed to Year 11 must now choose their courses of study.

Students make course choices online during Week 7 of Term 2. Students are emailed individual web codes to their school email address and are required to choose their first 12 units of courses and 6 units of reserve choices.

The following information is offered as a guide to students and parents in making these decisions.  The advice and information should be read and considered carefully to plan an appropriate course of study.  It must be emphasised that while choices made at this stage are not necessarily final, it is nevertheless most important that choices be made very carefully.

The school must now undergo detailed planning for next year and it may not be possible to accommodate changes of courses at a later date.

Students will be asked to nominate courses that they wish to study in Year 11.  It is possible at that stage that we will not be able to accommodate all choices of courses within the staffing resources available to the school.  In this event, a small number of students could be asked to change their courses.  

In addition to the information on this Website, advice is available from the Careers Advisor, Mr Harrisson, as well as from teachers in charge of the various courses. Students will also participate in 'Subject Selection Counselling' in Term 2 with selected staff and will have options available to amend their choices where spaces exist in classes. This counselling provides students with the opportunity to seek individual advice and specific information related to their unique circumstances. 

In preparation for this interview students are asked to complete a reflection workbook that will be given to to them and can also be found here.

TYPES OF COURSES WHICH CAN BE SELECTED 

Board Developed Courses

These courses are developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority [NESA].  There is a syllabus for each course that contains:

All students entered for the Higher School Certificate, who are studying theses courses, follow these syllabi.  These courses are examined externally at the end of the HSC course and can count towards the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

Board Endorsed Courses

Board Endorsed Courses have syllabi endorsed by NESA to cater for areas of special interest not covered in the Board Developed Courses.

Most HSC VET (Vocational Education and Training) courses delivered by TAFE are Board Endorsed Courses.

There is no external examination for any Board Endorsed Course but all count towards the Higher School Certificate and appear on your Record of Achievement.

However, Board Endorsed Courses do not count in the calculation of the ATAR.


Vocational Education and Training Courses (VET)

(Either Board Developed or Board Endorsed)

Vocational Education and Training Courses (VET) are offered as part of the Higher School Certificate.  They enable students to study courses that are relevant to industry needs and have clear links to post-school destinations.  These courses allow students to gain both Higher School Certificate qualifications and accreditation with industry and the workplace as part of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

The national framework is recognised across Australia and helps students to move easily between the various education and training sectors and employment.  These courses each have a specific workplace component and a minimum number of hours students spend in the workplace or a simulated workplace at school.  Students receive special documentation showing the competencies gained.  Some of these courses are delivered by schools, while others are delivered by TAFE or other providers.


UNITS OF STUDY 

All courses offered for the Higher School Certificate have a unit value.  Courses may have a value of

1 unit or 2 units.  Most courses are 2 units.

Each unit involves class time of approximately 2 hours per week (three periods per fortnight).  In the HSC, each unit has a value of 50 marks.  Hence, a 2-unit course has a value of 100 marks.

2 units  =  4 hours per week = six periods per fortnight (120 hours per year )

=  100 marks

The following is a guideline to help you understand the pattern of courses.

2 Unit Course

This is the basic structure for all courses.  It has a value of 100 marks.

Extension Course

Extension courses build on the content of the 2-unit course and carry an additional value of1 unit.  Extension courses require students to work beyond the standard of the 2-unit course and are available in English, Mathematics, History, Music, Science and some Languages.

Students who wish to study Extension courses must have demonstrated a high level of interest and competence in the courses concerned.

English and Mathematics Extension courses are available at Preliminary and HSC levels.  Students must study the Preliminary Extension course in these subjects before proceeding to the HSC Extension courses (Extension 1 and Extension 2).  The Extension 2 course requires students to work beyond the standard of the Extension 1 course.

HSC Extension courses in courses other than English and Mathematics are offered and examined in Year 12 only.

1 Unit Course

1 unit equals approximately 2 hours of class time each week = three periods per fortnight, or 60 hours per year.

Students who wish to study Studies of Religion in the HSC must have satisfactorily completed the Preliminary course.

There are also a number of 1 unit Board Endorsed Courses, these courses do not count in the ATAR. 

Further information can be found here:

https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants

https://www.uac.edu.au/assets/documents/year-10/year-10-booklet-2023.pdf 

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/results-certificates/understanding-results

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/about-HSC/determining-HSC-results


The following subjects are offered for selection at THS. Clicking on the subject name will take you to the relevant faculty page for that subject.