Year 11 & 12 Subject Selections Handbook

Term 2, Week 2 Guidance lessons on subject selections begin

Term 2, Week 5 Yr 10 Mid Year Exams

Term 2, Week 9 Reports released

Subject recommendations released

Term 2, Week 10 Subject selections Talks

Parent Teacher Conferences 4 & 5 July

Term 3, Week 1 Subject selections made

Interviews with a member of the College curriculum team & requests submitted

Term 3, Week 10 Written confirmation of subjects released

Record of School Achievement (RoSA)

The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) provides students with a record of their achievements if they leave school prior to completion of the Higher School Certificate.

The RoSA is available electronically and as a verifiable hard copy on demand with the most up-to-date information on a student’s achievements across all completed subjects, as well as the option to include extra-curricular activities.

The formal RoSA credential is awarded to eligible students who choose to leave school prior to receiving their HSC, and allows students to view and download a transcript of their achievements when applying for jobs or further education or training.

The RoSA:

• is a record of the full range of student achievements right up to the day they do their HSC or leave school.

• provides an electronic record of achievements that students can use at any time.

• uses assessment by teachers in schools, moderated by the NSW Education Standards Authority  to ensure reliability and fairness of grades.

• provides the capacity to record vocational courses and students’ vocational experiences as well as First Aid courses, community languages courses and Duke of Edinburgh awards.

• offers online literacy and numeracy tests, with particular emphasis on work readiness, that students can undertake twice a year.

HSC Minimum Standards Tests

In order to qualify for the award of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) a student must successfully demonstrate the necessary standard in the HSC Minimum Standards Tests.

These tests assess skills in Numeracy, Writing & Reading. Each has its own test and a student must sit each test until they demonstrate the minimum standard. 

The minimum standard is Level 3 or above of the Australian Core Skills Framework.

Students first sit these tests in Year 10 and have a maximum of four (4) attempts each year, up until five (5) years after completing Year 12 to demonstrate competence in all skill areas before they can be awarded the HSC.

Students not demonstrating the HSC Minimum Standards in all skill areas will still be eligible to sit the HSC Examinations & will be awarded the Record of School Achievement (RoSA); they may still be eligible for the ATAR.

For more information visit the NESA HSC Minimum Standards website.

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

• the course objectives, structure, content and outcomes

• specific course requirements

• assessment requirements

• sample examination papers and marking guidelines

• the performance scale (except for Vocational Education and Training Courses)

All students entered for the HSC who are studying these courses follow these syllabuses.  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).

Six (6) NESA Developed units must be included in the pattern of study for eligibility for the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate Courses.

NESA Endorsed Courses

There are two main types of NESA Endorsed Courses – Content Endorsed Courses and School Designed Courses. 

• Content Endorsed Courses (CECs) are developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority  to cater for a wide candidature in areas of specific need not served by NESA Developed Courses.

• Schools may also design special courses to meet student needs. These are called School Designed courses and must be approved by the NSW Education Standards Authority. Once approval is granted, schools offer selected courses to senior students as part of the Higher School Certificate.  

Some NESA Endorsed Courses are one-year courses. 

There is no external examination for any Content Endorsed Course or School Designed Course, but all NESA Endorsed Courses count towards the Higher School Certificate and appear on your Record of School Achievement. NESA Endorsed Courses do not count in the calculation of the ATAR. 

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) NESA DEVELOPED COURSES 

• Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses are offered as part of the Higher School Certificate. They enable students to study courses which 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. At the end of their HSC students receive special documentation showing the competencies gained.

• Students are required to sit the NESA’s external examination for this course to be included in their ATAR.

• All Vocational Education and Training (VET) Curriculum Framework courses are dual-accredited courses. This means that students will not only finish with a HSC but also an Industry recognised credential such as a Certificate or a Statement of Attainment. A certificate is awarded to students in VET courses who successfully complete all requirements of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) VET Certificate. A Statement of Competencies Achieved listing all units of competency satisfactorily achieved accompanies the Certificate. A Statement of Attainment is issued to students in VET courses who partially complete the requirements of an AQF Certificate. These credentials are recognised by TAFE and by Industry. Students who go on to further education can use these credentials to gain credit transfer, which means they will not be required to re-sit these subjects at TAFE. This could mean they finish their course faster.

• These courses have been designed in conjunction with Industry and are taught to Industry standards. All teachers undertake additional training, which allows them to teach and assess students in these courses.

• All Curriculum Framework courses are very practical and ‘hands on’. They are designed for students who may wish to build a career in these Industry areas.

• A mandatory part of all Curriculum Framework courses require students to undertake 70 hours of work placements in industry. Where mandatory work placement hours are not completed in a VET course an “N” determination will be submitted.

• Some courses require students to purchase uniforms, textbooks or other equipment eg. Hospitality – uniforms and knife kits, Entertainment – tool kit.

Competency Based Assessment

• VET courses are competency based. This requires students to develop the competencies, skills and knowledge described by each unit of competency.

• Students must demonstrate to a qualified assessor that they can effectively carry out the various tasks to the standard required in the appropriate industry to be assessed as competent.

External Based Assessment

• The HSC examination for Industry Curriculum courses will involve a written examination made up of multiple choice items, short answers and extended response items.
  
  

• The examination is independent of the competency-based assessment undertaken during the course and has no impact on the eligibility of a student to receive AQF qualification.

• The HSC examination is optional

All courses offered for the Higher School Certificate have a unit value.  Subjects 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 (60 hours per year): a 1 unit course comprises of 60 hours of study per year & a 2 unit course comprises of 120 hours of study per year.

In the HSC each unit has a value of 50 marks. Hence a 2 unit course has a value of 100 marks.

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

1 UNIT COURSE         1 unit equals approximately 2 hours of class time each week or 60 hours per year.  

                                                It has a value of 50 marks.

There are a number of other 1 unit NESA Endorsed Courses. These courses do not count in the calculation of the ATAR.

2 UNIT COURSE       2 units equals approximately 4 hours of class time each week or 120 hours per year.  

                                                It has a value of 100 marks.

EXTENSION COURSE       Extension study is available in a number of subjects. 

        1 unit equals approximately 2 hours of class time each week or 60 hours per year.  

                                               It has a value of 50 marks.

Extension courses build on the content of the 2 unit course and carry an additional value of 1 unit. Requiring students to work beyond the standard of the 2 unit course, extension courses are available in English, Mathematics, History and some Languages.

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 two 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 subjects other than English and Mathematics are offered and examined in Year 12 only. Note that History Extension and Language Extension courses are offered outside of the timetable, usually before or after school.

If you wish to be awarded the HSC:

• • you must have satisfactorily completed courses that meet the pattern of study required by the NSW Education Standards Authority for the award of the Higher School Certificate. This includes the completion of the practical, oral or project works required for specific courses and the assessment requirements for each course.

• • you must have sat for and made a serious attempt at the Higher School Certificate examinations.

• • you must study a minimum of 12 units in the Preliminary course and a minimum of 10 units in the HSC course. Both the Preliminary course and the HSC course must include the following:

• • at least  6 units from NESA Developed Courses including at least 2 units of a NESA Developed Course in English;

• • at least three (3) courses of 2 units value or greater (either NESA Developed or NESA Endorsed Courses);

• • at least four (4) subjects;

• • at most seven (7) units of courses in Science can contribute to Higher School Certificate eligibility.

The NSW Education Standards Authority publication, Studying for the New South Wales Higher School Certificate – An Information Booklet for Year 10 Students, contains all the HSC rules and requirements you will need to know.

The requirements for the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) are determined by the Universities. The ATAR is calculated by the Universities’ Technical Committee on scaling.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an ATAR a student must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units (including at least two units of English) of NESA Developed Courses for which there are formal examinations conducted by the NSW Education Standards Authority. The NESA Developed Courses must include at least three courses of two units or greater and at least four subjects. An eligible ATAR pattern of study must include at least eight units of courses other than English. This is the minimum number of units required for a HSC but students are encouraged, where possible, to study more than the minimum requirement. This additional unit/units provide a “safety net” for students in the event that they do not perform as well as expected in other courses. Courses completed must include at least three NESA Developed courses of two units or greater and at least four subjects.

Calculation

To be eligible for an ATAR in NSW, you must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of HSC courses. These courses must include at least:

• 10 units of Board Developed courses

• 2 units of English

• three (3) Board Developed courses of 2 units or greater

• four (4) subject areas.

Your ATAR is then calculated from your:

• best 2 units of English AND

• best 8 units from your remaining units.

[Language] Beginners

Target candidature: Students are learning the language as a second (or additional) language. Students either have no prior spoken or written knowledge or experience of the language, or their experience is derived solely from, or is equivalent to, study of the language for 100 hours or less in Stage 4 or Stage 5.

Eligibility criteria: 

• Students have had no more than 100 hours’ study of the language at the secondary level (or the equivalent). 

• Students have little or no previous knowledge of the language. For exchange students, a significant in country experience (involving experiences such as homestay and attendance at school) of more than three months renders a student ineligible.

[Language] Continuers

Target candidature: Students are learning the language as a second (or additional) language. Students typically have studied the language for 200–400 hours at the commencement of Stage 6. (In languages where Extension courses are offered, the Extension courses are available to HSC Continuers course candidates only.)

Eligibility criteria:

• Students have had no more than one year’s formal education from the first year of primary education (Year 1) in a school where the language is the medium of instruction. 

• Students have had no more than three years residency in the past 10 years in a country where the language is the medium of communication.

[Language] in context

Target candidature: Students typically have been brought up in a home where the language is used, and they have a connection to that culture. These students have some degree of understanding and knowledge of the language. They have received all or most of their formal education in schools where English (or another language different from the language of the course) is the medium of instruction. Students may have undertaken some study of the language in a community, primary and/or secondary school in Australia. Students may have had formal education in a school where the language is the medium of instruction up to the age of 10.

Eligibility criteria: Students have had no formal education in a school where the language is the medium of instruction beyond the year in which the student turns 10 years of age (typically Year 4 or 5 of primary education).

Advice from Universities Admission Centre (UAC) for choosing subjects

Subject Compass (HSC Subject Selection Made Easy)

Steps to Uni for Year 10 Students (Tips for choosing courses) 

HSC Advice

If The HSC Seems Like The End Of The World, That's Fair Enough (10 Daily, news item, Victoria Quested ex-Cerdon student)

Choosing Wisely: Choosing Well

Career Advice

The Careers Department

My Future (career bull's eye)

Assessments: School assessments are marks that describe a student’s achievement in the given Course, relative to those of the other students in the school. 

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR): is an Admission Rank (ATAR) rank & calculated by the universities. It is a number between 0 and 99.95 that indicates a student’s academic ranking based on their HSC performance in the state. The ATAR is used to assist universities to select students. There is no concept of passing or failing with the ATAR. 

Course: A course is a program of study within a subject. For example, courses within the subject of Music are: Music Course 1 and Music Course 2. 

Framework Course: NESA Developed courses based on national industry competency standards (VET courses of study). 

NESA Developed Course NESA Developed courses are courses which have been developed by NESA. They are examined externally at the Higher School Certificate examination. 

NESA Endorsed Course Designed by NESA They appear on the HSC, are not HSC examinable and do not contribute to the ATAR. 

Higher School Certificate (HSC): The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is an exit certificate that marks the completion of 13 years of schooling. It is awarded and released by NESA. NESA NESA (NSW Educational Standards Authority) awards certificates to students who comply with the Act and the NESA’s rules. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home 

Preliminary & HSC Courses: Each 2 unit NESA Developed Course, is divided into a Preliminary Course, and an HSC course. Students must satisfactorily complete the Preliminary Course, before undertaking the HSC course. 

Record of School Achievement (RoSA): Is awarded at the end of Year 10 & Year 11 to students who are eligible

Subject: A subject is the general name given to an area of study; some subjects have more than one course. 

TAFE: Technical and Further Education 

TAFE-delivered Vocation Education and Training (TVET) (see V.E.T.) 

Unit: Each course is divided into units of study. Most courses are of 2 unit value, but it is possible to take more than two units in some subjects. There are some 1 unit courses. 

V.E.T. Course: Vocation Education and Training courses are duel accredited. They are recognised by industry and NESA for the HSC and are competency based.

Students selecting a VET course must complete the mandatory 70 hours of industry work placement. This takes place in Year 11. Students may be assigned to a workplace outside of their suburb of residence and therefore must be prepared to travel. As these are industry courses, students must also work industry hours which may include weekends, school and public holidays and working late into the evenings. Please note: workplacemnt is planned for the School holiday periods.

VET courses have an optional HSC exam (the exam must be sat if you intend for the course to count towards the ATAR)

The courses listed below are offered at the College; for eVET courses, TAFE courses and other industry based courses please refer to the VET section of the Year 11 Subject Selection Handbook.