HSC Assessment and Reporting

HSC ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING

Whilst students will ultimately receive a mark in the majority of their subjects for the Higher School Certificate those marks will be determined in a standards-referenced framework.  This will involve:

• Assessing against course performance standards (published on the NESA website)

• Assessment tasks designed to focus on the syllabus outcomes

• The type of assessment task being appropriate for the outcomes being assessed

• Students being given the opportunity to demonstrate their level of achievement of the outcomes in a range of different task types

• Students knowing the assessment criteria before they begin a task

• Marking criteria for each task linked directly to the questions/task the students are asked to do and the questions are in turn linked to outcomes

• Students getting meaningful feedback about what they are able to do and what they need to do in order to improve their level of performance

• The ranking and relative difference between students resulting from different levels of achievement of the specified standards.

In the Preliminary HSC Year the focus of assessment will be based on a Standards Referenced Framework.  Student reports will detail a student’s level of achievement against a set of standards rather than simply focusing on where a student in placed within a cohort.  Student reports indicate their cumulative rank and overall grade (A-E) in the course.

In the Higher School Certificate:

• The HSC reports will provide more detailed descriptions of the knowledge, skills and understanding that students have attained in each subject.

• The syllabuses, along with assessment and examination information and a performance scale that will be used to describe the level of achievement, give a clear idea of the standards that are expected.

• School-based assessment tasks will contribute 50% of the HSC mark.  The school assessment mark will be based on performance in assessment tasks undertaken during the course.  The other 50% will come from the HSC examination.

• The 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 a student achieves the minimum standard expected in a course he/she 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 to 100 will correspond to the highest level of achievement.

• On satisfactory completion of the HSC each student will receive a portfolio containing:

• The HSC Testamur - the official certificate confirming the achievement of all requirements for the award;

• The Record of Achievement – this document lists the courses studied and reports the marks and bands achieved. 

• Course Reports – for every HSC Board Developed Course students will receive a Course Report showing their marks, the Performance Scale and the band description for that course.  A graph showing the statewide distribution of marks in the course is also shown.