Unpacking  the HSC
Years 11 & 12

Through Year 11 and Year 12 students specific courses within general subject areas.

Subject: The general name given to an area of study.

Course: A particular study within a subject; a subject may have several different courses. For example, the English courses available to students include English Studies, Standard English, English Advanced, English as An Additional Language or Dialect, English Extension 1, and English Extension 2. 

Year 11 is the preliminary year for the Higher School Certificate (HSC). In Year 11 students complete Preliminary Courses whilst in Year 12 students complete HSC Courses. 

Generally, students completing HSC Courses in Year 12 must have completed the respective Preliminary Course in Year 11, with the exception of VET Courses, TAFE Content Endorsed Courses, and some Extension Courses.

All courses offered for the High School Certificate have a unit value. Most courses have a value of 2 units. A students course load may well consist of a mixture of 1 Unit and 2 Unit courses. 

At Year 11, the only 1 Unit Preliminary Courses offered are:

• Studies in Catholic Thought

• Studies of Religion I (Traditional)

• Studies of Religion I (Compressed) - 1 Unit of Preliminary & HSC

• English Extension

• Mathematics Extension

• Science Extension

• Sport, Lifestyle & Recreation Studies

• Exploring Early Childhood

• Computing Applications

• Visual Design

• Work Studies

All other courses are 2 Unit courses. 

2 Unit Courses:

• 120 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (4 hours per week)

• Students can achieve up to 100 marks

1 Unit Courses:

• 60 hours of 'face to face' learning per year (2 hours per week)

• Students can achieve up to 50 marks

To qualify for the HSC, every student must study:

• •  a course in English

  •  at least 10 units (12 in Preliminary)

  •  at least 6 units from Board Developed courses

Students must also have met the minimum standards in literacy and numeracy as stipulated by NESA to attain their HSC. Students who have not met the minimum standards will still be able to complete HSC and will be awarded their Record of Student Achievement (RoSA).

At Xavier Catholic College it is compulsory to include the study of one of the Religion courses:

• Studies of Religion I (Traditional)

• Studies of Religion II (Compressed)

• Studies of Religion II

• Studies in Catholic Thought

There are two main types of courses: Board Developed and Content Endorsed. Most subjects are Board (i.e. NESA) Developed Courses. This means they have external examinations at the end of HSC, and their marks count toward university entrance (ATAR).

At Xavier Catholic College, all courses are Board Developed except:

• Studies in Catholic Thought

• VET Skills for Work and Vocation

• VET Active Volunteering

• Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies

• Exploring Early Childhood

• Computing Applications

• Visual Design

• Work Studies

• Numeracy

These are Board Endorsed Courses, which are offered in Preliminary and/or HSC and may not have an external examination. Some are Content Endorsed Courses, which could also be offered at the local TAFE institute. Others are School Designed Courses.

To qualify for tertiary entrance (to receive an Australian Tertiary Entrance Rank, ATAR) students need to meet the Preliminary HSC requirements and the following HSC requirements. 

• ten units of Board Developed courses

• two units of English

• three Board Developed courses of 2 units or greater

• four different courses

Students have the option of including the Vocational Education (VET) Courses and Board Endorsed courses with an optional HSC exam to their ATAR. The courses available at Xavier Catholic College include: 

• VET Construction

• VET Hospitality Operations

• VET Information and Digital Technology

• VET Business Services

• VET Retail Services

• English Studies

• Mathematics Standard 1

Courses that do not count towards ATAR eligibility are:

• Exploring Early Childhood

• Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies (1 and 2 unit)

• Studies in Catholic Thought

• VET Active Volunteering

• VET Skills for Work and Vocation

• Numeracy

The major benefit of these courses is that they will provide students with a certification which enhances a student’s employability in post school options.

Some combinations will not be available because they will clash on the timetable.  Lines for choices will be based on preferences supplied by your cohort.

Choose only one of each type of course (e.g. you cannot do English Standard and English Advanced). Extension courses are an exception, because they are studied along with the most demanding 2 Unit course in the subject. 

Students may study up to three different Science courses in Preliminary (6 units maximum). In HSC they may study up to 7 units to account for Science Extension (1 unit).

There are two Preliminary Mathematics courses: Mathematics Advanced and Mathematics Standard. At the start of HSC, students of Mathematics Standard choose between:

• • • Mathematics Standard 2 (Board Developed & ATAR eli)

    • Mathematics Standard 1 (Board Developed & ATAR / Non ATAR)

      • to be ATAR eligible students will need to sit the HSC examination

It is possible to do Vocational Education Training (VET) as 2 Unit or 1 Unit courses. This means that students will be able to study more VET framework courses and have them included in the calculation for their ATAR.

All courses will include an optional written examination in the Higher School Certificate in addition to the other requirements of the course. If you wish the course to count towards an ATAR, you must sit the HSC examination in that course.

The vocational (VET) courses being offered at Xavier with optional exams are:

•  Hospitality

•  Information Technology

•  Construction

•  Retail Services

•  Business Services

Each course earns the student Industry Accreditation as well as TAFE recognition for each completed course.

There are also two Stage 6 VET Courses which can be pursued as a course of study and potentially contribute to HSC units, however, cannot count towards an ATAR. These are:

• Active Volunteering (Preliminary HSC only)

• Skills for Work and Vocation (Preliminary HSC  only)

Please note that Active Volunteering and Skills for Work and Vocation will require a small portion of offline course work.

This will total approximately one hour per week. As well as 20 hours of external voluntary work. Full completion of Active Volunteering and Skills for Work and Vocation will occur in Preliminary.

The Vocational Education courses have been developed especially, but not only, for students seeking employment after Year 12 or non-university HSC aspirants.

The 240 hour courses usually involve work placements totalling 70 hours. If required, work placements may occur in student vacations. Students who work in a course related occupation can count the hours worked towards work placement hours.

VET courses are popular and successful in the Wagga Diocese. Across NSW, one in three students takes a VET subject as part of their HSC; the figure for the Wagga Catholic Diocesan Registered Training Organisation (RTO) is higher than the state average.

For students not intending to go to university, the Vocational Education options may better prepare them for the workforce. Students can leave school at the end of HSC with a list of competencies employers can recognise and feel confidence in the student's ability to perform. The work placements offered in the Vocational Education courses involve specific tasks being completed or competencies gained. The courses give credit transfers to TAFE with up to one third of trade qualifications being done at school. Employers are keen to employ students with work skills and TAFE credits. It is becoming more common for apprenticeships to have HSC as a minimum.

The Vocational Education options ideally mean that school is not too theoretical for some students. At the same time school is difficult enough for students to feel challenged: it is a place where they work hard and gain confidence in their ability to succeed on both practical and academic levels. The self-esteem needs of some students can be better met via these less theoretical options. Students can get higher marks and be more realistic about their future prospects.

There are other Vocational Education courses available through TAFE, which may be combined with your school studies. Information is available from the VET Coordinator or TAFE.

The Pathways program can give you more flexibility in your study arrangements.  Under Pathways, you can: 

• Take extra time to complete your HSC (up to five years)

• Repeat one or more HSC courses

• Accelerate, taking less time to complete your HSC

• Gain recognition for prior learning, where you may be granted credit transfer towards your HSC, or advanced standing in a course

• Combine HSC study with a part-time traineeship

Any student considering a ‘Pathways’ option must seek the advice of the Careers Coordinator for an initial assessment of suitability. The ‘Pathways’ option will then be negotiated with the school (or TAFE) via the Transition and Pathways Specialist, Terri-Anne Scott and Curriculum Coordinator, Michaela Williams.

Eligible students who leave school before receiving their Higher School Certificate (HSC) will receive the NSW Record of School Achievement (RoSA). The RoSA is a cumulative credential in that it allows students to accumulate their academic results until they leave school. The RoSA records completed Stage 5 and Preliminary Stage 6 courses and grades, and participation in any uncompleted Preliminary Stage 6 courses. It is of specific use to students leaving school prior to the HSC to show potential employers or or other learning organisations.

Any time a student or school wants an up-to-date snapshot of a student’s academic progress, a transcript called a Student eRecord can be accessed via Schools Online or Students Online and printed or emailed.  

Students who go on to complete the HSC will see all their Stage 6 (Preliminary and HSC) courses and results on their HSC.

Students wishing to receive the High School Certificate (HSC)  will need to have met the HSC Minimum Standard in Reading, Writing and Numeracy. Students who have not met the minimum standard in each of the three areas by the end of HSC will be awarded the Record of School Achievement (RoSA).

Students have two opportunities each year from Year 10 through to the end of HSC to meet the minimum standard through online testing. Should an individual not meet the HSC Minimum Standard and still wish to receive their HSC, they can pursue the testing opportunities available after finishing Year 12.  Further information can be found within the HSC Minimum Standard page of the NESA website. 

HSC Board Developed Courses at Xavier are courses  developed by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority  (NESA).

The table below shows the regular and extension courses offered to Year 11 (Preliminary) and Year 12 (HSC) students.

The regular Preliminary & HSC Courses require students to complete 240 hours of 'face to face' learning. This is done by scheduling 4 x 1 hour classes each week. These regular courses are referred to as being a '2 Unit' course.

Extension Courses are more challenging. These courses require students to complete 120 hours of 'face to face' learning. This is typically done by scheduling classes before school, lunchtime or after school. These extension courses are referred to as being a '1 Unit' course. 

The following courses are available at Xavier.

• Studies in Catholic Thought

• VET Active Volunteering (Preliminary HSC only)

• VET Skills in Work and Vocation (Preliminary HSC only)

• Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies (Preliminary HSC only)

• Exploring Early Childhood (Preliminary HSC only)

• Computing Applications (Preliminary HSC only)

• Visual Design (Preliminary HSC only)

• Work Studies (Preliminary HSC only)

• Numeracy

Xavier Catholic College offers the Life Skills Curriculum for students with an emotional, social or cognitive learning disability which impacts their ability to access regular course outcomes. 

All students are entitled to participate in the Life Skills curriculum from years 7–12 by accessing Life Skills courses.