Put your best foot forward: the essentials for tackling the HSC

Don’t forget all that you have already achieved to get here.

I know that you have a community behind you, and that your teachers – from kindy through to your final years of school – have provided you with a start in life.

You have spent more than half your lives with teachers who have given you the biggest gift of all – skills and knowledge.

Continue learning, always.

Thank you to the teachers of NSW, for preparing the next generation to take on a new chapter in life.

I know some of you may have been inspired by teachers who’ve played a key role in your education – and I would eagerly encourage any of you who might be planning to follow in their footsteps to pursue a degree in teaching at university.

You would be joining a valuable, prestigious profession which sets the foundations for all other jobs in all industries.

For all of you: while the end of your schooling is near, the completion of your HSC is just the beginning. You might be heading to university or TAFE, taking a gap year, doing an apprenticeship or moving straight into the workforce.

Whatever the next adventure in life holds for you, I wish you the very best knowing that receiving your HSC will put you on a solid path for taking those next steps.

Good luck and my very best wishes.

Many roads lead to Rome

A message from Paul Martin, CEO of the NSW Education Standards Authority.

To the class of 2023, you are all on your own personal path to success. This is an exciting time in your life when you have an opportunity to strive to do your best in preparing for HSC exams and to set yourself up for the next phase of life.

The past 13 years of schooling have equipped you for this major milestone in your education.

You have shown incredible resilience in your secondary school years, living and learning through floods, bushfires, drought and a global pandemic.

You have been strong and learnt to adapt and overcome challenges. These are skills that will serve you well into the future, no matter what career path you choose.

The HSC is a world-class credential and is well-respected – and your learning journey is unique to you.

Remember that you are running your own race.

This edition of the HSC Study Guide aims to provide you with advice and support; with tips to better your study techniques and to find out what works for you.

I recall the big decisions you are faced with in Year 12; choosing a career path is not always straightforward. Prior to my role as CEO at NESA I was a teacher in NSW schools, a time in my life that I cherish with fond memories.

It is important to know that there are many roads that lead to Rome.

My advice to HSC students is to do your best, be curious, work out what you are passionate about.

Have confidence that whatever vocation or career path you choose can be built upon; there is no such thing as wasted skill.

Go well. I hope you get a lot of value from this study guide.

Preparing for exams

A little bit of strategy and some good time management will make these months – even the final days before exams – all the more productive.

Stick to a study schedule

We’ve all heard it before: the evidence shows cramming isn’t very effective. So consider creating a study schedule that starts well before the exam period.

Here’s how to create a well-balanced schedule:

• On a weekly or fortnightly schedule, mark down all your commitments like work, social occasions and sports activities.
• Add blocks of study time – 20-minute chunks for the most effective use of your brain.
• Allocate time for exercise and relaxation.
• Don’t plan to study when you should be sleeping. Sleep helps us to concentrate, remember things and keeps us energised.

Reduce the distractions

Whether it’s the notifications popping up on your phone or a noisy study space, make sure you sort out the distractions before you buckle down into study mode.

• Switch your phone to ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode during study sessions or just switch it off.
• Choose a background sound that works for you – whether that’s music, white noise or just plain silence.
• Find a space and time that will allow you to concentrate without being interrupted.

Check out: Taming your social media use

Understand different question types

Multiple choice questions: Read the answer options and then choose the best one. If you change your mind, there are instructions on the multiple-choice answer sheet about how to change your answer.

Questions with stimulus material: Stimulus material such as artwork, quotations or maps provide a focus for analysis or interpretation. It is expected you’ll use the stimulus to develop your answer, so consider it carefully.

Short-answer questions: The space provided and marks allocated to a short-answer question will give you an idea of how long your response should be. The cover of the HSC exam paper will also have advice on how much time to allow for each section or question.

Questions with rubrics: Some exam questions have rubrics, which show the criteria used for assessing answers. Here’s an example:

Your answers will be assessed on how well you:

• respond critically to the prescribed text
• analyse how meaning is conveyed
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the prescribed text and prescribed issues.

Read the rubric as well as the exam question before you write your answer.

Extended response questions: Your responses should be carefully planned so that you respond to the question rather than include everything you know about a topic.

Here are some quick tips to help you write a strong extended response:

• Read every word of the question properly. You’re off to a good start and won’t run the risk of missing the point of the question.
• Draft a quick plan. List 3 to 4 points to cover in your response.
• Manage your time. Make sure you allocate enough time to address the points in your plan.

If you have trouble understanding how to answer a question, look for key words and work out how they relate to the course. Then you can write an answer from relevant knowledge, understanding and skills.

Making the best attempt you can is a better strategy than not attempting the question at all, so try not to leave any blanks.

Read the rules

Make sure you are familiar with HSC rules and processes and the consequences of cheating. If you have questions, contact the Student Support team on 1300 138 323.

Exam day: What to bring

Ensure you have the right equipment for all your exams.

Do bring: a black pen; spare pens; a ruler; highlighters; pencils (should be at least 2B); a sharpener, if needed and a bottle of water in a clear bottle.

Don’t bring: a mobile phone (they are not permitted in an exam room under any circumstances); a programmable or smart watch; any electronic device (except a calculator where permitted); paper or any printed or written material (you can ask the supervisor for working paper); correction fluid or dictionaries, except where permitted or approved by NESA. Electronic devices include mobile phones or other communication devices, organisers, tablets (such as iPads), music players or electronic dictionaries.

You are not allowed to borrow equipment during exams.

Illness and misadventure

What if I am sick on the day of an exam?
Contact your school as soon as possible to advise of the issue.  Seek independent medical advice on the day of the exam. Telehealth services should be used if you are unable to attend a doctors’ surgery. Students are required to provide a doctor’s certificate covering the exam date(s).

Who submits the Illness/Misadventure application?
If a student is unable to attend an exam due to illness they must contact their school as soon as possible to advise of the issue.  The school will provide an application form to complete and sign. Students must provide their school with evidence. Once completed and signed, the school will submit the application to NESA.

If you test positive for COVID-19 before an exam or on the day, contact your school for advice and visit the NESA website for advice about the evidence you need.

How moderation works

Moderation is the way the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) puts all school assessment marks in a course on the same scale. This is done to make sure every student receives an assessment mark that is fair and can be compared, no matter which school you attend or what assessment you did.

Here’s how it’s done.

Same but different

Every student completing each HSC course sits the same exam. But students at different schools complete different assessment tasks. By putting each school’s assessment marks for a course on the same scale as the exam, the marks from different schools can be validly compared.

The process

NESA moderates your school assessment mark in each course this way:

1. After the HSC exam papers are marked:

• the top assessment mark is adjusted to equal the top HSC mark
• the bottom assessment mark is adjusted to equal the bottom HSC mark
• the mean of the assessment marks is adjusted to equal the mean of the HSC exam. The revised assessment mean is used to determine the remaining assessment marks.

2. The relative gaps between each assessment mark within your school are reflected in moderated assessment marks for that course. The rank order stays the same.

3. Additional checks and balances make sure no-one is disadvantaged.

4. NESA calculates your HSC mark by adding 50 per cent of your moderated school assessment and 50 per cent of your exam mark.

ATAR myths – busted

HSC students hear a lot of confusing messages about the ATAR. UAC’s ATAR expert Dr Helen Tam busts some myths to demystify this misunderstood number.

MYTH: The HSC and the ATAR are similar.

FACT: HSC marks and the ATAR have different purposes:

• The HSC mark for each course shows your performance in the exam and assessments for that course. The HSC mark shows the standard you achieved.
• The ATAR shows your position or ranking compared to other students in NSW and takes into account their achievement in the best 10 units of their HSC courses (including at least 2 units of English and no more than 2 units of Category B courses). Its only purpose is to help universities select applicants for their courses.

MYTH: My ATAR should be close to my HSC marks.

FACT: Your HSC marks (your performance) and ATAR (your position) are different measures of achievement and therefore should not be compared. However, if you’re in the middle group of students in all your courses (with marks typically in the late 70s), you may receive an ATAR of around 70.00, which is also where the median (or middle) ATAR usually lies. Sometimes marks in the 70s can mean a much lower ATAR depending on your courses and your position in those courses.

MYTH: I’ll get a better ATAR if the course I’ve chosen is scaled up.

FACT: How a course is scaled depends on the marks achieved by the students in that course, along with the marks they’ve achieved in all their other courses. Courses studied by students who perform well in all their courses will be scaled highly. Courses such as Mathematics Extension 2 and Physics traditionally scale well because of this.

However, that doesn’t mean every student in that course will get a high scaled mark; you need to achieve high HSC marks to gain any benefit from scaling. Scaling is done afresh each year. When looking at choosing a course, there’s no guarantee that the academic ability of the students this year is the same as last year or that the course will scale the same way.

MYTH: If I choose a particular combination of courses, I’ll get the best ATAR.

FACT: Just about any combination of courses can lead to a good ATAR; it all depends on how well you’ve done in all your courses compared with other students. Your course choices should be based on your interests, demonstrated abilities and the value of courses for future career plans, not on what you believe are the likely effects of scaling.

MYTH: The school I attend affects my ATAR.

FACT: No. The school you attend doesn’t feature in the ATAR calculation. The ATAR calculation is based only on the exam and moderated school assessment marks for each of your courses, as provided by NESA; no other information is used.

A pat on the back

A message from Ashley de Silva, the CEO at leading digital youth mental health service ReachOut.

Class of 2023,

The last few years have been no walk in the park, but your high school experience is finally coming to a close.

Your journey has been peppered with challenges that few students before you have experienced. In the face of an unprecedented global pandemic, you have dealt with uncertainty and overcome many difficulties, including online learning. In addition, some of you have been directly impacted by heartbreaking natural disasters, including fires and floods, as well as other personal challenges that have crossed each of your paths in different ways.

To get to this point you have shown tenacity, strength and resilience during your schooling years – even if some days simply looked like putting one foot in front of the other or asking for support.

I, and many others, admire and applaud you. I want to remind you that having come this far is an accomplishment in itself. I hope you can take some time to reflect on your achievements and be proud of yourself.

While some of you may be sad that the journey is coming to an end, others might be relieved it’s almost over and excited to start the next chapter of your lives. At ReachOut, many young people tell us that the end-of-school period stirs up a mix of these emotions and many more. It makes sense if you have all of these feelings right now – this is a period of transition and often transformation too.

The final few months of the school year can be overwhelming. Research by ReachOut shows that study stress is one of the key concerns of young people today. With this in mind, I wanted to share some tips and tricks which can help support your mental health and wellbeing when it comes to exam and study stress.

Firstly, you don’t have to wait until you are in crisis to make your mental health a priority – prevention is better than cure. Try something new to support your wellbeing and mental health. Even something small could go a long way.

Making good(ish) decisions

It can feel like there’s a lot of pressure to decide exactly what you want to do once you leave school.

Very often we put this kind of pressure on ourselves. Big decisions can feel particularly overwhelming when you consider everything else that is happening in your life right now. You might be feeling overwhelmed and concerned you won’t make the “right” decision.

But there is no such thing as a ‘right’ decision. We make the best decisions we can based on the information available to us at the time. If you choose to study a particular degree, or go straight into the workforce instead of travelling, and you change your mind down the track, that is ok. Remember there are many paths to the same destination. There are also many destinations, and it’s ok to take a few pit stops on your journey before you settle on one you like.

Nonetheless, there are some ways to ease decision-making, such as:

1. If you’re feeling overwhelmed try to manage your stress so that it doesn’t cloud your decision-making.
2. Practise self-care to help reduce your stress. You might try going for a walk or having a chat to someone you trust.
3. Consider your values. Being true to yourself and aligning your decision with what you value will help you end up with an outcome you’re happy with.

Try to give yourself enough time so that you’re not rushed to make a decision. While you may not be able to guarantee the outcome of a decision before you make it, at least you can be comfortable that you put a lot of thought into it.

Be kind to yourself

If you notice that you are stuck in a negative cycle such as worrying, being too critical of yourself or placing too many expectations on yourself it can be good to have a toolkit of things to draw on to help break the cycle. For example, you might want to:

1. Practice self-compassion by reminding yourself or even saying out loud – “It’s understandable that I am stressed. What can I do to make myself feel better?”
2. Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake or something doesn’t go the way you thought it would.
3. Be kind and supportive of yourself and speak to yourself the same way you would a close friend.

Take a proactive approach to your wellbeing and mental health

1. Year 12 is a marathon, not a sprint. It makes sense to have a good balance between study and down time, but it can be really hard to do when you feel under pressure.
2. It can be helpful to plan in advance how you are going to make your wellbeing and mental health a priority. After all, our brain can only focus on a particular topic for so long before it starts to get distracted.
3. Putting time in your diary for self-care and doing things to fill your cup, such as exercising and hanging out with friends can help you avoid burnout.

A sustainable sleep routine is also something you can think about planning into your day, even if you don’t get it right all of the time. Sleeping well is one of the most important things for our mental and physical health. Sleep is also essential for learning and memory function. For some people, it can be tempting to study through the night, but if you don’t get enough sleep you might not retain the information that you have spent so long studying.

Get support if you need it

You don’t have to figure everything out on your own, when it comes to life after Year 12 and your mental health too. There are many different ways to seek support depending on what you think will work best for you.

1. There might be someone in your life who you trust and feel comfortable sharing with such as a parent or carer or someone at school.
2. Make an appointment with your GP or a mental health professional.
3. Seek help online including from ReachOut.com where you can access information, tips, and Online Community and peer support.

If you’re in crisis call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency call 000.

As you get closer to graduating, I encourage you to look back on the things you’ve enjoyed during your schooling years. Remember that the people you meet, the impact they have on your life and the experiences you have enjoyed will stay with you long after you graduate. I hope you can turn these tips and tricks into action to support your wellbeing and mental health for those moments as you work through your final months of Year 12.

Key Dates

Wednesday, October 11: HSC written exams start.

Friday, November 3: Written exams finish. HSC Assessment Ranks released to students via Students Online for four weeks.

Thursday, December 14: 2023 HSC results released.