Leaving School in Australia - Year 12 State by State

A guide to Year 12 Certificates and Tertiary Entrance Requirements in Australia
Published by the Board of Studies NSW for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)



Section 2: New South Wales


 

 


What categories of subjects/courses are available for study in the Higher School Certificate program?

In NSW a subject is the general name given to an area of study that may have several different courses. For example, within the subject Japanese there are four different courses that can be studied for the Higher School Certificate -

  • Japanese Beginners

  • Japanese Continuers

  • HSC Japanese Extension

  • Japanese Background Speakers

Students normally study Preliminary (usually done in Year 11) and HSC (usually done in Year 12) courses over one or two years. They may accumulate HSC courses over a period of up to five years. Courses generally consist of two units per year. Each unit requires 60 hours indicative school time per year. Extension courses (except in the case of VET) can only be done in combination with a two unit course and carry an additional value of one unit.

There are two main types of Preliminary and HSC courses studied

Courses accredited by the NSW Board of Studies

Board Developed Courses

Duration

1 or 2 years

Accepted for tertiary entrance? Yes
No of Units/Length of study time 1 or 2 units @ 60 hours per unit

Assessment methods

External exam at the end of the HSC course and moderated internal (school-based) assessment (except for VET and Life Skills Courses)

Developed by

Board of Studies

Delivered by Schools, colleges of TAFE

Board Developed TAFE Delivered VET Course

Duration

1 or 2 years

Accepted for tertiary entrance? Yes
No of Units/Length of study time 2 units

Assessment methods

Assessed by TAFE, results accredited towards both HSC and TAFE studies

Developed by

Board of Studies/TAFE

Delivered by Colleges of TAFE

Board Endorsed Courses – School Developed

Duration

1 or 2 years

Accepted for tertiary entrance? No
No of Units/Length of study time 1 or 2 units

Assessment methods

Internal (school-based) assessment

Developed by

Individual schools or groups of schools, endorsed by the Board of Studies

Delivered by Schools

Board Endorsed Courses – Content Endorsed (CECs)

Duration

1 or 2 years

Accepted for tertiary entrance? No
No of Units/Length of study time 1 or 2 units

Assessment methods

Internal (school-based) assessment

Developed by

Board of Studies

Delivered by Schools, colleges of TAFE

Board Endorsed Courses – VET

Duration

1 or 2 years

Accepted for tertiary entrance? No
No of Units/Length of study time Varies

Assessment methods

Assessed by schools (school delivered) or TAFE (TAFE delivered), results accredited to both HSC and TAFE studies

Developed by

School or TAFE, endorsed by the Board of Studies

Delivered by School or TAFE
Board Endorsed Courses – University Developed

Duration

1 year

Accepted for tertiary entrance? No
No of Units/Length of study time 1 or 2 units

Assessment methods

Assessed by delivering University, results accredited to HSC study pattern.

Developed by

Universities in conjunction with schools and endorsed by the Board of Studies

Delivered by Universities

Top of page