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Media Guide 2008 - Higher School Certificate and School Certificate

2008 Media Guide
  1. Important Dates
  2. 2008 HSC Facts at a Glance
  3. 2008 HSC and SC Enrolment Statistics by Region
  4. 2008 HSC Enrolment Statistics by Course
  5. HSC Support
  6. Release of HSC Results to Students
  7. HSC Examination Inquiry Centre
  8. Careers Advisory Service
  9. Maps of Board of Studies Regions
  10. Media Inquiries and Guidelines for Contacting Students

 

Important Dates

11 October
HSC Advice Line opens on 13 11 12.
16 October
Higher School Certificate written examinations begin.
6 November
HSC Advice Line closes at 10 pm.
10–14 November
School Certificate tests.
13 November
Higher School Certificate written examinations finish.
11 December
School Certificate award documents arrive in schools.
16 December
First-in-course awards ceremony.
17 December
HSC results available to students by internet/SMS message/telephone.
Media conference releasing HSC results.
HSC Merit list published on Board website after midday.
HSC Examination Inquiry Centre opens on 13 11 12.
18 December
Universities Admissions Centre releases UAI rankings online for students.
Newspapers print embargoed HSC Merit lists.
19 December
HSC Student Results Summary delivered by mail.
Students receive written advice of UAI rankings.
20 December
DesignTECH – a selection of outstanding HSC major works from 2008 Design and Technology students – launched at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
13 January
Formal HSC student credentials delivered by mail.

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2008 HSC Facts at a Glance

The Big Picture

  • This year there are 67 931 HSC students, the largest group ever to complete Year 12 in NSW.
  • Most students will sit six exam papers each in about 750 exam centres including schools in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. There are 110 different examinations for courses ranging from English to Latin, Physics to Drama, and Software Design and Development to Primary Industries.
  • Students will read from 13 million printed pages of questions and submit answers in 1.75 million writing booklets.
  • A team of more than 30 people took nearly six weeks to pack all written examination papers for each exam centre, creating more than 50 000 parcels for distribution.
  • The Board employs more than 5000 exam supervisors and more than 7000 markers.
  • As part of the Board’s ongoing plan to increase the use of computers and technology in exams, some markers this year will use ‘on-screen marking’, where they receive student responses and record the mark via the internet, for parts of the General Mathematics examination and parts of some Languages examinations.
  • Marking takes place at venues across NSW, including Sydney, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Gosford, Newcastle, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong.
  • Schools have submitted their locally assessed marks for each student; this means 50 per cent of students’ total HSC marks are already held on the Board’s secure system.
  • Several million individual marks are processed to produce students’ examination marks in each course. The HSC mark is the average of the examination mark and the school assessment mark.
  • Each student’s performance is measured against consistent academic standards to create a fair and easily understood result.
  • To obtain their HSC, students must complete courses that total 22 units over Years 11 and 12 – at least 12 units in Year 11 and at least 10 units in Year 12.
  • Since the 1990s, students have been able to choose to complete the HSC in as little as one year or as much as five years under the ‘Pathways’ option. Of the students who are eligible for the HSC in 2008, there are 2957 who have completed the requirements for an HSC over more than two years.
Top 15 subjects by enrolment 2008
Subject Total
1. English *64 509
2. Mathematics 52 262
3. Business Studies 16 401
4. Biology 15 468
5. Personal Development, Health and PE 13 781
6. Studies of Religion 13 631
7. Ancient History 11 326
8. Chemistry 10 308
9. Visual Arts 9 777
10. Modern History 9 773
11. Physics 9 198
12. Legal Studies 8 484
13. Hospitality 7 625
14. Music 5 706
15. Economics 5 491

* The figure for English enrolments is less than the total number of candidates because some students accelerate while others can take up to five years to complete the HSC.

Enrolment trends

The candidature for the 2008 HSC is the highest on record with 67 931 students enrolled in one or more courses.

The female to male ratio remains stable at 52 per cent female students compared with 48 per cent male students – unchanged since 2002.

With around 740 more students this year than in 2007, there have been slight increases in student numbers for some courses. However, overall there have been no substantial changes in 12 months.

Given fluctuations in course enrolments from year to year, comparisons are provided using 2004 figures (comprising five HSCs) to illustrate any trends.

Some subject areas that may be of interest in 2008 are:

English

  • English is the only mandatory subject in the HSC.
  • The number of students taking the most demanding 2-unit course – English (Advanced) – stands at 27 635 students, representing 43 per cent of all English enrolments and an increase of 2 per cent on 2004.
  • With the continuing growth in overall candidates for the HSC, English (Standard) enrolments have increased by 4 per cent since 2004.

Mathematics

  • More than 52 000 Year 12 students have chosen to take Mathematics, which is by far the most popular HSC elective subject.
  • This means 77 per cent of all Year 12 students are currently taking Mathematics.
  • Of the total number of students eligible for an HSC in 2008, almost 56 000 students, or
    87 per cent, are sitting a Mathematics exam or have completed a Year 11 or Year 12 course in Mathematics in previous years.
  • New Stage 6 Mathematics syllabuses, to be introduced for Year 11 in 2010 and Year 12 in 2011, are currently being finalised after consultation on the drafts this year.

Science

  • Almost half (45 per cent) of all HSC students are studying at least one science course.
  • NSW continues to see strong growth in most HSC science courses.
  • Biology has continued its growth to 15 468 candidates – 848 more than in 2007 – and remains the fourth largest HSC subject. Since 2004, the number of students taking Biology has increased by 18 per cent.
  • Chemistry continues to be the eighth largest subject with 10 308 students and Physics the 11th largest with 9198.
  • Senior Science enrolments have risen 15 per cent from 4044 students in 2004 to 4656 students this year while enrolments for Earth and Environmental Science have increased by 12 per cent from 1131 to 1272 in the same period.

History

  • More than one quarter (28 per cent) of HSC candidates are enrolled in at least one history course.
  • Ancient History has the seventh largest enrolment of HSC subjects with 11 326 students – an increase of 17 per cent on 2004 – and Modern History is in 10th position with 9773.
  • There are 2051 students studying both Ancient and Modern History this year.

Business Studies

  • Business Studies is the third most popular subject with 16 401 students in 2008. The course has continued to attract around one quarter of all HSC candidates since 2004.

Technology courses

  • Almost one third (31 per cent) of HSC candidates are enrolled in at least one technology course.
  • Textiles and Design enrolments (2217) have risen by 28 per cent since 2004, while student numbers for Engineering Studies (1778) have grown by 25 per cent and Food Technology (3503) numbers have increased by 10 per cent in the same period.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

  • There are almost 18 000 students in Year 12 doing one or more VET Framework courses, with a further 2500 enrolled in other non-framework VET courses. This represents 30 per cent of the candidature who will gain nationally recognised employment qualifications along with their HSC this year.
  • A high percentage of VET students have opted to take examinations as part of their assessment, making their course eligible for a UAI ranking. For example, 87 per cent of Hospitality students and 85 per cent of Entertainment Industry students have chosen to sit the written HSC exam.
  • One of the fastest growing VET courses this year is Entertainment (1052), which has increased by 135% since it was offered for the first time in 2004. Construction enrolments (2276) have increased by 24% and Metal and Engineering numbers (884) have risen by 22% in the same period.

Creative Arts

  • Visual Arts is the ninth most popular subject with 9777 students. This represents a 14% increase in students since 2004, when there were 8571 in Visual Arts.
  • Enrolments in Music courses have increased by about 25% since 2004.

Languages

  • About 10 per cent of HSC candidates are enrolled in one or more Language courses.
  • This year’s three most popular languages are Japanese (1574 students), French (1493 students) and Chinese (1243). Japanese has switched places with French as the most popular language in 2008.
  • Some language courses have shown significant increases in student enrolments since 2004. These include Latin Extension (48%), Japanese Beginners (33%) and French Beginners (25%).
  • The 10 most popular language subjects include five European languages (French, Italian, German, Spanish and Modern Greek) and three Asian languages (Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian), while one is Middle-Eastern (Arabic) and one is classical (Latin).
Top 10 languages by enrolment:
Subject Total
1. Japanese 1574
2. French 1493
3. Chinese 1243
4. Italian 675
5. German 517
6. Spanish 326
7. Arabic 251
8. Latin 218
9. Indonesian 162
10. Modern Greek 159

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2008 HSC and SC Enrolment Statistics by Region

The following data are based on the Board of Studies regions. See the maps in Section 9 of this guide. Students doing the HSC outside of NSW and those studying by self-tuition are included in ‘Other Categories’.

2008 HSC candidates by geographical location
Location Female Male Total Percentage
Metropolitan
Metropolitan East 5461 5334 10 795 15.9%
Metropolitan North 5297 5305 10 602 15.6%
Metropolitan North West 4471 4162 8633 12.7%
Metropolitan South West 5205 4746 9951 14.6%
Total 20 434 19 547 39 981 58.8%
Country
Hunter 3899 3433 7332 10.8%
North Coast 2718 2359 5077 7.5%
North West 1167 905 2072 3.1%
Riverina 1705 1226 2931 4.3%
South Coast 3554 3208 6762 10.0%
Western 1762 1512 3274 4.8%
Total 14 805 12 643 27 448 40.5%
Other Categories 175 327 502 0.7%
Total of all Categories 35 414 32 517 67 931 100.0%

 

Candidates by institution type
Institution type Total Percentage
School students 66 469 97.8%
TAFE students 1447 2.1%
Self-tuition students 15 < 0.1%
Total 67 931 100%

 

2008 School Certificate candidates by geographical location
Location Female Male Total Percentage
Metropolitan
Metropolitan East 5220 5558 10 778 12.3%
Metropolitan North 5723 5719 11 442 13.0%
Metropolitan North West 5719 5819 11 538 13.1%
Metropolitan South West 6539 6859 13 398 15.2%
Total 23 201 23 955 47 156 53.6%
Country
Hunter 5400 5599 10 999 12.5%
North Coast 3787 3908 7695 8.7%
North West 1620 1548 3168 3.6%
Riverina 2369 2476 4845 5.5%
South Coast 4419 4894 9313 10.6%
Western 2176 2408 4584 5.2%
Total 19 771 20 833 40 604 46.1%
Other Categories 126 131 257 0.3%
Total of all Categories 43 098 44 919 88 017 100.0%

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2008 HSC Enrolment Statistics by Course

2008 HSC Student enrolments by subject, course and gender
Course Name Units Female Male Total
HSC Courses
Aboriginal Studies 2 193 92 285
Agriculture 2 596 699 1295
Ancient History 2 6560 4766 11 326
Biology 2 9546 5922 15 468
Business Studies 2 8232 8169 16 401
Chemistry 2 4626 5682 10 308
Community and Family Studies 2 4820 301 5121
Dance 2 646 35 681
Design and Technology 2 1654 2134 3788
Distinction Course – Comparative Literature 2 8 4 12
Distinction Course – Cosmology 2 6 25 31
Distinction Course – Philosophy 2 18 32 50
Drama 2 3486 1500 4986
Earth and Environmental Science 2 575 697 1272
Economics 2 2051 3440 5491
Engineering Studies 2 68 1710 1778
English (Standard) 2 15 546 16 955 32 501
English (Advanced) 2 16 113 11 522 27 635
English as a Second Language 2 1520 1424 2944
English Extension 1 1 3750 2046 5796
English Extension 2 1 1490 766 2256
Food Technology 2 2635 868 3503
Geography 2 2016 2327 4343
Industrial Technology 2 338 3356 3694
Information Processes and Technology 2 1472 3777 5249
Legal Studies 2 5084 3400 8484
General Mathematics 2 15 563 14 771 30 334
Mathematics 2 8106 9522 17 628
Mathematics Extension 1 2 3668 5132 8800
Mathematics Extension 2 2 1158 1993 3151
Modern History 2 5365 4408 9773
History Extension 1 1364 907 2271
Music 1 2 2124 2823 4947
Music 2 2 397 353 750
Music Extension 1 240 208 448
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education 2 6905 6090 12 995
Physics 2 2188 7010 9198
Senior Science 2 2089 2567 4656
Society and Culture 2 3442 763 4205
Software Design and Development 2 175 1658 1833
Studies of Religion I 1 5424 4631 10 055
Studies of Religion II 2 2427 1149 3576
Textiles and Design 2 2184 33 2217
Visual Arts 2 6939 2838 9777
Course Name Units Female Male Total
Languages
Arabic Beginners 2 0 1 1
Arabic Continuers 2 157 93 250
Arabic Extension 1 50 28 78
Armenian Continuers 2 19 10 29
Chinese Background Speakers 2 608 517 1125
Chinese Beginners 2 14 18 32
Chinese Continuers 2 42 44 86
Chinese Extension 1 16 16 32
Classical Greek Continuers 2 2 12 14
Classical Greek Extension 1 2 9 11
Classical Hebrew Continuers 2 11 16 27
Classical Hebrew Extension 1 8 11 19
Croatian Continuers 2 4 4 8
Dutch Continuers 2 4 2 6
Filipino Continuers 2 16 7 23
French Beginners 2 512 118 630
French Continuers 2 628 223 851
French Extension 1 142 70 212
German Beginners 2 83 54 137
German Continuers 2 233 143 376
German Extension 1 61 47 108
Hindi Continuers 2 13 14 27
Hungarian Continuers 2 4 3 7
Indonesian Background Speakers 2 35 34 69
Indonesian Beginners 2 14 14 28
Indonesian Continuers 2 52 13 65
Indonesian Extension 1 15 3 18
Italian Beginners 2 253 71 324
Italian Continuers 2 238 107 345
Italian Extension 1 35 21 56
Japanese Background Speakers 2 37 22 59
Japanese Beginners 2 519 282 801
Japanese Continuers 2 461 248 709
Japanese Extension 1 175 97 272
Khmer Continuers 2 7 9 16
Korean Background Speakers 2 47 58 105
Korean Continuers 2 5 1 6
Latin Continuers 2 82 136 218
Latin Extension 1 46 77 123
Macedonian Continuers 2 20 9 29
Malay Background Speakers 2 1 0 1
Maltese Continuers 2 3 2 5
Modern Greek Beginners 2 19 15 34
Modern Greek Continuers 2 86 39 125
Modern Greek Extension 1 36 12 48
Modern Hebrew Continuers 2 20 18 38
Persian Background Speakers 2 27 24 51
Polish Continuers 2 14 15 29
Portuguese Continuers 2 10 5 15
Russian Background Speakers 2 15 7 22
Serbian Continuers 2 22 14 36
Spanish Beginners 2 117 46 163
Spanish Continuers 2 102 60 162
Spanish Extension 1 40 17 57
Swedish Continuers 2 4 4 8
Tamil Continuers 2 7 3 10
Turkish Continuers 2 38 10 48
Ukrainian Continuers 2 4 1 5
Vietnamese Continuers 2 92 57 149
Course Name Units Female Male Total
Vocational Education and Training
Accounting 2 246 274 520
Business Services 1889 562 2451
Business Services Extension 23 2 25
Business Services Examination 2 1491 377 1868
Construction 46 2230 2276
Construction Specialisation Studies 0 29 29
Construction Examination 2 27 1775 1802
Entertainment Industry 565 487 1047
Entertainment Industry Examination 2 497 415 912
Hospitality 5247 2379 7626
Hospitality Extension 139 62 201
Hospitality Examination 2 4627 1985 6612
Information Technology 668 1886 2554
Information Technology Specialisation Studies 11 57 68
Information Technology Examination 2 501 1619 2120
Metal and Engineering 17 867 884
Metal and Engineering Extension – Specialist Studies 2 81 83
Metal and Engineering Examination 2 14 689 703
Primary Industries 261 493 754
Primary Industries Extension/Specialisation Studies 4 3 7
Primary Industries Examination 2 208 365 573
Retail Operations 1490 646 2136
Retail Operations Examination 2 1199 472 1671
Tourism 480 63 543
Tourism Extension 12 1 13
Tourism Examination 2 326 43 369
Course Name Units Female Male Total
Life Skills
Citizenship and Society Life Skills 2 263 350 613
Creative Arts Life Skills 2 305 341 646
English Life Skills 2 578 809 1387
Mathematics Life Skills 2 448 638 1086
Personal Development, Health & PE Life Skills 2 319 467 786
Science Life Skills 2 176 243 419
Technology & Applied Studies Life Skills 2 311 417 728
Work and the Community Life Skills 2 365 466 831

Note: There are multiple courses available within each VET industry framework, allowing for flexible delivery throughout Stage 6. The courses have been combined to show entries in the base course, entries in any extension or specialisation courses and the entries in the optional examination. Due to the consolidation, no course number or unit value can be shown for these courses.

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HSC Support

NSW Students Online

Students Online

Students Online, the Board of Studies web site for HSC students, brings all the Board’s HSC resources together in the one place and is available 24 hours a day, every day.

Students log in to studentsonline.bos.nsw.edu.au using their four-digit personal identification number (PIN) and student number, which gives them access to their own exam timetable and past exam papers in their courses. They can also access HSC syllabuses, practice tests, notes from markers and other support materials and customise the site to suit their study needs.

The new web site also includes:

  • access to a variety of pods, such as News, Past Papers and Practice Tests, and the ability to keep the pods they want and hide the ones they don’t to create their own home page
  • an interactive ‘To Do’ pod where they can make notes and set their study and assignment priorities
  • an interactive essential links pod where students can add links to their favourite sites
  • answers to more than 100 frequently asked questions about the HSC
  • access to Assessment Rank Order Notices.

The HSC Advice Line – 13 11 12

The Advice Line is a telephone information service for students preparing for the HSC examinations. It provides advice on 26 major courses as part of an after-hours and weekend service leading up to and during the examination period.

The 2008 HSC Advice Line opens at 10 am on Saturday 11 October. It will close at 10 pm on Thursday 6 November.

The service is open:

Monday to Friday 4 pm to 10 pm

Saturday 10 am to 6 pm

Sunday 10 am to 10 pm

To speak to an adviser, students call 13 11 12. An operator will confirm the student’s details, record the nature of their question and arrange for an adviser to speak with them. All advisers are very experienced teachers of HSC courses.

The cost is only 25 cents, no matter where a student is calling from in NSW or how long the call lasts. Calls to the Advice Line cannot be made from mobile phones.

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Release of HSC Results to Students

The HSC results are available to students via the internet, SMS text message and automated telephone services from 6 am on Wednesday 17 December. Students will receive HSC results summaries in the mail on Friday 19 December and their full credentials on Tuesday 13 January 2009.

The pre-Christmas release of HSC results gives students more time to take advantage of career counselling and other support services before making decisions about university, TAFE and employment offers or other plans.

The Internet Results Service

Release of results by SMS text message – 0427 659 900

  • Students who want to automatically receive their HSC results by SMS can pre-register for the SMS service by text-messaging their student number and PIN to 0427 659 900 from 3 November 2008.
  • A return text message to the student confirms that they have registered for the service and the results will be sent to their mobile phone at approximately 6 am on 17 December.
  • Students who do not pre-register can still get their results by SMS by messaging their student number and PIN to the service after 6 am on 17 December.
  • Students should check that their phone is in credit and that there is room for messages in their phone’s inbox.
  • The SMS service will be charged at the standard price of a text message.

The Telephone Results Service – 1300 669 248

  • Students can access their HSC results from 6 am on Wednesday 17 December by using the automated telephone service.
  • Students call 1300 669 248 and follow the voice prompts. They will be asked to enter their student number and PIN.
  • Calls will be charged at standard local call rates. Mobile and payphone calls are extra.

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HSC Examination Inquiry Centre – 13 11 12

The HSC Examination Inquiry Centre will operate from 8 am on Wednesday 17 December 2008 until 5 pm on Friday 2 January 2009. Students can talk to experienced Board of Studies and school staff about their Higher School Certificate results.

Inquiries relating to the UAI, university admissions, post-secondary education and work should be directed to the Universities Admissions Centre or the annual Careers Advisory Service for School Leavers.

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Careers Advisory Service

Each year, following the release of the Higher School Certificate results, the NSW Department of Education and Training offers a free Careers Advisory Service which provides students and their families or caregivers with up-to-date and relevant information about the range of available career and study options.

The Careers Advisory Service will be open from Wednesday 17 December 2008 to Friday 9 January 2009. Students can contact the service by calling 1300 300 687, or email careers@det.nsw.edu.au.

More information and contact details are available at www.cas.det.nsw.edu.au.

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Maps of Board of Studies Regions

New South Wales

Map of New South Wales Board of Studies Regions

Sydney Metropolitan

Map of Sydney Board of Studies Regions

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Media Inquiries and Guidelines for Contacting Students

Media Inquiries

Please direct all your HSC media inquiries to:

Natalie Laharnar
Chief Media Officer
Office of the Board of Studies
Tel: (02) 9367 8066
Mobile: 0438 497 766
Fax: (02) 9367 8035
Email: natalie.laharnar@bos.nsw.edu.au

Guidelines for Contacting Students and Schools

It’s important that students are free to concentrate solely on their exams. For this reason media outlets should not attend schools before or during exams.

  • Mock-up shots after the exam can be arranged to provide images of students concentrating on their exam papers. Call the Board of Studies to make arrangements.
  • Journalists seeking access to a government school or telephone interviews with teachers should contact a Department of Education and Training media liaison officer on
    (02) 9561 8501, preferably 24 hours in advance.
  • Journalists seeking access to a non-government school should contact the school principal directly.
  • Be aware that in some cases parental permission must be obtained for students to be photographed or filmed or otherwise identified or interviewed. Check this with the principal.
  • Always notify the school principal on your arrival at the school.

Please call the above media inquiries number at any time with questions or special requests.

Additional media information and copies of this Media Guide can be found on the Board of Studies website.

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