2002 HSC Update Parents and Carers Newsletter 2
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS – NEWSLETTER 2
This Newsletter will be available in Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese
at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc/
by the 20 September 2002.
Higher School Certificate Marks and the Universities Admission Index
This year Higher School Certificate students will be able to obtain their HSC results by telephone or internet from 6.00 am on Thursday 19 December.
On Monday 23 December students will receive a summary of their HSC results in the post.
On Tuesday 21 January 2003 students will receive the full set of HSC documents – the Higher School Certificate itself, a record of achievement and a set of HSC course reports.
HSC reports provide information about the achievements of students in each of their chosen courses.
Students who have applied to the Universities Admissions Centre for a Universities Admission Index (UAI) will have access to their UAI from December 20.
The UAI ranks HSC students who have applied for university entrance on a scale from 0–100.
There is no direct relationship between HSC marks and the UAI rank. Higher School Certificate reports and UAI rankings have very different purposes.
HSC Reports
The reporting of achievement in the Higher School Certificate is the responsibility of the Board of Studies. For each course students will receive a course report that shows their HSC mark between 0–100.
The HSC mark is linked to a description of the standard of knowledge and skills that students have achieved (see Figure 1). This mark is a 50:50 combination of external examination and school-based assessment marks.
The Universities Admission Index (UAI)
The UAI is calculated by the universities’ Technical Committee on Scaling, independently of the Board of Studies.
The UAI is not a mark or an average of HSC marks. It is a number between 0.00 and 100.00 that shows a student’s rank relative to other students.
The universities scale students’ marks and rank students as if they have all been examined on the same set of courses.
The purpose of the UAI is to provide the universities with a convenient and straightforward way of selecting students for university entrance. The UAI does not give the detailed information about actual achievement that is provided in HSC course reports.
Further information about the UAI can be found on the Universities Admissions Centre website: www.uac.edu.au
USING HSC REPORTS
Figure 2 shows the percentages of students who take different pathways following completion of the HSC.
Most Year 12 school leavers go into training and work. Around 30% of students enter university courses immediately after completing Year 12.
HSC course reports can help students in choosing TAFE courses, applying for jobs, and in some cases gaining university entrance.
HSC/TAFE Credit Transfer
Many of the courses in the HSC can be used to gain credit towards a TAFE qualification. The HSC/TAFE Credit Transfer website (www.det.nsw.edu.au/hsctafe) provides information about how HSC courses and achievement at particular band levels can count towards a TAFE qualification.
Employers
HSC course reports can provide employers with information about what students know and can do, in relation to the requirements for a particular job.
Students seeking employment can draw from the descriptions of their achievement in the course reports when making job applications and at interviews.
University Entrance
Increasingly universities are using other selection measures in addition to the UAI to select students for university entrance. In some cases, for example, interviews, portfolios, principals’ recommendations or special tests are also used to make decisions about course entry.
Where other selection procedures are used students can highlight the level of knowledge and skills they have achieved in their HSC courses to support their case for admission.
Further information about the 2002 Higher School Certificate examination program can be obtained from the Board of Studies website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc or by contacting Board of Studies Liaison Officers:
| Sydney | Tel. (02) 9367 8356 |
| Randwick | Tel. (02) 9314 7987 |
| Parramatta | Tel. (02) 9806 1547 |
| Newcastle | Tel. (02) 4924 9976 |
| Wollongong | Tel. (02) 4224 9940 |
| Coffs Harbour | Tel. (02) 6659 3274 |
| Tamworth | Tel. (02) 6755 5043 |
| Bathurst | Tel. (02) 6334 8048 |
| Wagga Wagga | Tel. (02) 6937 3889 |