Home
HSC Exams
Illness/misadventure

Illness/misadventure on exam day

If you become ill or suffer an accident that affects your exam performance, you should submit an illness/misadventure appeal form (available at the exam centre) through the principal and notify the Presiding Officer when entering the exam or as soon as possible.

It is important that you attend the exams where possible even if you believe your performance in the exam will be affected. If you cannot attend an exam because of illness or misadventure, notify your school principal immediately. You should never risk harm in order to attend an exam, or attend an exam against medical advice.

You must obtain documentary evidence generally on the day of the exam to support your illness/misadventure appeal. If you did not sit the exam this evidence must indicate why you were unable to attend. Read more in the HSC Rules and Procedures guide.

Emergency disability provisions

A writer or separate supervision can be arranged if you have an accident or an illness such as a broken arm or chicken pox just before the exam. You should immediately notify your principal or Year adviser in such a case.

Arriving late to the exam

If you are late to an exam advise your principal immediately and get to the exam centre as soon as possible.

Misreading the exam timetable

If you miss an exam because you have misread the timetable, you must contact your principal immediately.

Appeal application process

Once you have obtained your evidence, completed the form and handed it in to the school, the Principal will submit your appeal to the Board of Studies for processing. A panel will review your application and the supporting documentation before deciding to uphold or decline each exam in your appeal. Members of the panel will review your statements, the medical or misadventure evidence, plus the Presiding Officer and Principal’s statements before making a decision. Each examination is treated independently which is why it is important to have comprehensive evidence for each affected exam.

Results of appeal

In the case of most Board Developed Courses, if your appeal is upheld you will receive your examination mark or your assessment mark for the examination, whichever is the greater. In the case of the optional VET HSC examinations, if your appeal is upheld you will receive your examination mark or a mark derived from an estimate submitted by your school, whichever is the greater.

If your appeal is declined, you will be awarded the mark you achieved in the examination. If you were absent from an examination and your illness/misadventure appeal is declined, you will not receive any result in that course. This could mean that you become ineligible for the award of the Higher School Certificate.

Illness/misadventure statistics by school

The Board of Studies publishes HSC illness/misadventure data by school from 2004 to the present. School-by-school statistics are not available until the February following the exams as it takes some time for all appeals to be finalised.

Note that data has been blacked out for any school with less than six students in its HSC cohort and/or for any school where only one student lodged an illness/misadventure appeal. This is to protect the privacy of students who might otherwise be identified in a small group.

Educational Resources

Board of Studies NSW