- Home
- HSC
- HSC Exams
- HSC examination committees
- Developing marking guidelines
Principles for developing marking guidelines in a standards–referenced framework
Content
- Marking guidelines will be developed in the context of relevant syllabus outcomes and content.
- Marks will be awarded for demonstrating achievement of aspects of the syllabus outcomes addressed by the question.
- Marking guidelines will reflect the nature and intention of the question and will be
expressed in terms of the knowledge and skills demanded by the task.
Specificity of marking guidelines
- Marking guidelines will indicate the initial criteria that will be used to award marks.
- Marking guidelines will allow for less predictable and less defined responses, for example, characteristics such as flair, originality and creativity, or the provision of alternative solutions where
appropriate.
- Marking guidelines for extended responses will, as far as possible, use language that is consistent with the outcomes and the band descriptions for the subject.
- Marking guidelines are to incorporate the generic rubric provided in the examination paper as well as aspects specifically related to the question.
Language of marking guidelines
- The language of marking guidelines will be clear, unambiguous and accessible to ensure consistency in marking.
Discrimination between different levels of performance
- Where a question is designed to test higher-order outcomes, the marking guidelines will allow for differentiation between responses, with
more marks being awarded for the demonstration of higher-order outcomes.
- Marking guidelines will indicate the quality of response required
to gain a mark or a sub-range of marks.
- High achievement will not be defined solely in terms of the quantity
of information provided.
Optional questions
- Optional questions within a paper will be marked using comparable
marking criteria.
Generic type questions
- Marking guidelines for questions that can be answered using a range
of contexts and/or content will have a common marking guideline
exemplified using appropriate contexts and/or content.