2008 HSC examination timetable released today
1 May 2008
NSW Minister for Education and Training, John Della Bosca, has announced the timetable for the 2008 Higher School Certificate examination will be made available to students, parents and teachers from this morning (1 May).
“The release of the timetable more than five months before the start of the exams means students can start planning their study schedule with certainty,” the Minister said.
“Changes have been made this year to accommodate the variety of subjects chosen by students and to provide an even spread of the major subjects – such as Maths and English – across the examination period.
“This year, the exams will be held over 19 days from Thursday 16 October to Thursday 13 November,” Mr Della Bosca said.
Some of the features of the 2008 HSC timetable are:
- A total of 110 HSC exams will be held over 19 days in October and November
- Business Studies is the first exam and will be held on Thursday 16 October.
- The only two mandatory exams - for English - are scheduled for Friday 17 October and Monday 20 October.
- The two largest Mathematics courses will be examined on Thursday 23 October (General Mathematics) and Monday 27 October (Mathematics)
- The last exams are Society and Culture, Tourism (VET) and several languages will also be held on Thursday 13 November
- The School Certificate tests will be held from 10 -14 November.
“The key message for students at this point in the HSC year is to ensure they work diligently and consistently on their studies, and develop a balance between their school and personal life,” Mr Della Bosca said.
“By the time of their written exams they will have completed their assessment tasks which count for 50 per cent of their total marks.
“The development of the HSC timetable by the NSW Board of Studies is a complex task which involved fitting 110 examinations for an estimated 67,000 students into a four-week period.
“It is essential that the exams finish in mid November to ensure there is enough time to release the final results to students before Christmas.
“The HSC is Australia’s gold-standard leaving certificate,” the Minister said.
“Students can be confident they are working towards a nationally and internationally recognised qualification and that the skills and knowledge they gain will help them reach their further study and career aspirations,” the Minister said.
“Last year saw a stand out performance from students with a record number of 1036 ‘all-rounders’ achieving a mark of 90 or more in at least 10 units as well as 113 students who achieved first place in a 2007 NSW HSC course,” he added
The 2008 HSC timetable can be accessed at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au.
NSW Government