Information regarding the HSC examination in Legal Studies for 2010
Decisions made by the Board of Studies in December 2008 have resulted in changes to some HSC examinations in 2010 and beyond.
The 2010 Legal Studies HSC examination will have the same format and structure as past Legal Studies HSC examinations. Working through past HSC examinations would be a valuable part of a student’s preparation program for the 2010 HSC examination in this course. The nature, format and particular emphasis of questions may change from year to year. It is important that students read and respond to the questions in examinations rather than prepare a response to a preconceived idea of what the question will entail.
The Legal Studies HSC examination specifications now give guidance on the expected length of extended responses, stated in terms of the approximate number of pages of an examination writing booklet (based on average-sized handwriting) and/or an approximate number of words. Students may write less than or more than what is expected and they will not be penalised. Their responses will be marked on the structure and organisation of responses, the quality of the arguments and explanations, and the relevance of the content to the question asked.
The Board also decided that rubrics be amended (where necessary) to ensure that due emphasis is placed on these qualities in the marking of responses.
More details about the examination, and information about assessment components and weightings are in Assessment and Reporting in Legal Studies Stage 6.(PDF, 193 KB)
A new Legal Studies syllabus will be implemented for Year 11 students in 2010, to be first examined in the HSC in 2011. Examination specifications and assessment requirements for this new Legal Studies syllabus are available at Board of Studies website.