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Higher School Certificate
Media Guide 1996

Media Liaison Public Relations Officer
Phone: (02) 9367 8250
Fax: (02) 9367 8479

Contents

1996 Higher School Certificate Statistics and Story Leads

The 30th Higher School Certificate
- The Higher School Certificate -- a retrospective
- Languages and the Higher School Certificate, then and now
- Recollections from the class of '67
- Families celebrating 30 years of Higher School Certificate history
- Some facts about the class of '96
Technology and teachers -- helping Higher School Certificate students
- The HSC Advice Line 12
- The Internet 13
- 1995 HSC Examination CD-ROM
What's new in '96
- The Coffs Harbour marking centre
- The Higher School Certificate Review
A more flexible Higher School Certificate
- Pathways
- The HSC and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
The HSC on show
- ARTEXPRESS
- Call Back!
- Encore
- DesignTech
- OnSTAGE
Where, what and how Higher School Certificate candidates are studying
- Subjects with the largest candidatures
- Subjects with the smallest candidatures
Entries in Board Developed Courses by subject, course, and gender as at 23 August 1996.

Higher School Certificate Examination and Assessment

Eligibility for the Higher School Certificate
The Higher School Certificate assessment scheme
- The purpose and scope of assessments
- Components and weighting
- Moderation of assessments
- Unsatisfactory assessments
- School reviews and appeals to the Board
Producing the examinations
- Setting the examinations
- Assessors
- Aural and practical examinations
- Preparing 'the pack'
Conducting the examinations
- Supervision of the examinations
- Examination provisions for students with special needs
- Illness/Misadventure appeals
Courses with practical examinations and submitted works
Marking of the Higher School Certificate examinations
- Security
- Employment of markers
- Marking
- Reliability control measures
Results
- Reporting of results in Board courses
- Scaled examination marks for Board courses
- Scaling of English 2 Unit Related
- Reporting of results in Board Endorsed Courses
- Dual-accredited vocational HSC courses
- Result Notice
The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER)
- Tertiary entry
HSC Examination Inquiry Centre

The Higher School Certificate Curriculum

The HSC study program
Types of courses
- Board Developed Courses
- Distinction Courses
- Board Endorsed Courses
- Categories of Board Endorsed Courses
- Board Endorsed Courses in the 1996 HSC
- Joint Secondary Schools/TAFE courses
- Content Endorsed Courses
- Dual-accredited vocational HSC courses
Units of study
NAFLaSSL
Prescribed texts and works

Board of Studies NSW

Board members
Staff of the Office of the Board of Studies
Board of Studies Liaison Officers

Higher School Certificate Examination and Assessment

The Board of Studies NSW organised 66 examination committees to set 338 different examination papers for 130 courses between December 1995 and April 1996. In addition, examination papers for some small candidature languages were set by other States participating in the National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLaSSL).

It took more than 40 staff members 6-7 weeks to pack all the written examination papers for all students in each course, which resulted in over half-a-million parcels.

More than 3500 people will supervise the HSC examination sessions in 700 examination centres. These centres are mostly in schools and NSW TAFE colleges that have more than 40 candidates.

Other examination centres will be set up in all States and Territories in Australia, as well as on a number of islands and ships off the coast of Australia. Internationally, examination centres will be set up at the place at which a candidate is located at the time of the HSC examinations (see section 'Some facts about the class of '96' on page 11). The centre may be located at a school, another institution or the Australian Embassy based in the relevant region.

Eligibility for the Higher School Certificate

To be eligible for the Higher School Certificate, students must follow a course of study comprising a minimum of 11 units at a government or registered and accredited non-government school, a college of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) or a school outside New South Wales that is recognised by the Board.

Students may enter for courses they have studied at another school or a college of TAFE in addition to those studied at their own school. For example, 1870 students have entered for the HSC examination in Languages studied at the Department of School Education's Saturday School of Community Languages. A student may also enter for an 'outside' subject that has been studied with a private tutor, if this is approved by the school principal.

The HSC Assessment Scheme

Students will have a scaled examination mark and a moderated assessment mark reported separately on the Record of Achievement. The examination mark is based on examination performance and the assessment mark is based on tasks undertaken during the HSC course.

The purpose and scope of assessments

Assessments are designed to measure a wider range of achievements than can be measured by the external examination, and they use a number of measures over the HSC year to provide an accurate measure of each student's achievement for the course. Together, the examination and assessment marks provide a more accurate and complete picture of a student's achievement. To ensure that comparisons of results for the same courses from different schools throughout the state are fair, assessments from each school are adjusted to a common scale of marks using the exam marks in the course from the school.

Towards the end of the HSC course, schools provide a mark based on a student's performance in set assessment tasks.

Assessments are required for most courses set or endorsed by the Board. They are not required for vocational courses with student logs, such as Industry Studies.

Assessments are reported and are available for use in Illness/Misadventure appeals. Assessments provided by tutors are not reported but may be used in Illness/Misadventure appeals.

Components and weightings

To assess students' achievements, courses are divided into components that represent the skills and knowledge objectives of the course. The components are weighted and the school devises individual assessment tasks to measure a student's performance consistent with these components. For example, the weightings of the components of the Modern History 2 Unit course are:

Component	Weighting (%)
1. Core	30
2. Twentieth Century Studies	40
EITHER
3a. Nineteenth Century Studies
OR
3b. Modern World Studies	30
Total	100

Moderation of assessments

The assessment marks awarded to students in each course are adjusted to match the average (mean) of those students' scaled examination marks (SEM), with a similar spread of assessments to the exam marks being achieved by setting the top assessment to the top SEM and, where possible, the lowest assessment to the lowest SEM. This places the assessment marks on a common scale, allowing them to be compared with assessments from other schools.

Because the raw assessment marks cannot be compared fairly, schools are not allowed to reveal these to students. However, the Board informs students of their ranking within the schools for each course after the final examination. Schools are required to provide feedback on performance in each assessment task that contributes to assessment throughout the course.

Unsatisfactory assessments

Students are expected to undertake all assessment tasks set. If a task is missed, the school may require the student to undertake an alternative task. Decisions to allow students to do alternative tasks, as well as decisions to award a zero mark, are based on guidelines issued by the Board of Studies and conveyed to students in each school's assessment policy.

If a student does not attempt assessment tasks that together are worth more than 50% of available marks in any course, the principal certifies that the course has not been satisfactorily completed. Unless a student subsequently appeals successfully to the Board, neither an assessment mark nor an examination mark is granted, whether or not the student attends the examination.

School reviews and appeals to the Board

After all students at a school have finished their examinations, students may obtain a sheet from the Board showing their position within their school in the rank order for assessments in each course they studied. If students consider their placement in any course incorrect, they may apply to the school for a review.

There is no provision for a review of the actual marks awarded for assessment tasks. The only matters a school may consider are whether:

* the weightings specified by the school in its assessment program conform with the Board's requirements;

* the procedures used by the school for determining the final assessment mark conform with its published assessment program;

* there are computational or other clerical errors in determining the assessment mark.

The final date for applications for a school review of assessments is 2 December 1996.

The school advises the student of the outcome of the review by 6 December 1996. If a student is dissatisfied with the outcome of a school review, appeal to the Board is possible.

Producing the examinations

Setting the examinations

HSC examinations are set by examination committees that usually comprise six people including practising teachers, representatives from tertiary institutions and syllabus advisory committee members. This year 66 committees prepared 338 different examination papers for 130 courses set in NSW.

In addition, examination papers for some small candidature languages are set by other States participating in the National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLaSSL) scheme.

Assessors

After examinations are set, each paper is assessed by practising teachers of that subject. The assessor checks whether the paper is a fair and valid examination of the relevant course and attempts the actual paper to ensure its fairness to students. It is also assessed by a specialist to ensure that students with special needs are not disadvantaged.

Aural and practical examinations

For each examination in most modern languages, cassette tapes are produced to test a student's aural skills. Sample tapes are prepared by examination committees and checked by assessors.

Each aural examination is then produced in a high quality form using two readers who are native speakers of the language.

Compact discs are prepared for the Music aural exams.

Cassette tapes are produced for the Contemporary English Listening Paper. Special video tapes in sign language are prepared for hearing-impaired students studying Contemporary English.

Preparing 'the pack'

Once examination cassettes, disks and video tapes are produced and examination papers printed, compilation of 'the pack' begins. This involves packing and labelling enough cassette tapes, CDs, videos and sets of papers in each course for all students at each examination centre.

Conducting the examinations

Supervision of the examinations

The task of running each examination centre is the responsibility of a Presiding Officer (PO). The Presiding Officer is responsible for supervision throughout the examination period and is assisted by a number of supervisors.

Examination provisions for students with special needs

Special examination provisions are made for Higher School Certificate students who experience difficulty receiving examination questions or communicating acquired knowledge in an examination at a level that allows those students to complete the examination on an equal basis with all Higher School Certificate students.

Arrangements include provision of large print, coloured, and braille papers; the assistance of a writer; provision of an appropriate reader or oral interpreter; rest breaks; use of a typewriter or keyboard; provision for special furniture and lighting; and establishment of a special examination centre or separate supervision.

Applications for special examination provisions for students with disabilities were submitted to the Board of Studies from 29 April 1996. Arrangements needed as a result of accidents or other emergencies may be applied for up to and including the examination period.

Illness/Misadventure appeals

Students who are prevented from attending an examination, or whose performance has been affected by illness or misadventure immediately before or during the examination, may apply to the Board of Studies for consideration and a possible variation to their results.

Students must notify the Presiding Officer at every examination session in which they consider their performance may have been affected. The student is responsible for lodging an appeal with the Board of Studies by 3 December 1996 except in the case of oral/aural or practical examinations, where the appeal must be lodged within one week of the date of examination. Appeals must be supported by appropriate documentary evidence.

If an appeal is upheld, in most cases a student's achievement may be measured by the use of the moderated school assessment mark for that subject. In general, appeals are not considered for courses for which no assessment is available.

Courses with practical examinations and submitted works

Some HSC subjects involve forms of examination other than written examination papers. For example, all modern languages have an oral/aural component.

Submitted artworks

Candidates in Visual Arts submit an artwork, or series of artworks, for examination that contributes 50% of the final mark for the 2 unit course, the other 50% being derived from a written examination. Artworks are produced in a wide variety of media including painting, film and video, sculpture, drawing, photography, jewellery, design and graphics. Students taking a 3 unit course may choose to submit an additional submitted artwork or an integrated visual/verbal study or undertake another written examination.

Music performance

All students for Music (Board) courses are examined in music performance. Depending on the student's choice of electives, this may contribute between 10% and 70% to the 2 Unit Course 1 total examination mark. In Music 2/3 Unit, performance is worth between 20% and 50% and in Music 3 Unit, students may specialise totally in performance. Candidates may present solo and/or ensemble performances using instruments or voice.

Design and Technology

A subject that particularly reflects the contemporary flavour of the 1996 Higher School Certificate is Design and Technology. Introduced for Year 12 students as an HSC course in 1994, Design and Technology has broadened the school approach to technology education. It can include study of areas such as computer graphics, aquaculture, textiles, desktop publishing, building and construction, manufacturing and entertainment. Students may develop a Major Design Project in an area of interest over the extended period of time.

Design and Technology is one of the major subjects that offers students the chance to provide a submitted work as part of their Higher School Certificate.

Industry Studies

Candidates in Industry Studies present in one of three strands -- Hospitality, Metal and Engineering, or Retail. Retail students present for a practical exam based on responses to a video. Metal and Engineering and Hospitality students undertake and are examined on a practical task in the presence of two HSC examiners.

Classical Ballet, Dance, and Drama

Practical examinations for Classical Ballet 2/3 Unit and Dance 2 Unit were held at central metropolitan venues in August/September 1996. Performance in Classical Ballet 2 Unit contributes between 15% and 55% of the total examination mark, depending on the student's choice of electives. Performance in Dance 2 Unit contributes between 20% and 60% of the total examination mark, depending on the student's choice of electives.

Group performances and group presentations of an original devised piece of theatre in Drama 2 Unit were examined in schools throughout the metropolitan and country areas in September 1996. The group presentation is worth 35% of the total examination work.

Projects and reports

Twelve courses require candidates to submit a project or report for examination. Students select and pursue an area of interest closely related to the basic concepts of the course. For example, Design and Technology 2 Unit candidates carry out a Major Design Project, which will result in a product, a system or an environment, and a folio documenting all aspects of the project. Music (Board) students may submit scores and tapes of their original compositions and arrangements and/or an extended essay on topic(s) from the syllabus, while the Society and Culture candidates complete a Personal Interest Project based on a topic related to the fundamental concepts of the course.

Languages

In 25 language subjects, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria cooperate to provide one common examination for students of these languages living anywhere in Australia. This means, for example, that a student of Hindi living in Broome will do the same examination as a student living in Sydney. Each student will receive recognition for their results from their own State or Territory certification authority. This is known as the NAFLaSSL (National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level) Project.

Marking of the Higher School Certificate examinations

Security

A high level of security is maintained throughout the whole of the Higher School Certificate operation.

Security procedures include allowing entry to marking centres for authorised personnel only. Security guards are employed to guard each marking centre at all times, day and night.

Employment of markers

Approximately 7000 markers will mark the exams at 17 venues. They will be assisted by 700 clerical staff. The RAS Showground and centres in its vicinity comprise the largest marking centre, accommodating approximately 60 subjects. As well as those in Sydney, marking centres will be set up in Newcastle, Wollongong and Wagga Wagga as well as a new centre in Coffs Harbour (see page 14).

Marking

A Supervisor of Marking is appointed to coordinate the marking of each subject. Supervisors of Marking ensure that markers are fully briefed at the beginning of the marking session.

The majority of HSC papers are marked by groups of markers, marking together in centres established by the Board of Studies.

Reliability control measures

Generally, questions where a range of answers would be acceptable will be double marked. For example, all questions in subjects such as English and General Studies will be marked by two examiners. In the case of significant discrepancy between the marks awarded by these two examiners, additional independent marking is undertaken. Since different examiners are assigned to mark the various questions in the papers, in some subjects up to 10 different examiners are likely to mark a student's paper.

Questions or parts of papers where students are given detailed guidance as to the structure and nature of the answer required, and where the range of responses can be specified, will be marked by one examiner supported by a range of additional checks.

Where single marking is used, additional checking procedures are employed throughout the marking process. Where appropriate, these will include daily statistical checks.

Results

Students will receive their 1996 Higher School Certificate results on Tuesday, 7 January 1997.

All students eligible for a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) will receive notification of this in the same envelope as their Higher School Certificate results. The TER is not printed on the Higher School Certificate.

All students who satisfactorily complete at least one HSC course will receive a Record of Achievement listing courses and results.

Those who have not followed the required HSC study program will receive a Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement but not a Higher School Certificate. Self-tuition students will receive only a Result Notice. The Record of Achievement and Result Notice list their results in each course.

On the back of the HSC Record of Achievement is an explanation of the way in which the Board determines the marks and percentile bands for each course.

All students will receive an application form for a clerical processing recheck. There is no provision for re-marking of papers, but a clerical recheck ensures that all answers have been marked, and that marks have been correctly allocated and computed.

Individual student's results will be released only to the student, the student's school principal and the Universities Admissions Centre. They will not be published.

Reporting of results in Board courses

Student's performances in the various Board courses are reported by a scaled examination mark, a moderated school assessment mark and a percentile band that shows the student's relative position in that course.

Students who are absent from an examination for which they are entered, and who do not have an Illness/Misadventure appeal upheld, will receive neither an examination mark nor a moderated assessment for the paper concerned.

Scaled examination marks for Board courses

In all 2 unit courses the scaled examination mark is out of 100, with the median mark for all students set at 60. The pattern of marks in large candidature 2 unit courses except English

2 Unit Related will be such that:

* 1-2% of candidates will be awarded marks of 90 or more;

* approximately 25% of candidates will be awarded marks of 70 or more;

* no less than 50% of candidates will be awarded marks of 60 or more;

* no less than 75% of candidates will be awarded marks of 50 or more;

* no more than 5% of candidates will be awarded marks of less than 30.

Variations of this pattern of marks will occur for students doing 1 unit, 3 unit and 4 unit courses. These variations will be explained in detail in the literature accompanying the Certificate or Result Notice.

In this context there is no 'pass mark'. The concept of 'passing' or 'failing' does not apply to the Higher School Certificate.

Scaling of English 2 Unit Related

This year, the marks for English 2 Unit Related will be directly comparable to the marks for English 2 Unit General. There will be common questions on Paper 1 and Paper 2* of the

2 Unit General and 2 Unit Related examinations. The marks for 2 Unit General students will be scaled according to the usual pattern for 2 Unit courses, and the 2 Unit Related marks will be scaled to reflect the relative performance of these students compared to the 2 Unit General students on the common questions.

* Both 2 Unit Related and 2 Unit General English examinations have two papers each. The English

2 Unit Related examination has Paper 1: Resources and Uses of English and Shakespeare; and Paper 2: Poetry-Fiction-Drama. The English 2 Unit General examination has Paper 1: Uses of English and Topic Areas; and Paper 2: Responses to Literature.

Reporting of results in Board Endorsed Courses

These courses are not examined by the Board and results are reported in terms of assessment marks submitted by schools and colleges. These marks are not moderated and cannot be compared with marks awarded in similar courses at other schools or for Board Developed Courses. Board Endorsed Courses have the symbol *** in the space designated for the examination mark.

Joint Secondary Schools/TAFE courses that are Board Endorsed Courses will also be reported as being either satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily completed.

Dual-accredited vocational HSC courses

In Industry Studies 2 Unit and vocational Content Endorsed Courses, a student log provides specific information on modules successfully completed for the course.

Students who successfully complete the Industry Studies 2 Unit course or a 240 hour vocational Content Endorsed Course will receive a Certificate issued by the Board of Studies under authorisation from the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB). Students who successfully complete modules that total less than 240 hours will receive Statement(s) of Competency issued by the Board of Studies under authorisation from VETAB.

Result Notice

Result Notices are issued to students who are not enrolled at an accredited school or a school recognised by the Board. Such students cannot receive either a Record of Achievement or a Higher School Certificate testamur. The Result Notice is a cumulative record, which will list the courses satisfactorily completed and the results achieved.

The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER)

The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) is a number reported on a scale of 0 to 100 with intervals of 0.05. The TER is calculated by the University of Sydney (on behalf of universities in NSW and the ACT) and is based on a scaled aggregate calculated by using a student's best 10 units in Board Developed HSC courses, subject to the following restrictions: at least one unit of English must be included; at least one unit from each Key Learning Area group must be included; at most, two units of Category B courses may be included, and the TER may include units accumulated by a candidate over a total span of five years.

Students who do not attempt at least 10 units of Board Developed Courses are not eligible for a TER. Board Endorsed Courses do not count towards the TER.

The TER shows where a student stands in relation to all other Higher School Certificate students for whom a TER was calculated. The TER a student receives indicates what percentage of Higher School Certificate students are below that student in the overall order of merit of students.

Students on the top rank will receive a TER of 100. For the lowest 15% the TER will state '15.00 or below'.

Students receive advice of their TER on a document separate from, but included in the same envelope as, their Higher School Certificate results.

The Board of Studies reports the marks for each course on the Record of Achievement. It is not valid to add the Board's marks for each course as doing so takes no account of the comparative difference between candidates in different courses.

The University of Sydney calculates the TER using a scaling process that enables marks obtained in different courses to be added together for tertiary entrance purposes. It should also be stressed that the TER is a rank or position, not a mark.

Tertiary entry

Unless the student specifically requests otherwise, candidates' results will be forwarded automatically to the Universities Admissions Centre, which processes applications for admission to participating universities.

HSC Examination Inquiry Centre

On the day that Higher School Certificate results arrive -- Tuesday, 7 January 1997 -- the Higher School Certificate Examination Inquiry Centre will open. The inquiry centre will be established at the Board of Studies. It will be staffed by the Board Liaison Officers, Board of Studies officers and personnel from government and non-government schools.

The HSC Examination Inquiry Centre provides an opportunity for students to discuss any queries regarding their Higher School Certificate results.

Personnel at the HSC Examination Inquiry Centre are able to answer questions about results only. Inquiries in relation to university admissions and post-secondary education should be directed to the Universities Admissions Centre or the Advisory Centres for Students and School Leavers.

The Higher School Certificate Curriculum

The HSC study program

To qualify for the Higher School Certificate, students must study a pattern of Preliminary and HSC courses. Both patterns must comprise at least 11 units of study including:

* at least two units of English

* at least one unit from Key Learning Area Group 1 (Science/Mathematics/ Technological and Applied Studies [TAS])

* at least one unit from Key Learning Area Group 2 (Languages Other Than English [LOTE]/Human Society and Its Environment [HSIE]/Personal Development, Health and Physical Education [PDHPE]/Creative Arts)

* at least 6 units of Board Developed (examination) courses.

Students may undertake a combination of Board Developed and Board Endorsed Courses to make up the 11 required units for both the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate patterns. However, at least six of these units must be Board Developed Courses for the students to be eligible for the award of the Higher School Certificate.

Types of courses

The Preliminary and HSC courses fall into a number of categories.

Board Developed Courses

These are courses that are set and externally examined by the Board of Studies, eg English, Mathematics, Biology, Computing Studies and Visual Arts.

Distinction Courses

Distinction Courses are high-level HSC courses delivered by universities through distance education. The courses consist of 2 units of study, which are additional to the required 11 units of HSC study but can be counted towards the calculation of the TER. In 1996 three Distinction Courses were offered -- Cosmology, Comparative Literature and Philosophy. Distinction Courses provide an exciting preparation for university study.

Board Endorsed Courses

These include courses that may be developed by schools or colleges of TAFE but not examined by the Board. Board Endorsed Courses are designed to meet the particular needs of their students and to extend the range of courses offered. These courses must be endorsed by the Board of Studies for inclusion in an HSC program of study.

Generally, there are two broad requirements for the endorsement of a Board Endorsed Course:

(i) the course must offer subject matter for study that does not duplicate an existing Board course;

(ii) it must meet the Board's requirements for course aim and objectives, content, assessment of student achievement and course evaluation. These courses must be as challenging as Board Developed Courses, of equivalent unit value and duration. Schools must complete a course evaluation as part of the endorsement process. After a course has been implemented for four years, it must be completely revised and re-submitted as a new course.

Categories of Board Endorsed Courses

Board Endorsed Courses fall into three categories: those developed by schools; those run in conjunction with colleges of TAFE, namely Joint Secondary Schools/TAFE (JSSTAFE) courses; and those developed from exemplary school-developed courses and used by the Board of Studies.

The flexibility that these three approaches give to schools means that local resources and personnel can be used most effectively to the advantage of students.

Students who satisfactorily complete JSSTAFE courses have the added advantage of receiving accreditation from both the Board of Studies and TAFE. Other courses attract industry-recognised accreditation.

Board Endorsed Courses in the 1996 HSC

A variety of Board Endorsed Courses is available for HSC candidates in 1996. Popular areas of study include:

Religious Studies	Visual Arts, Ceramics
Interpreting and Translating	Business Management
Technology: Graphic Design	Health Studies
Parenting and Child Care

Joint Secondary Schools/TAFE courses

There is a wide range of Content Endorsed Courses available in conjunction with TAFE. JSSTAFE courses are externally examined by TAFE. Popular areas include:
Office Skills
Hospitality Studies
Automotive Studies
Rural Studies
Child Studies

Content Endorsed Courses

Content Endorsed Courses (CECs) were introduced in 1985. The courses are endorsed by the Board to cater for a wide candidature. Course outlines have been distributed to all secondary schools in NSW and any school may implement any course that meets the needs of its own students.

Currently there are 17 such courses:

	Drama and Theatre	Religious Studies
	Practical Writing Skills	Skills for Living
	Ceramics	Horticulture
	Computing Applications	History for Leisure
	Environmental Studies	Studies in Dance
	Exploring Early Childhood	Mass Media Studies
	Marine Studies	Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies
	Photography	Work Studies
	Visual Design

The assessment marks for Content Endorsed Courses do not contribute to the TER, but satisfactory achievement is recorded on the appropriate Record of Achievement.

Dual-accredited vocational HSC courses

These courses contribute to the Higher School Certificate and can be either 1 or 2 units. The courses have the following features:

* they are dual-accredited; that is, accredited by the Board of Studies for HSC purposes and the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) for industry purposes;

* they are arranged in a modular structure;

* successful completion of modules ensures advanced standing into TAFE and a range of traineeships and apprenticeships;

* students can be taught in a variety of settings, including school, TAFE or in an accredited industry training situation;

* students spend at least a third of course time in an industry workplace. This placement will enable students to gain quality, structured training in a real workplace setting;

* in addition to the Higher School Certificate, students will receive a credential issued by the Board of Studies under authorisation from VETAB for modules successfully completed;

* are based on national training curriculum where available;

* are written and assessed in competency-based terms.

Dual-accredited courses can be either Board Developed or Content Endorsed.

Industry Studies is the only Board Developed, dual-accredited vocational course. This course consists of three strands; Metal and Engineering, Hospitality, and Retail.

The dual-accredited vocational Content Endorsed Courses (CECs)are:

* Hospitality CEC

* Retail CEC

* Office Skills CEC

* Rural Industries CEC

* Building and Construction CEC

* Furnishing CEC

* Electronics CEC

Units of study

Most subject areas have a number of courses that are divided into units of study. The number of units is based on the amount of indicative school time spent studying the course.

Most courses are at 2 unit level and most have a 3 unit additional course of study. Mathematics and Science both have a 4 unit additional course. Others, such as General Studies and Applied Studies, can only be studied as 1 unit courses.

Each unit requires approximately 60 hours of classroom study per year. Therefore, a student taking Science 4 Unit for Preliminary and HSC courses could expect to study that course for approximately 240 hours each year.

The higher unit values allow students with special aptitude for, or interest in, a particular course to study the content more deeply and pursue more of the available options.

Based on unit values, the Board of Studies offers the following groups of courses:

* 1 unit courses

* 2 unit courses that lead to 3 unit courses

* 2 unit courses that do not lead to 3 unit courses

* 2 unit Z courses

* 3 unit courses

* 4 unit courses.

There are three kinds of 2 unit courses:

* 2 unit courses that lead to a 3 unit course in the subject

* 2 unit courses that do not lead to a 3 unit course in the subject

* 2 unit Z courses in Languages Other Than English, designed for students who begin study of the language for the Higher School Certificate.

3 unit courses: 3 unit courses incorporate all of a 2 unit course and, in the required additional timetabled school study, provide a deeper and more extensive treatment of the subject. Students in 3 unit courses sit for the paper for the 2 unit course (and any other submitted work required) and then will prepare for an additional paper and/or submitted works.

3 and 4 unit courses in Mathematics and Science: Mathematics 3 Unit is a course of study that incorporates all of the 2 unit course and would generally require 180 hours of timetabled school time in each of the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate courses.

Science 3 Unit is interdisciplinary and contains some Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geology. It requires 180 hours of timetabled school time in each of the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate components.

Mathematics 4 Unit incorporates all of the 3 unit course and would require approximately 180 hours of timetabled school time for the Preliminary Year followed by 240 hours for the Higher School Certificate component.

Science 4 Unit requires 240 hours of timetabled school time for each of the Preliminary and Higher School Certificate courses.

NAFLaSSL

The National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLaSSL) is a joint venture by the States to provide a common syllabus and assessment scheme for 26 of the small candidature languages. Each participating State assumes responsibility for certain languages and writes the syllabuses, and sets and marks the examination papers that are used in all States.

Prescribed texts and works

For many subjects in the 1996 HSC there are prescribed texts, topics, projects and works that students will have studied specifically for the examination. These texts and topics were determined in 1993 to ensure that schools were able to plan ahead.

Board of Studies NSW

The Board of Studies NSW, established by the Education Reform Act 1990, is responsible for the Higher School Certificate and the School Certificate, curriculum developments, and registration and accreditation of non-government schools.

Board members

The membership of the Board includes a full-time President and three ex-officio members, with the remaining 19 members being appointed by the Minister for Education and Training as nominees of particular organisations or persons with identified knowledge or expertise.

Board Members	Representing
Mr G G (Sam) Weller
President
Dr Terry Burke	Nominee of the Director-General of School Education
Ms Judy Byrne	Nominee of the Managing Director, Technical and Further Education Commission
Ms Jane Diplock	Director-General, Department of Training and Education Coordination
Professor John Mack	Nominee of the New South Wales Vice-Chancellors' Committee
Dr Kathie Forster	Nominees of the Council of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales
(representing parents of primary school children)
and
Ms Dianne Butland
(representing parents of secondary school children)

Dr Brian Croke	Nominee of the Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales
Mr Anthony Rae AM	Nominee of the Association of Independent Schools, the Headmasters' Conference and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls Schools
Ms Kitty Guerin	Non-government school teacher being a nominee of the Independent Education Union
Dr Gregory Haines	Parent of a child attending a non- government school, being a nominee of the Catholic Education Commission, New South Wales and the New South Wales Parents Council
Mr Terry Sanders (representing primary schools)	Principals of government schools, one being a nominee of the New South Wales Council of Primary School Principals and the other being a nominee of the New South Wales Council of Secondary School Principals
and
Mr Bernard Shepherd (representing secondary schools)

Mr Charles Simpson (primary school teacher)	Nominees of the New South Wales Teachers Federation, one being a primary government school teacher (other than a principal) and the other being a secondary government school teacher (other than a principal)
and
Ms Mary Fogarty (secondary school teacher)
Dr Sue Dockett	Person with knowledge and expertise in early childhood education
Ms Linda Burney	Aboriginal person with knowledge and expertise in the education of Aboriginal people
Dame Leonie Kramer AC	Six other persons having, in the Minister's opinion, qualifications or experience that enables them to make a valuable contribution to primary or secondary education in New South Wales
Ms Ann Clark AM
Professor Jillian Maling AM
Mr Stepan Kerkyasharian AM
Mr Tony Selmes
Dr Gregory Hotchkis

In relation to the Higher School Certificate, the Board is responsible for:

* developing and endorsing courses of study;

* making arrangements for conducting examinations and student assessments;

* regulating the conduct of examinations and assessments, and the recording of students' achievements in them;

* granting the Higher School Certificate;

* providing the Preliminary and HSC Records of Achievement and/or Result Notices;

* providing advice and assistance to students, employers and the public regarding the nature and content of secondary courses, assessment and examination procedures, and the reporting of students' achievements in them.

The Board has a number of standing committees that make recommendations to the Board concerning syllabus and examination requirements.

Staff of the Office of the Board of Studies

The staff of the Office of the Board of Studies involved with the Higher School Certificate provide administrative, technical and professional support in the following areas:

* designing Higher School Certificate courses

* preparing Higher School Certificate examination papers

* planning, conducting, marking and processing Higher School Certificate examinations

* processing student assessments

* issuing the certificate, Records of Achievement and/or Result Notices

* conducting statistical analyses

* setting up the Higher School Certificate Examination Inquiry Centre

* advising schools of Board policy and procedures directly and through Board Liaison Officers

* communicating information about the Higher School Certificate to school students, parents and the community

* facilitating and coordinating the HSC Advice Line

* developing high-profile exhibitions to demonstrate achievements and excellence at HSC level.

Staff of the Office of the Board of Studies also provide similar support to the committees of the Board that deal with the School Certificate.

Board of Studies Liaison Officers

The Board of Studies has ten Board Liaison Officers (BOSLOs) located across the State.

A Board of Studies Liaison Officer is:

* the Board's representative who works closely with government and non-government schools;

* the immediate contact person within a region for any inquiries from interested parties on Board-related matters;

* a communications link between the Board and schools;

* available to assist schools in design, implementation and evaluation of their assessment programs;

* the coordinator of Board Endorsed Courses and Joint Secondary Schools/TAFE programs within the region;

* a member of the Higher School Certificate Illness/Misadventure Appeals Review Panel;

* involved in the Higher School Certificate Examination Inquiry Centres to assist students with interpretation of their Higher School Certificate results.

The Board of Studies Liaison Officer may assist with:

* statistics on course entries for the region;

* factual information concerning the Higher School Certificate such as the Higher School Certificate examination timetables, HSC eligibility and course requirements;

* school liaison (in consultation with government and non-government school systems).

Board of Studies Liaison Officers are: