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HSC Examination Statistics 1996

The Higher School Certificate Examination Statistics report has been published annually since 1985 by the Board of Studies and its predecessors. Each volume provides a statistical view of the candidature, the courses and the scaling of marks for a particular year while also serving as a public record of the Higher School Certificate Examination. The statistical tables can provide a valuable resource for teachers and researchers, with comparisons able to be made both within a single year and over an extended period of time.

The complete report is available here.

Table of contents

View the table of contents of the report or download the statistical overview as a 62-page Adobe Acrobat file (256k). It contains a statistical overview of the candidature, the courses and the scaling of marks for the 1996 Higher School Certificate.

The statistics for each of 150 courses in 78 subject areas can be viewed or downloaded as single page Adobe Acrobat files, or as one 192-page file (780k).

The 1996 Higher School Certificate Examination

Table 1 -- Total Candidature by Award and Sex

This report is provided to schools, universities and other interested parties. Paper copies of the current report can be purchased from the Board and back copies of previous volumes may be available.

This 1996 Higher School Certificate Examination Statistics report was prepared by the Measurement and Research Services (MARS) Unit of the Board of Studies. Inquiries concerning the content of the report and suggestions for items to include in future volumes are welcomed.

The 1996 Higher School Certificate Examination

In 1996 a Higher School Certificate was awarded to school and College of TAFE students who completed a satisfactory program of Preliminary and HSC courses, based on a public examination and, in most cases, a school assessment. Each year tens of thousands of students sit for the Higher School Certificate Examination. In total they produce hundreds of thousands of pages of written scripts. In 1996, 61 638 candidates presented for the Higher School Certificate, with examinations being available in 150 courses, drawn from 78 subject areas. 47.4% of candidates were male and 52.6% were female. Most students presented 5 or 6 Board-Developed courses, with each course involving at least one paper, usually of 3 hours' duration. Students may also present Other Endorsed Studies courses. These are examined internally by schools and are not subject to scaling or moderation. Other Endorsed Studies courses are not included in this report. Candidates who meet all the Board's requirements for the full program of study are awarded the Higher School Certificate.

Table 1 shows the total candidature cross-tabulated by award and sex.

Table 1 -- Total Candidature of the Higher School Certificate Examination 1996 by Award and Sex