Guidelines for media
2011 HSC written exams, 17 October - 11 November
The HSC can be a challenging time for all involved: students, parents, principals, and exam supervisors.
The following guidelines are designed to help to ensure the wellbeing of candidates and the integrity of the examination process.
Accessing exam centres, students, papers
Exam centres: first and second days, October 17 and 18
Exam venues are the hall, room or lab in which exams are conducted.
To access these venues on the first and/or second day of the HSC written examinations – Business Studies on October 17 and English Standard/Advanced on October 18 – media personnel must register their interest before close of business on October 12; see contacts.
Journalists, photographers and crews will be allocated a school and briefed on Thursday October 13.
Accredited media visiting exam centres will do so under the direction of an onsite representative from the Board of Studies and/or the Department of Education and Communities.
Media will be able to enter the exam venue at the conclusion of Business Studies and English Advanced/Standard – once answers have been collected and related administrative tasks completed to the satisfaction of the presiding officer – to film student volunteers at their desks.
Exam centres: from October 19
Media can arrange access to school grounds, students and teachers from the third day of the HSC written exams; see contacts.
As in previous years, exam venues – the space in which the exams are being conducted – will be unavailable to the media from October 19.
Students
Media are asked not to approach students on their way to a HSC exam or enter school grounds without ensuring proper permissions – arranged via the Department of Education and Training or the principal of a non-government school – are in place; see contacts.
Papers
Some 2011 HSC examination papers can be made available to the media.
Check the timetable and nominate which papers will be needed by close of business on October 12; see contacts.
To review the format, visit past papers.
The Board will feature a question from an exam paper on most days in its news blog.
HSC papers remain the intellectual property of the Board of Studies NSW and some contain copyrighted material that cannot be reproduced. Such sections are clearly marked on the respective papers. Questions from papers must be reprinted/broadcast/reproduced in the exact format in which they appear in the HSC paper.
Media contacts
HSC assessment, courses, exams, illness/misadventure, marking, merit lists, operations, papers, regulations, resources, results, showcases, statistics, timetables:
Jenny Eather, Board of Studies NSW
Phone +61 2 9367 8250
Mobile +61 429 659 884
Email jenny.eather@bos.nsw.edu.au
Access to public schools and TAFE colleges, students, teachers, and principals, including first and second day exam centre access:
Liam Thorpe, NSW Department of Education and Communities
Phone +61 2 9516 8459
Email liam.thorpe@det.nsw.edu.au
Access to non-government schools and colleges, students, teachers, and principals:
- Principal of the respective institution
NSW Government