UNDERSTANDINGHSC resu l t sFor more information about

understanding HSC results,including how to access them and explanations of the marking,moderation and alignmentprocesses, visit the HSC resultssection of the BOSTES website.

HSC Results Inquiry Centre

1300 13 83 23A telephone hotlineavailable to call afterresults are released if youhave any questions.

BOSTES offers the following fee-based HSC results services. It isimportant to note these services donot involve a re-mark ofexamination responses. Visit theBOSTES website for more details.

HSC Results Check

If you feel your examination mark isnot as you expected, this service isan opportunity to confirm yourmarks were processed correctly.

HSC Raw Marks Report

You are able to request a report of the raw examination marks for each question in each courseyou studied.

HSC Examination Responses

You are able to request a copy of your examination responses for each of your courses with a written examination.

Replacement certificates

If your certificates are ever lost ordestroyed, you can order a replacement.

Careers Advisory Service

Free phone and email serviceoffered by the NSW Department of Education and Communitiesavailable after results are releasedin December. The service providesstudents and their families orcaregivers with up-to-date, relevantand impartial information about therange of available career and studyoptions. For more information visitcas.det.nsw.edu.au

TAFE NSW

For courses, application andenrolment procedures or careerscounsellor appointments call 131 601 or visit tafensw.edu.au

Universities AdmissionsCentre (UAC)

For more information about theATAR and university admissionscall (02) 9752 0200 or visituac.edu.au

studentsonl ine.bos.nsw.edu.au

HSC resu l t sse rv i ces

Other post -HSC se rv i ces

The HSC results are used by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to calculate a rank order of students known as the Australian TertiaryAdmission Rank (ATAR).

The ATAR is not a mark, nor is it a summary of the HSC. It is a rankingsystem used to allocate university placements.

UAC releases the ATAR the day after the release of HSC results. UAC calculates the university admission rankings each year using your moderated assessment marks and total raw exam marks.

Notification of your ATAR is optional. Students undertaking the HSC mayindicate that they do not wish to receive an ATAR. Many students who do notwish to gain entry to university do not request calculation of an ATAR.

To be eligible for an ATAR, students must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of eligible Board Developed Courses for which formalexaminations are conducted by BOSTES.

AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY ADMISSION RANK (ATAR)

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Your guide to understanding yourHigher School Certificate results and what they represent

Several thousand experienced teachers from across thestate are employed by BOSTES to mark the HSC written and practical exams. Students sit for morethan 500 000 individual examinations each year, usingalmost two million writing booklets.

Your exam paper for a course will be split into sectionsand marked by many different markers using marking guidelines set by the exam committee.Your English exam, for example, will be marked by at least 12 different markers, each specialising in the question they are allocated. A Supervisor ofMarking is appointed for every course, ensuring every student’s performance, project or written examresponse is marked accurately and fairly.

The final step to determining your examination mark isthe alignment of exam results to the courseperformance bands.

Your assessment mark represents the measurement of your performance in a wider range of outcomes than can be tested in a state-wide exam. Your schoolsubmits an assessment mark to BOSTES based on yourperformance in assessment tasks such as tests, written ororal assignments and projects. BOSTES then adjusts themark using a process called moderation. The purpose ofmoderation is to place the assessment marks awardedby all schools in each course on the same scale.

How your resu l t s a re de te rmined

If you havesatisfied all therequirements,

you will beawarded theHigher SchoolCertificate andreceive your HSC credentials in January.

Achieving the HSC is different fromgetting a driverlicence or an ATAR.You do not receivea simple ‘pass’ or‘fail’, or a singlerank or markoverall.

Rather, you willreceive HSC marksthat reflect thelevel of knowledge,skills andunderstanding youhave achieved aftercompleting each ofyour HSC courses.

Your HSC resu l t sYour achievement in each course inthe HSC is reported in relation todefined standards, ensuring you are rewarded for yourperformance with the mark youdeserve, no matter how manyother people performed at asimilar, higher, or lower level. Thereis no predetermined number ofstudents in each mark range.

These achievement standards do not change each HSC year,making it possible to compare theperformances of students in thesame course across different years.Therefore, you know your HSCmark in a course is equivalent tothe same mark achieved bysomeone last year.

Your HSC credentials will includeyour HSC testamur and Record of Achievement. If you studied aVocational Education and Trainingcourse, you may also receive an Australian QualificationsFramework VET certificate or VETStatement of Attainment.

Your Stage 5 and Preliminarycourse grades will also beprovided.

Your HSC results will be reportedon your Record of Achievement. In most courses, your result willconsist of your examination mark and your assessment mark,which determines your HSC mark for each course you studied.Your HSC mark will align with aperformance band describing thetypical performance in that markrange in the course.

You can see the performance banddescriptions and StandardsPackages for each HSC course on the BOSTES website for a better understanding of the levelof performance required for eachperformance band. StandardsPackages include actual studentresponses from different bandsand are published for a variety of past examination questions.

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President

The Higher School Certificate is accredited by BOSTES and is recognised as a Senior Secondary

Certificate of Education within the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Issued by BOSTES without alteration or erasure on 17th December 2014 at Sydney, NSW, Australia

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This is to certify that

who attended

has met the requirements for the awardof a Higher School Certificate

Sample Student

Sample High School

HSCtestamur

The HSC testamuris the formal

certificate you willreceive once youhave met all yourHSC requirements.

Examination markShows your performance in the

exam set and marked by BOSTES.

Assessment markThe marks you received for your

assessment tasks set by and markedat school during the year are

moderated by BOSTES.

HSC markA 50:50 combination of your

examination mark and moderated assessment mark.

Performance bandThe performance band your HSC mark falls into.

The higher your performance band,

the better your performance in that course.