HSC Requirements

Year 10 Subject

Selection Evening

Preliminary Course

• Minimum 12 units

• Students must satisfactorily complete

the Preliminary course before

commencing the corresponding HSC

course

HSC Course • Minimum of 10 units

HSC Course Structure

• All courses in the HSC have a unit

value

• Most are 2 units (=120 hrs, /100)

• Some are 1 unit (=60 hrs, /50)

• Many 1 unit courses are extension

courses, ∴ 3 or 4 units of a course

can be studied

• Course listings - UAC Website: http://www.uac.edu.au/atar/courses.shtml

E.g. Mathematics,

Geography

E.g. Hospitality

Both the Preliminary and HSC pattern of

study must include:

• 2 units of compulsory English

• at least 6 units of Board Developed Courses

• at least 3 courses of 2 units value or

greater

• at least 4 subjects (including English)

A maximum of 6 units of Science may be

included in each of the Preliminary and HSC

pattern of study.

Satisfactory completion of a course

Students must:

• follow the course developed or endorsed by

BOSTES

• apply themselves with diligence and sustained

effort to the set tasks and experiences provided

in the course by the school, and

• achieve some or all of the course outcomes

VET Board Developed Courses require students to

complete mandatory work placement http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/rosa/credentials.html

Question:

Are there any

prerequisites for

studying in the senior

school?

YES! • Satisfactory completion of Stage 5

courses

• HSC: All My Own Work is a

mandatory program designed to help

HSC students to follow the principles and

practices of good scholarship. http://amow.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/

• ATAR eligibility – 10 units of Board

Developed Courses v 6 units BDC for HSC

Question 3:

How is my HSC mark

determined?

General aspects of the ATAR • The HSC serves many purposes but the ATAR serves only

one – to assist universities in RANKING (top to bottom) applicants for universities

• Approx 70,000 will sit for the HSC and about 60,000 will be eligible for an ATAR

• The best 10 units (2 of which could be a

category B) of BDCs are used to determine

the ATAR. 2 units of English will be included

• The ATAR is calculated by universities in NSW

and ACT and is released by UAC

• The ATAR is a rank. It is not a mark.

• Schools do not receive ATARs

General ATAR continued

• ATAR is reported as a number between 0

and 99.95 with increments of 0.05

• A student’s ATAR indicates the POSITION

of that student relative to their Year 7

cohort

• 2014 – ATAR of 80.00 placed in top 20% of

their Yr 7 cohort if all the 2006 Yr 7

students completed Yr 12

• ATAR based on a total of the SCALED

marks in the best 10 units

Understanding the difference

between HSC marks and ATAR

HIGHER SCHOOL

CERTIFICATE

The HSC presents a

profile showing the

STANDARDS a

student achieves in

courses they

studied

AUSTRALIAN

TERTIARY

ADMISSION RANK

A student's ATAR is

a RANK indicating

their achievement

not against a

standard but

against other

students

HSC and ATAR differences

HSC • Raw HSC marks are

not scaled – they are

aligned to standards

ie moderated to meet

the standards within

bands

ATAR • Each course is

scaled not against

a standard but

against the quality

of the entire HSC

candidature

• A new mark value

is assigned for each

course

• An aggregate is

given to form a

RANK ORDER

Final questions:

But what about the ATAR?

and

Shouldn’t we select the

courses that will scale

better?

• The underlying principle is that you

should neither be advantaged nor

disadvantaged by choosing one

course over another.

• The scaling process is designed to

encourage you to study courses you

enjoy, are good at, and that best

prepare you for future study – just

about any combination of courses

can lead to a good ATAR – but make

sure you understand eligibility rules.

When choosing ask the

following:

• What am I good at?

• What do I like?

• What skills are my strengths?

Some Advice to Students

• Read everything you have been given

• Ask those who know

• Identify strengths and weaknesses

• Identify some goals

• If in doubt aim high

What we offer:

http://www.pennanthil-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

> Curriculum & activities

> Curriculum

> Subject Selections

> Year 11, 2017 Subject

Selection Course Book

PHHS Timeline

• Subject selection Information evening

27th July 2016

• Student Interview

Tm III Week 4

• Subject Selection Forms completed

and submitted

Tm III Week 5

• Notification of subjects for 2017

Tm IV Week 6

Acknowledgements:

• www.bostes.nsw.edu.au

• ‘All About UAC for 2016 Year 11 and

12 Students’ – www.uac.edu.au

• www.presentationmagazine.com