1. The NSW Higher School Certificate Information for Year 10 Students and Parents
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16. Calculating the ATAR Board of Studies Raw Moderated Exam + Assessment Marks Universities Admissions Centre Scaled 2 units of English + next best 8 units ATAR The scaled mark for each course is based on the quality of the candidates in that course in that year
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19. Selecting HSC Courses - 2 What do I like? What do I need to or want to know ? What am I good at ?
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Hinweis der Redaktion
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/schoolcertificate/pdf_doc/studying-hsc-08.pdf The Higher School Certificate The Higher School Certificate is the highest educational award you can gain in New South Wales schools. It is an internationally recognised credential that provides a strong foundation for the future, whether you wish to pursue tertiary qualifications, vocational training or employment. The standards-based Higher School Certificate offers syllabuses that set clear expectations of what you must learn and measures your performance against set standards. Your mark in each course is reported against descriptive performance bands that show what students placed in each band typically know, understand and can do.
ACE Manual 6.2.1 Categories of Board Endorsed Courses … . Content Endorsed and School Developed Board Endorsed Courses, when completed as HSC courses, are not externally examined and have only an unmoderated internal assessment mark from the school recorded on the Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement. Results in Board Endorsed Courses are not eligible for inclusion in the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). In 2009, the ATAR replaces the Universities Admissions Index (UAI) for NSW and ACT Year 12 students. Board Endorsed Courses (BECs) 1. Content Endorsed Courses (CECs) a.VET CECs i) developed by TAFE in conjunction with BOS – delivered by TAFE or ii) developed by BOS – may be delivered by schools b. General education CECs – developed by BOS 2. School Developed Courses – endorsement by Board Endorsement Panel – may include locally designed VET courses 3. University Developed Courses – applications for endorsement to Chief Executive, OBOS – endorsement must be recommended by Board Appraisal Panel
ACE Manual 6.1.1 Note: 5. Courses in the VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks can be studied as Preliminary and/or HSC courses. 8.4.7.6 Students studying VET Industry Curriculum Framework courses must complete the mandatory work placement hours in order to be deemed satisfactory. Where mandatory work placement hours are not completed in a VET Industry Curriculum Framework course, an ‘N’ determination should be submitted.
ACE Manual 6.1.1 Note: 5. These VET courses have an optional written examination for the Higher School Certificate.
ACE Manual 8.2.1 Patterns of study To qualify for the Higher School Certificate students must satisfactorily complete a Preliminary pattern of study comprising at least 12 units and an HSC pattern of study comprising at least 10 units. Both patterns must include: • at least six units from Board Developed Courses; • at least two units of a Board Developed Course in English; • at least three courses of two units value or greater (either Board Developed or Board Endorsed Courses); • at least four subjects. To satisfy pattern of study requirements for the Higher School Certificate a student may count a maximum of six units from courses in Science in each study pattern.
ACE Manual 8.2.1 Patterns of study To qualify for the Higher School Certificate students must satisfactorily complete a Preliminary pattern of study comprising at least 12 units and an HSC pattern of study comprising at least 10 units. Both patterns must include: • at least six units from Board Developed Courses; • at least two units of a Board Developed Course in English; • at least three courses of two units value or greater (either Board Developed or Board Endorsed Courses); • at least four subjects. To satisfy pattern of study requirements for the Higher School Certificate a student may count a maximum of six units from courses in Science in each study pattern.
See: http://amow.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/guide.html How is HSC: All My Own Work related to HSC eligibility? From 2009, all students entered for one or more Preliminary or HSC courses will be required to have satisfactorily completed HSC: All My Own Work or its equivalent. From 2010, students entered only for Stage 6 Life Skills courses will be exempt from this requirement.
Changes will have no impact on students’ current studies or choice of university courses for 2010. The change from a maximum UAI of 100 to a maximum ATAR of 99.95 brings NSW and ACT in line with their interstate peers where the top rank is 99.95. The ATAR will indicate a student’s position in relation to all Year 7 students who commenced high school at the same time as the student now receiving an ATAR. These changes have been introduced to achieve national consistency in the name and reporting of selection ranks. All states (except Queensland) will be introducing the name ATAR for their selection ranks over 2009 – 2010.
See FAQs about the ATAR at http://www.uac.edu.au/documents/atar/ATAR-FAQs.pdf To be eligible for an ATAR you must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of ATAR courses. These ATAR courses must include at least: eight units from Category A courses two units of English three ATAR courses of two units or greater four subjects.
See Universities Admissions Centre NSW & ACT http://www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/uai/categorisation.shtml UAC Advice 21 August 2009: Industrial Technology recategorisation Industrial Technology has been recategorised as a Category A HSC Board Developed Course. This recategorisation will be implemented for the 2010 HSC, so that in 2010 it can be included in ATAR calculations as a Category A course. Current Year 10 and Year 11 students should consider this recategorisation when choosing their subjects. UAC will send a letter to schools by the end of August advising of the change. In 2008 the Category B courses were: Accounting Business Services Examination Construction Examination Entertainment Industry Examination Hospitality Examination Industrial Technology Information Technology Examination Metal and Engineering Examination Primary Industries Examination Retail Operations Examination Tourism Examination
See FAQs about the ATAR http://www.uac.edu.au/documents/atar/ATAR-FAQs.pdf How is my ATAR calculated? Your ATAR is based on an aggregate of scaled marks in 10 units of ATAR courses comprising: your best two units of English and your best eight units from the remaining units. No more than two units of Category B courses can be included. The actual calculation of your ATAR is a complex process that begins with scaling your raw HSC marks and ends with ranking you among your entire Year 7 cohort. What is scaling? Because scaled marks (not HSC marks) are used in the ATAR calculation, scaling is the first step in calculating the ATAR. It is necessary because HSC students take all kinds of different courses, and scaling allows courses to be compared fairly. We know that the same marks in different courses are not necessarily equal, just as the same amounts of money in different countries are not equal. In the same way that an exchange rate can be used to compare currency in different countries, scaling can be used to compare marks in different courses.
ACE Manual 8.7.1 Accumulation of Preliminary and HSC courses There is no time restriction on the accumulation of Preliminary courses. Students may accumulate HSC courses towards the Higher School Certificate over up to five years. 8.7.3 Repeating 8.8 Acceleration 8.9 Recognition of Prior Learning
Key considerations: Abilities − choose subjects in which you are capable of doing well. Interests/Motivation − choose subjects that interest you. Career aspirations and needs − keep in mind future career paths but be realistic about choices.
Contact us through the Board of Studies Liaison Officers (BOSLOs) Metropolitan – phone: 9367 8311, 9367 8445 or 9367 8387 Hunter – phone: 4924 9976 North Coast – phone: 6659 3274 North West – phone: 6755 5043 Riverina – phone: 6937 3889 South Coast – phone: 4224 9940 Western – phone: 6334 8048