Senior secondary assessment methods in New South Wales
The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES) promotes a standards-referenced approach to assessing and reporting student achievement in NSW and the importance of assessment for, as and of learning as essential components of good teaching.
Assessment is the process of gathering information and making judgements about student achievement for a variety of purposes. In NSW these purposes include:
- assisting student learning
- evaluating and improving teaching and learning programs
- providing evidence of satisfactory achievement and completion in the Year 11 (Preliminary) course
- providing the Higher School Certificate results.
The HSC combines internal (school-based) and external (state-wide examination marked by BOSTES) assessment each worth 50% of a student’s final HSC mark for each course. The external HSC examination is used to moderate school-based assessments.
Visit the Assessment section of the BOSTES Students Online website for more information about how assessment in the HSC works.
Senior secondary reporting in New South Wales
Achievement in each course is reported by an examination mark, an assessment mark, an HSC mark (the average of the first two) and a performance band.
Student performance in each HSC course is measured against defined standards. HSC marks for each course are divided into bands and each band aligns with a description of a typical performance by a student within that mark range. The performance bands for a two unit course are as follows:
- Band 6 equals 90 – 100 marks
- Band 5 equals 80 – 89 marks
- Band 4 equals 70 – 79 marks
- Band 3 equals 60 – 69 marks
- Band 2 equals 50 – 59 marks
- Band 1 equals 0 – 49 marks
For an Extension course, the bands are E4 (highest level of performance) to E1.
Visit the HSC section of the BOSTES website for detail about how the HSC is reported.
Eligible students who leave school before receiving their HSC will receive the RoSA, which lists the grades they have achieved to date (see below for more about grades).
Reporting at the end of the compulsory years in New South Wales
Eligible NSW students who leave school before receiving their Higher School Certificate (HSC) will receive the Record of School Achievement (RoSA). The RoSA reports a student’s grades (A, B, C, D or E – with A being the highest) or participation in courses in Year 10 up to the point when they left school.
Teachers award grades in each course a student studies in Years 10 and 11. BOSTES monitors grades and provides resources to teachers to support their professional judgement.
Students leaving school before completing the HSC also have the choice of taking literacy and numeracy tests to use as evidence of their literacy and numeracy skills.
See on the BOSTES website:
- more about the RoSA including a sample RoSA credential
- more about the HSC including a sample HSC credential.
