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Year 12 school-based assessment in 2023

NESA has given principals and system authorities the authority to determine the number, type and weighting of tasks for Year 12 school-based assessment in 2023. These changes affect the published Assessment and Reporting requirements. Please ensure you follow the school-based assessment advice for the 2023 HSC.

Effective from: Term 4, 2019
Last updated: December 2023

Schools are required to develop an assessment program for each Year 11 and Year 12 course. NESA provides information about the responsibilities of schools in developing assessment programs in course-specific assessment and reporting requirements and in Assessment Certification Examination (ACE).

School-based assessment requirements

Year 11

Schools are required to submit to NESA a grade for each student based on their achievement at the end of the course.

Teachers use professional, on-balance judgement to allocate grades based on the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses.

Teachers consider all available assessment information, including formal and informal assessment, to determine the grade that best matches each student’s achievement at the end of the course.

The Year 11 formal school-based assessment program is to reflect the following components, weightings, and requirements.

Component Weighting
Knowledge and understanding of course content 50%
Skills in:
  • comprehending texts
  • communicating ideas
  • using language accurately, appropriately and effectively
50%

Requirements:

  • 3 assessment tasks
  • only one task may be a formal written examination
  • one task must be a collection of classwork demonstrating student learning across the modules studied
  • one task must be a multimodal presentation enabling students to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills to at least one real world scenario using a range of modes.

The recommended weighting for any individual task is 20% to 40%.

Collection of classwork

The assessment of a collection of classwork is designed to allow students to demonstrate their learning across all of the modules studied in each year. This collection of work may include items of classwork that have been refined as a result of teacher feedback throughout the year. This work may be published in a variety of forms and media.

Multimodal presentation

The multimodal presentation is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills across all of the modes. A multimodal presentation includes at least one mode other than reading and writing such as listening, speaking, viewing and representing.

No specific weightings have been allocated to the modes to allow flexibility in task design and to meet the needs and interests of students in a range of contexts.

Year 12

NESA requires schools to submit a school-based assessment grade for each Year 12 candidate in this course. Formal school-based assessment tasks are based on course requirements and components and weightings that contribute to the determination of the final mark for a course. The grade submitted by the school provides a summation of each student’s achievement measured at several points throughout the course.

The school-based assessment grades submitted to NESA for Year 12 must not include measures that address values and attitudes or reflect student conduct. Schools may decide to report on these separately to students and parents/carers.

The collection of information for the Year 12 school-based assessment grade must not begin before the completion of the Year 11 course.

The components and weightings for Year 12 are mandatory.

Component Weighting
Knowledge and understanding of course content 50%
Skills in:
  • comprehending texts
  • communicating ideas
  • using language accurately, appropriately and effectively
50%

The Year 12 formal school-based assessment program is to reflect the following requirements:

  • a maximum of four assessment tasks
  • the minimum weighting for an individual task is 10%
  • the maximum weighting for an individual task is 40%
  • one task must be a collection of classwork demonstrating student learning across the modules studied with a minimum weighting of 30%
  • assessment of the Common Module must integrate teacher or student selected related material
  • only one task may be a formal written examination with a maximum weighting of 20%.

Collection of class work

The assessment of a collection of classwork is designed to allow students to demonstrate their learning across all of the modules studied in each year. This collection of work may include items of classwork that have been refined as a result of teacher feedback throughout the year. This work may be published in a variety of forms and media.

Formal written examination

This task may assess a broad range of course content and outcomes. Schools may choose to replicate the timing and structure of the HSC examination.

There is no compulsory HSC external examination in English Studies. Students may choose to sit for an optional HSC examination.

Should a student seek an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), the examination mark for English Studies will be used by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to calculate the ATAR. Students who do not sit for the English Studies HSC examination are not eligible for the calculation of an ATAR.

HSC examination specifications

The external HSC examination measures student achievement in a range of syllabus outcomes.

The external examination and its marking relate to the syllabus by:  

  • providing clear links to syllabus outcomes
  • enabling students to demonstrate the levels of achievement outlined in the performance band descriptions
  • applying marking guidelines based on criteria that relate to the quality of the response
  • aligning performance in the examination each year to the standards established for the course.

Examination questions may require candidates to integrate knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.

The examination will consist of one written examination paper worth 70 marks in total.

The time allowed is 2 hours and 30 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time.

The paper will consist of four sections.

Section I: Common Module – Texts and Human Experiences (20 marks)

There will be five to six questions.

Questions may contain short-answer and objective-response parts.

Questions will be based on stimulus and/or unseen texts related to the Common Module.

At least two items will be common to English Standard.

Section II: Common Module – Texts and Human Experiences (20 marks)

There will be one question.

The question will require a sustained response based on the candidate’s prescribed text.

This question may include stimulus and/or unseen texts.

This question will be common to English Studies, English Standard and English Advanced.

Section III: Elective modules (15 marks)

There will be one question.

The question will require a sustained response based on one of the candidate’s chosen electives using the texts studied.

This question may include a stimulus.

Section IV: Writing Skills (15 marks)

There will be one question.

The question will require an imaginative, persuasive, informative or reflective response to stimulus and/or unseen text.

Further information

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