Assessment and reporting in English Standard
Assessment for English Standard provides information to support learning and reporting of performance. Find out about assessment requirements and the structure of the HSC exam.
School-based assessment requirements
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 the Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) rules and requirements.
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.
See ACE (Assessment, Certification and Examination rules and requirements) for further information.
Assessment programs must reflect course components and weightings
The course components and component weightings for Year 11 are mandatory.
| Course component | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding of course content | 50% |
| Skills in responding to texts and communication of ideas appropriate to audience, purpose and context across all modes | 50% |
Schools may determine specific elements of their assessment program
Schools have authority to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task. Schools may also follow the sample assessment programs provided by NESA.
Sample assessment program
NESA’s sample Year 11 formal school-based assessment program for English Standard includes:
- 3 assessment tasks, including:
- a formal written examination
- a multimodal presentation enabling students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of modes.
The recommended weighting for any individual task is 20% to 40%.
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.
NESA requires schools to submit a school-based assessment mark for each Year 12 candidate in a course. Formal school-based assessment tasks should reflect the syllabus outcomes and content. The mark submitted by the school provides a summation of each student’s achievement measured at several points throughout the course.
A school’s program of school-based assessment includes both mandatory and non-mandatory elements.
See ACE (Assessment, Certification and Examination rules and requirements) for further information.
Assessment programs must reflect course components and weightings
The course components and component weightings for Year 12 are mandatory.
| Course component | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding of course content | 50% |
| Skills in responding to texts and communication of ideas appropriate to audience, purpose and context across all modes | 50% |
Schools may determine specific elements of their assessment program
Schools have authority to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task. Schools may also follow the sample assessment programs provided by NESA.
Sample assessment program
NESA’s sample Year 12 formal school-based assessment program for English Standard includes:
- 4 assessment tasks, including:
- a minimum weighting for an individual task of 10%
- a maximum weighting for an individual task of 40%
- one task that is a formal written examination with a maximum weighting of 30%
- Module C – The Craft of Writing with a weighting of 25%
- one task that is a multimodal presentation enabling students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of modes
- assessment of the Common Module should integrate student-selected related material.
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.
Module C – The Craft of Writing
Assessment of this module should provide students with the opportunity to:
- demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills in creative writing for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
- write in forms other than an analytical or critical response to literature.
The submitted task may be assessed in a variety of ways such as on more than one short piece of writing and through a range of modes. A portfolio of work is not a requirement for this task.
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.
HSC exam specifications
The external HSC exam measures student achievement in a range of syllabus outcomes.
The external exam 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 exam each year to the standards established for the course.
Exam questions may require candidates to integrate knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.
The exam will consist of two written exam papers worth 100 marks.
The time allowed is 1 hour and 30 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time.
The paper will consist of two sections.
Section I (20 marks)
There will be five to six short-answer questions.
Questions may contain parts.
Questions will be based on stimulus and/or unseen texts related to the Common Module.
At least three items will be common to English Advanced and at least two items will be common to English Studies.
Section II (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.
The time allowed is 2 hours plus 5 minutes reading time.
The paper will consist of three sections.
Section I: Module A (20 marks)
There will be one question.
The question will require a sustained response based on the candidate’s prescribed texts.
This question may include a stimulus.
Section II: Module B (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 a stimulus.
Section III: Module C (20 marks)
There will be one question.
The question may contain up to two parts.
The question will require an imaginative, discursive, persuasive, informative or reflective response.
The question may require students to reflect on one or more of their prescribed texts.
This question may include a stimulus and/or unseen texts.