Assessment and reporting in Classical Hebrew Continuers
Assessment for Classical Hebrew Continuers 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 |
|---|---|
| Skills in reading and understanding | 20% |
| Understanding prescribed texts | 60% |
| Understanding unseen texts | 20% |
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 Classical Hebrew Continuers includes:
- 3 assessment tasks, including:
- a formal written exam.
The recommended weighting for any individual task is 20% to 40%.
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 |
|---|---|
| Understanding prescribed texts | 70% |
| Understanding unseen texts | 30% |
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 Classical Hebrew Continuers includes:
- 4 assessment tasks, including:
- a minimum weighting for an individual task of 10%
- a maximum weighting for an individual task of 40%
- a formal written exam with a maximum weighting of 30%.
Formal written exam
This task may assess a broad range of course content and outcomes. Schools may choose to replicate the timing and structure of the HSC exam.
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 a written paper worth 100 marks.
Written paper (100 marks)
Time allowed: 3 hours plus 5 minutes reading time.
The paper will consist of 3 sections.
This section will consist of 2 parts.
Part A (40 marks)
- There will be short-answer questions to the value of 40 marks.
- Questions will be based on extracts from the prescribed Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim texts and commentaries.
- The total number of verses to be examined will be approximately 60.
- Questions will relate to comprehension, grammar, and commentary/halakha/liturgy.
Part B (10 marks)
- There will be one extended response question worth 10 marks.
- The extended response question will be based on an extract or extracts from one or more of the prescribed texts and may call for comment on the text/s as a whole.
- The expected length of the extended response will be around 3 pages of an exam writing booklet (approximately 400 words).
- There will be short-answer questions based on extracts from the prescribed Mishna texts, which may also require reference to the commentary.
- Questions may include comprehension, historical, contextual and linguistic comment.
- There will be short-answer questions based on non-prescribed texts drawn from the narrative parts of the former prophets of the Tanakh.
- The total number of verses to be examined will be approximately 20.
- Questions will relate to comprehension and grammar.
- Each extract will have an introductory statement in English.
- Some vocabulary may be provided.