Assessment and reporting in Latin Extension
Assessment for Latin Extension 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.
Year 12
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 |
|---|---|
| Skills in understanding, analysing and translating complex prescribed texts | 70% |
| Skills in understanding, analysing and translating complex non-prescribed 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 Latin Extension includes:
- 3 assessment tasks, including:
- a minimum weighting for an individual task of 20%
- 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 50 marks.
Written paper (50 marks)
Time allowed: 2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time.
Dictionary use is permitted in the exam.
The paper will consist of 2 sections.
This section will consist of:
- translation into English of one or 2 extracts of approximately 20 lines of verse or approximately 120 words of prose to the value of 8 marks
- short-answer questions on 2 or 3 extracts to the value of 12 marks. The extract(s) to be used will be different from the extract(s) provided for translation
- one extended response question to the value of 10 marks with an expected length of response of around three pages of an exam writing booklet (approximately 400 words).
This section will consist of:
- translation of one or 2 extracts of non-prescribed Latin text of approximately 10 lines of verse or approximately 60 words of prose into English to the value of 10 marks
- short-answer questions related to this extract(s) to the value of 5 marks
- the choice of an additional translation of non-prescribed Latin text of approximately 5 lines of verse or approximately 30 words of prose of the prescribed genre into English (5 marks)
OR
- the translation of an English prose text of approximately 30 words into Latin (5 marks).