Science Extension online exam

About the exam

Students need a desktop or laptop computer and an internet connection to complete the Science Extension exam. Tablets and smartphones are not suitable. Refer to the Technical requirements section below for details on unsupported devices.

Students sit for the exam using the NESA lockdown browser installed by the school. Access to external programs or applications including email, messaging, document files, and other websites is restricted during the exam. Any attempt to access these is considered malpractice (cheating).

In the exam, students can:

• navigate backwards and forwards through questions
• listen to audio and view video stimulus material
• view their Scientific Research Report (if required)
• flag questions
• enlarge images, text and diagrams
• change background and text colour
• use spell check
• copy and paste text
• format text with bold, underline, italics, bullet points, numbering, indent, subscript and superscript
• insert and format tables
• undo and redo an action
• insert equations, formulae and special symbols
• highlight stimulus and questions during reading time and during the exam.

Exam format

The HSC Science Extension exam specifications describe the exam structure and format.

All information and tools needed to answer questions, except for a NESA-approved calculator, are provided in the exam window.

The HSC Science Extension exam contains a 15-mark extended-response question which requires students to provide a sustained response. The question also includes a rubric which indicates the key attributes of the response required by the marking guidelines.

Practise with sample and past exams

Students can become familiar with the exam format, the look, feel and features of the exam by:

• watching a collection of videos that demonstrate the interface and features of online HSC exams
• sitting for the sample HSC Science Extension exam at school using a login provided by the school, available from Term 2
• practising with past HSC Science Extension exams, which do not require a login. Past exam questions and marking guidelines provide teachers and students with guidance as to the types of questions to expect and how they may be marked.

Online exam preparation

Prepare for the online exam by ensuring the following requirements are met.

Technical support during exams

NESA is experienced in dealing with issues and emergencies during HSC exams. We work with schools and have well-developed processes and support mechanisms to support students if they require technical support on the day of the exam.

This includes having mechanisms in place to:

• allow students to continue with the exam if there is an internet outage
• pause the exam if there is a blackout or other interruption until the matter is resolved, and allow students to continue the exam without any time lost.

Throughout the exam, all schools will have on hand:

• a dedicated exam IT coordinator nominated by the school
• the presiding officer and supervisors
• access to our experienced staff via a dedicated helpline.

We train exam IT coordinators and presiding officers during the year and work with the sectors to ensure all relevant staff are aware of their responsibilities and where to find help if they need it.

Disability provisions

Disability provisions are available for the HSC Science Extension exam. The ability to enlarge text and diagrams, change background and font colour is available to all students within the exam window. Schools may apply for other provisions such as extra time and rest breaks, readers and writers, in the same way as for other HSC written exams.

Exam development and marking

The HSC Science Extension exams are developed by NESA-appointed exam committees which consist of expert teachers and academics. They follow quality control procedures when developing the questions ensuring equity across the different scientific disciplines.

The Science Extension exam is marked by teachers of the course who are employed as HSC markers. We comprehensively train the markers and apply our quality assurance processes during marking ensuring that student responses are accurately marked and the results are valid.

Scientific Research Report

The Scientific Research Report is part of the school-based assessment requirements for the course and is marked by a student’s teacher.

Students may be required to refer to parts of their Report to answer some of the exam questions. This will vary year-on-year depending on the exam questions.

Cutting and pasting from the Report is not allowed as exam questions require students to apply and demonstrate the knowledge, understanding and skills they have developed by studying the course and undertaking the Scientific Research Project. In the exam, students use skills developed while undertaking the project to critically reflect on the processes of scientific research while analysing and evaluating information provided in stimulus material and the exam question.

The Report is made available to HSC exam markers as they may need to refer to it to understand the nature of a student’s project. No part of the Scientific Research Report is marked as part of the exam. The marking guidelines value how the students use this information to support their argument or analysis.

More support

Support materials for schools, teachers, and exam IT coordinators are available in Schools Online under Memos and Documents.

If you have any questions about the Science Extension exam, contact HSC Exam Support at onlineexams@nesa.nsw.edu.au or call 1800 200 955.