Related information

Illness and misadventure applications follow a different process

There is a different process for students who get sick, have an accident or another mishap shortly before or during their exam. For example, a student might have:

• a sudden illness such as a severe asthma attack
• an accident such as breaking the arm that they normally write with
• a misadventure such as being involved in a car accident on the way to the exam.

There are tips for managing general exam stress 

Most students will experience some stress leading up to the HSC exams. This is normal, and we have prepared some tips to help students manage it.

Choose a version of our fact sheet designed for you: student, school, parent or caregiver:

Adjustments in other tests are different

Students may need to sit HSC exams for their courses. They will also need to demonstrate a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive the HSC through short online tests we set.

Students with a medical condition or disability can access provisions for the minimum standard tests.

Students can also access adjustments for the NAPLAN tests. These adjustments aim to ensure students with disability can access and take part in the tests on the same basis as other students. The adjustments available for the NAPLAN tests are not necessarily the same as provisions for the HSC exams or minimum standard tests.

Find out about exam provisions for the HSC minimum standard tests.

Find out about disability adjustments for NAPLAN.

We manage exam provisions under specific laws

Some students have exam needs, conditions or disabilities that mean they need support to participate in the HSC. Exam provisions are one way these students can take part in the HSC exams on the same basis as other students.

We have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support students with exam needs to take part in the HSC exams.

It is our responsibility to oversee the exam provisions program. We have to do this in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the related standard, Disability Standards for Education 2005.

Schools have legal obligations

Schools have to ensure that students with disability can participate in education on the same basis as other students. To do this, schools should regularly assess their students’ needs and offer reasonable adjustments. Not doing this might be discrimination.

Reasonable adjustments at a school level:

• can change over time in response to a student’s changing needs
• should be decided collaboratively with the student, parents, caregivers and other people who support the educational needs of the student.

School-based adjustments are different from NESA-approved exam provisions:

• school-based adjustments are designed to support students in school every day
• exam provisions are designed to support students just in the HSC and have to make sure that all students sitting the exams can participate on the same basis.

Schools have to offer reasonable adjustments in line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the related Standard, Disability Standards for Education 2005.