Disability provisions
Disability provisions in the HSC give practical assistance to students who may otherwise be disadvantaged when undertaking their exams. Learn about the number of provisions provided across schools and school sectors in 2024.
About the statistics
Disability provisions allow students to participate in the exam process and show markers what they know and can do. Emergency provisions are also approved for late injuries such as a broken arm prior to the exams.
Applicants approved for disability provisions do not receive additional marks. Provisions are not intended to provide any advantage.
You can view all the 2024 disability provision applications in NSW schools by searching the table below.
Total applications by school sector
In 2024, there was a total of 844 schools with HSC exam students. Of those schools, 770 schools submitted disability applications making up 91.2% of all schools with HSC students.
| School sector | Schools with HSC exam students | Schools with applications | % of schools with applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government | 457 | 408 | 89.3% |
| Catholic System | 113 | 111 | 98.2% |
| Independent | 274 | 251 | 91.6% |
| Total | 844 | 770 | 91.2% |
Summary of students by school sector
Click the tabs to view the total number and percentage of students with disability applications for each school sector in 2024.
In 2024, there was a total of 75,246 HSC exam students and 11,591 disability applications, representing 15.4% of all HSC students across the Government, Independent and Catholic schools in NSW.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 7,948 | 68.6% |
| Partially approved | 3,330 | 28.7% |
| Fully declined | 313 | 2.7% |
In 2024, there was a total of 40,364 HSC exam students in Government schools. Of these, 5,038 made a disability application, representing 12.5% of students in Government schools with applications and 43.5% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 3,457 | 68.6% |
| Partially approved | 1,465 | 29.1% |
| Fully declined | 116 | 2.3% |
In 2024, there was a total of 21,427 HSC exam students in Independent schools. Of these, 4,365 made a disability application, representing 20.4% of students in Independent schools with applications and 37.7% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 2,974 | 68.1% |
| Partially approved | 1,267 | 29.0% |
| Fully declined | 124 | 2.8% |
In 2024, there was a total of 13,455 HSC exam students in Catholic schools. Of these, 2,188 made a disability application, representing 16.3% of students in Catholic schools with applications and 18.9% of total applications across all sectors.
| Approval type | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 1,517 | 69.3% |
| Partially approved | 598 | 27.3% |
| Fully declined | 73 | 3.3% |
Types of provisions
This table displays most of the disability provisions available to students and the number of students approved for each provision in 2024.
| Provision | Total | Approved for |
|---|---|---|
| Assistance | 311 | Students who require assistance in negotiating the exam, for example, an aide to turn pages or prompt student with an obsessive condition to move to the next question. |
| Bite-sized food* | 401 | Students who have a medical need for regular nutrition. |
| Black & white paper | 24 | Students with colour blindness who cannot interpret the colour material in Geography or Visual Arts. |
| Coloured lenses / overlay | 96 | Students who need coloured filters to address glare or print distortion. |
| Diabetic provisions* | 227 | Students with diabetes who need to check their blood glucose level and possibly take remedial action. |
| Drink* | 239 | Students who have a medical reason for regular hydration, or who require a drink such as glucose or electrolytes. Note: all students may take water in a clear container into the exams. |
| Examiner aware | 52 | Performance exams where the examiner may mistake a pre-existing condition (such as a stutter) for performance anxiety. |
| Extra time | 1,369 | Students with demonstrated vision or cognitive disability or very limited reading ability. Additional 2.5 minutes or 5 minutes per half hour. See also reader or extra time. |
| Extra time – work or rest | 5 | Students who require both extra time and rest breaks, but not cumulatively. Additional 5 minutes per half hour. |
| Extra time to type | 6 | Students granted a computer with a very slow demonstrated typing speed; conditions such as cerebral palsy. |
| Extra time to write | 414 | Students with demonstrated slow writing speed on extended responses. Additional 2.5 minutes per half hour. |
| Feeding breaks | 3 | Recent mothers who need to feed their baby regularly. This is not a disability but uses the provision application process. |
| Heat or ice pack* | 164 | Students whose pain is shown to be alleviated by this provision. |
| Hospital or alternative venue | 80 | Students currently in hospital, or unable to attend a school due to medical or psychological conditions. |
| Individual audio | 1 | Students who have a hearing disability which affects their access to a listening exam in the exam centre. |
| Individual instructions* | 121 | Students with hearing or attention disabilities who may not hear general announcements. |
| Individual supervision | 276 | Students who are unable to sit with other students, generally for reasons such as anxiety or vocal tics. |
| Medication* | 354 | Students with a medical need to take prescribed medication at regular intervals. |
| Modified exam | 235 | Students with a demonstrated need for modified exam papers such as enlarged print, a split paper or inability to use mathematical instruments. |
| Oral and/or Sign interpreter | 17 | Students who communicate by lip reading and/or signing. |
| Personal computer | 80 | Students with a demonstrated handwriting disability and for whom no other provision (rest, extra time or writer) is shown to be effective. |
| Reader | 1,859 | Students with low reading ability, as demonstrated on an accepted reading test. |
| Reader OR extra time | 413 | Students with very low reading ability who may elect at each exam to use a reader OR extra time. |
| Rescheduled exam | 49 | Students with a condition such as cystic fibrosis, chronic fatigue or sleep apnea who are unable to sit an exam at the scheduled time. |
| Rest breaks | 8,595 | Students with demonstrated pain, anxiety disorder or concentration issues who have difficulty completing the exam without a break. |
| Special furniture* | 313 | Students requiring special furniture such as a tilted desk, padded chair or footrest. |
| Special lighting* | 138 | Students with vision disability who have problems with fluorescent or artificial lighting. |
| Stand / stretch | 1,065 | Students with chronic pain or concentration disability that prevents sitting for an extended period. |
| Thesaurus/dictionary | 19 | Students with a moderate to profound hearing loss. |
| Toilet breaks | 201 | Students with an infection or chronic condition that requires frequent or extended visits to the toilet. |
| Towel* | 49 | Students with hyperhidrosis who need to dry their hands frequently. |
| Varied seating* | 502 | Students who require particular seating, for example students with a hearing or vision disability which requires sitting at the front, or students needing to sit near a window or exit. |
| Various other provisions | 784 | A small number of students, for example, brailler, audio headphones* or talking calculator. |
| Ventilation provisions* | 48 | Students who require a controlled temperature range. |
| Vision aids* | 24 | Students who require magnification or other vision assistance. |
| Writer or Typist | 1,161 | Students unable to write/type (fracture or sprain), persistent pain when writing/typing, illegible writing or poor spelling. Includes additional five minutes per half hour to compensate for dictation. |
* Refers to a provision approved by the principal under delegation from NESA. Students may be approved for more than 1 provision (for example, a reader and a writer).