Performance bands
This data reports HSC performance band distributions in 2024. View the performance band distributions by gender, location and socio-economic status.
About the statistics
Each student’s performance is based on their HSC mark, which is the average of their school assessment and HSC exam marks. The student’s HSC mark places them in a performance band that describes the skills and knowledge demonstrated by the student in that course.
The information in this section relates to performance in Board developed courses with exams.
Minimum Expected Standard (MSE) refers to the proportion of students performing above the MSE.
View more information on HSC performance bands in the data glossary.
This data is taken from 20 January 2025.
Gender
Use the graph to view the percentage of results in the top 3 performance bands.
Overview
Female students:
- 13% were in the Top Band
- 45% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 77% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 99% were above the MSE.
Male students:
- 12% were in the Top Band
- 39% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 70% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 98% were above the MSE.
Non-binary students:
- 7% were in the Top Band
- 36% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 67% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 97% were above the MSE.
Location
Use the graph to view the percentage of results in each performance band. Location refers to where a student's school is located. The location is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Remoteness Area classification.
Overview
Students from schools in major cities:
- 14% were in the Top Band
- 46% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 76% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 98% were above the MSE.
Students from schools in inner regional areas:
- 5% were in the Top Band
- 26% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 62% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 98% were above the MSE.
Students from schools in outer regional and remote areas:
- 2% were in the a Top Band
- 18% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 52% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 96% were above the MSE.
Students from schools overseas:
- 8% were in the a Top Band
- 40% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 75% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 99% were above the MSE.
Socio-economic status (SES)
Use the graph to view the percentage of results in each performance band, or use the dropdowns to view information for each SES quartile. The SES is based on the student's address.
- Quartile 1 – represents the lowest or most disadvantaged 25% of SES localities.
- Quartile 4 – represents the highest or most advantaged 25%.
For details on SES data, view the data glossary.
Overview
Students in Quartile 1:
- 5% were in the Top Band
- 24% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 56% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 96% were above the MSE.
Students in Quartile 2:
- 7% were in the Top Band
- 31% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 65% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 98% were above the MSE.
Students in Quartile 3:
- 11% were in the Top Band
- 41% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 75% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 99% were above the MSE.
Students in Quartile 4:
- 21% were in the Top Band
- 59% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 86% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 99% were above the MSE.
Students in an unknown SES:
- 10% were in the Top Band
- 43% were in the Top 2 Bands
- 76% were in the Top 3 Bands
- 99% were above the MSE.
Band distribution breakdown
Use the tables to view the performance band distributions for general and extension HSC courses.
Band Distribution proportions are not provided in the tables below where the course candidature is 25 or less. These cells are marked with E.
Performance within a specific course can be compared over time. Performance cannot be compared across different courses. The distribution of results across performance bands is determined by the actual performance of students in that course. There is no pre-defined distribution for each course. The distribution can change from year to year.
| Course | Band 6 | Band 5 | Band 4 | Band 3 | Band 2 | Band 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Studies | 11 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 5 |
| Agriculture | 11 | 20 | 27 | 25 | 14 | 3 |
| Ancient History | 10 | 28 | 28 | 19 | 11 | 5 |
| Arabic Continuers | 17 | 43 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Armenian Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Automotive Exam | 3 | 14 | 27 | 42 | 12 | 1 |
| Biology | 7 | 29 | 34 | 18 | 10 | 2 |
| Business Services Exam | 4 | 24 | 45 | 19 | 7 | 1 |
| Business Studies | 11 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 9 | 4 |
| Chemistry | 11 | 27 | 28 | 20 | 11 | 2 |
| Chinese and Literature | 19 | 56 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Chinese Beginners | 50 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| Chinese Continuers | 47 | 32 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Chinese in Context | 68 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Classical Greek Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Classical Hebrew Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Community and Family Studies | 6 | 30 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 1 |
| Construction Exam | 7 | 39 | 34 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| Croatian Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Dance | 19 | 49 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Design and Technology | 12 | 36 | 29 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| Drama | 23 | 39 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Dutch Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Earth and Environmental Science | 6 | 27 | 31 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
| Economics | 14 | 38 | 27 | 14 | 5 | 2 |
| Electrotechnology Exam | 3 | 18 | 36 | 33 | 10 | 0 |
| Engineering Studies | 10 | 22 | 36 | 26 | 5 | 1 |
| English Advanced | 15 | 52 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| English EAL/D | 6 | 19 | 28 | 30 | 12 | 5 |
| English Standard | 1 | 13 | 54 | 25 | 7 | 1 |
| English Studies Exam | 0 | 0 | 11 | 35 | 40 | 14 |
| Entertainment Industry Exam | 16 | 29 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 1 |
| Filipino Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Financial Services Exam | 3 | 21 | 48 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
| Food Technology | 10 | 23 | 29 | 27 | 10 | 2 |
| French Beginners | 20 | 24 | 27 | 20 | 5 | 4 |
| French Continuers | 25 | 38 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Geography | 10 | 28 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
| German Beginners | 32 | 21 | 31 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| German Continuers | 26 | 35 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Hindi Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Hospitality Exam | 5 | 34 | 41 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| Human Services Exam | 4 | 15 | 44 | 33 | 4 | 0 |
| Hungarian Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Indonesian and Literature | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Indonesian Beginners | 28 | 19 | 17 | 31 | 6 | 0 |
| Indonesian Continuers | 52 | 35 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Industrial Technology | 7 | 16 | 32 | 32 | 11 | 2 |
| Information and Digital Technology Exam | 5 | 32 | 44 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| Information Processes and Technology | 7 | 24 | 32 | 22 | 9 | 5 |
| Investigating Science | 7 | 29 | 33 | 24 | 6 | 1 |
| Italian Beginners | 25 | 27 | 21 | 18 | 6 | 2 |
| Italian Continuers | 23 | 43 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Japanese Beginners | 12 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Japanese Continuers | 23 | 37 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| Japanese in Context | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Khmer Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Korean and Literature | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Korean Beginners | 25 | 26 | 33 | 9 | 4 | 3 |
| Korean Continuers | 88 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Korean in Context | 66 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latin Continuers | 55 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Legal Studies | 15 | 28 | 26 | 20 | 9 | 2 |
| Macedonian Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Mathematics Advanced | 22 | 28 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 1 |
| Mathematics Standard 1 Exam | 3 | 20 | 34 | 32 | 9 | 2 |
| Mathematics Standard 2 | 9 | 19 | 30 | 24 | 13 | 3 |
| Modern Greek Beginners | 45 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Modern Greek Continuers | 42 | 31 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Modern Hebrew Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Modern History | 10 | 29 | 32 | 19 | 8 | 1 |
| Music 1 | 20 | 47 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Music 2 | 36 | 48 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Persian Continuers | 54 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| PDHPE | 9 | 26 | 32 | 24 | 8 | 1 |
| Physics | 12 | 26 | 27 | 21 | 11 | 3 |
| Polish Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Portuguese Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Primary Industries Exam | 3 | 27 | 44 | 23 | 3 | 0 |
| Punjabi Continuers | 40 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Retail Services Exam | 3 | 15 | 40 | 32 | 9 | 2 |
| Russian Continuers | 71 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Serbian Continuers | 40 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 7 | 0 |
| Society and Culture | 12 | 33 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 1 |
| Software Design and Development | 13 | 26 | 30 | 19 | 10 | 3 |
| Spanish Beginners | 24 | 34 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| Spanish Continuers | 21 | 44 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Studies of Religion I | 14 | 30 | 36 | 16 | 3 | 1 |
| Studies of Religion II | 13 | 34 | 34 | 14 | 4 | 1 |
| Swedish Continuers | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Tamil Continuers | 78 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Textiles and Design | 16 | 33 | 26 | 16 | 6 | 3 |
| Tourism, Travel and Events Exam | 2 | 20 | 43 | 29 | 6 | 0 |
| Turkish Continuers | 41 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vietnamese Continuers | 12 | 36 | 44 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Visual Arts | 17 | 50 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Course | E4 | E3 | E2 | E1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Extension | 36 | 60 | 4 | 0 |
| Chinese Extension | 63 | 33 | 4 | 0 |
| Classical Greek Extension | E | E | E | E |
| Classical Hebrew Extension | E | E | E | E |
| English Extension 1 | 42 | 54 | 4 | 0 |
| English Extension 2 | 34 | 53 | 12 | 1 |
| French Extension | 26 | 64 | 11 | 0 |
| German Extension | 71 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| History Extension | 28 | 58 | 12 | 1 |
| Indonesian Extension | E | E | E | E |
| Italian Extension | 54 | 44 | 3 | 0 |
| Japanese Extension | 46 | 49 | 5 | 0 |
| Latin Extension | 79 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Mathematics Extension 1 | 35 | 45 | 17 | 2 |
| Mathematics Extension 2 | 40 | 46 | 12 | 2 |
| Modern Greek Extension | E | E | E | E |
| Music Extension | 70 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| Science Extension | 9 | 73 | 18 | 1 |
| Spanish Extension | 44 | 52 | 4 | 0 |