Breaking HSC rules
NESA has rules and requirements for upholding the integrity of school-based assessment and exams. Students who break HSC rules put themselves at risk of not being eligible for the award of the HSC or RoSA.
HSC rules
The integrity of NESA’s assessment processes underpins the high standard of scholarship represented by the award of the HSC and RoSA. The academic honesty of students completing HSC assessment tasks, exams, and tests is critical to the integrity of the HSC and RoSA.
NESA maintains the integrity of its assessment processes by conducting a range of programs. These programs ensure that:
- each student’s results are determined by the quality of work they produce, and
- no unfair advantage is gained.
What students must do
Candidates for the HSC, their teachers and others who guide them, must comply with NESA’s rules and requirements for upholding the integrity of HSC school-based assessment and exams.
HSC students are made aware of these rules and requirements well in advance of sitting their exams.
Before commencing their studies, all HSC students must:
- complete All My Own Work or its equivalent
- sign a confirmation of entry form, declaring that they have read the HSC rules and procedures guide.
HSC students submitting projects, works and performances must sign a student declaration form. This confirms that the work is their own and has been developed in accordance with All My Own Work.
Advice given to HSC students
Students undertaking HSC exams and HSC minimum standard tests are reminded of the HSC exam/test rules and made aware of the assessment conditions by invigilators at the start of each exam and test.
The advice includes, but is not limited to these instructions:
- Students can only bring into the exam room approved equipment on the exam equipment list. The list is made available to students well before the start of exams.
- Students cannot bring notes, paper, an unapproved calculator, unauthorised material or any unauthorised communication or electronic devices into an exam.
- If students accidentally bring study notes, a mobile phone or other prohibited items into the exam, they are allowed to remove them without penalty before the exam starts.
By breaking HSC exam/test rules and/or engaging in malpractice, students risk receiving reduced marks, zero marks, or their course cancelled which may make them ineligible for the HSC or RoSA.
Malpractice in HSC exams and HSC minimum standard tests
Malpractice is:
- any dishonest behaviour and/or attempt to gain an unfair advantage over other students, and/or
- knowingly assisting other students to engage in malpractice.
NESA uses this definition for all HSC minimum standard tests and HSC exams including practical components and submitted works.
Malpractice is considered a breach of HSC exam rules and procedures and HSC minimum standard test rules and procedures.
Breaches of exam/test rules and malpractice is unacceptable in any form, including but not limited to:
- plagiarism
- collusion
- misrepresentation
- breaches of exam/test rules
- bringing unauthorised equipment or material
- bringing in electronic devices unless specifically approved.
NESA treats suspected cases of a breach of exam/test rules and malpractice very seriously and detected malpractice may jeopardise a student’s award and achievement of the RoSA or the HSC. Students should be aware that attempting to gain any form of advantage may be considered malpractice (for instance, bringing in a phone as a tool for emotional support). All suspected breaches of exam/test rules and/or malpractice will be investigated and may be penalised.
The NESA Board has two sub-committees that make decisions on student breaches of HSC exams and HSC minimum standard test rules, and on the award of the HSC and the Record of Student Achievement (RoSA). Each committee comprises independent representatives from the government, catholic, and independent school sectors.
The Examination Rules Committee (ERC) makes decisions, and determines penalties, on alleged cases of student breaches of exam/test rules, including malpractice.
The Independent Appeals Committee (IAC) reviews decisions made by the ERC. It also considers appeals of NESA decisions on the award of the RoSA or the HSC, including about illness/misadventure, N determinations, assessment rank and non-serious/non-attempts.
NESA publishes data on breaches and offences that are committed in HSC school-based assessments and the HSC exams.
Register of malpractice in school-based assessments
The Malpractice Register is a record of the number and type of malpractice offences that occur in HSC school-based assessment tasks across the state.
Schools must record all instances in the register where a student was found to have engaged in malpractice in an HSC school-based assessment task.
Details are recorded so that:
- individual students cannot be identified
- aggregated data does not identify individual schools.
HSC exam breaches
The overwhelming majority of students undertaking HSC exams follow the rules.
The relatively small number of cases should be considered in the context of the large number of students collectively sitting hundreds of thousands of exams.
Most exam breaches fall into 1 of 3 categories.
Students undertaking an HSC exam must comply with the assessment conditions set by NESA.
A breach of assessment conditions incudes any breach of HSC exam rules and procedures.
Case studies
- A student brought unauthorised notes into the exam where they were found on the desk.
- A student copied information from an electronic device.
Penalty range
Where the ERC determines a student has engaged in a breach of exam rules and/or malpractice for an HSC exam, the ERC may impose penalties including:
- reduced marks for the exam, and/or
- zero marks for the exam, and/or
- course cancellation.
Penalties imposed by the ERC may render the student ineligible for the HSC or RoSA.
Published data on the number of cases and offences penalised can be found on NESA's HSC facts and figures website.
HSC students who are required to complete a practical component (projects, submitted works, and performances) must have their work certified by their supervising teacher to validate the authenticity and integrity of the work.
Principals advise NESA if a student’s work cannot be certified.
Case studies
- A student completed much of their project at home and did not allow for regular monitoring by the supervising teacher.
- A student purchased and modified a commercial product and submitted it as their own project.
Penalty range
Where a practical component (project or performances) or submitted work is unable to meet NESA’s certification criteria, a penalty may be applied to a student’s result for non-certification. The ERC may impose penalties including:
- reduced marks, and/or
- zero marks, and/or
- course cancellation.
Published data on the number of cases and projects penalised can be found on NESA's HSC facts and figures website.
Students must attend and make a serious attempt in all their HSC exams.
Students identified as making a non-serious attempt in an HSC exam may not receive a result in the course.
Case studies
- A student attempted multiple-choice questions only and did not engage with other question types across the exam.
- A student submitted a response containing objectionable material.
Penalty range
Where the ERC determines a student has made a non-genuine attempt in an HSC exam, the ERC may impose penalties including:
- reduced marks for the exam, and/or
- zero marks for the exam, and/or
- course cancellation.
Penalties imposed by the ERC may render the student ineligible for the HSC or RoSA.
Published data on the number of cases can be found on NESA's HSC facts and figures website.