Entry Requirements

Students must fulfil both the minimum English and Academic requirements for entry to St James College.

Minimum English Requirements:

Minimum Academic Requirements:

A typical pattern of study

In the Preliminary Course (Year 11) all students must study a minimum of 12 Units. SJC students must study the two English subjects below as well as at least eight more Units (usually four more subjects).

In the HSC Course students must study a minimum of 10 Units including the compulsory English subjects. Subjects studied in Year 12 must have been studied in Year 11. If a student studies more than 10 Units, their final HSC mark is made up of their top 10 Units.

Below is a typical pattern of study for Years 11 & 12:

Subjects

Click on each subject to see a full description

Please Note: The availability of resources and student numbers will determine if a subject is available at the time of enrolment.

Questions about the HSC   

THE HSC
1. What is the HSC?
2. What is the Board of Studies?
3. How am I eligible for the HSC according to the Board of Studies?
4. What do I have to do to get my HSC at St James College?

UNITS / COURSES
5. What are Units?
6. When do I decide on my Units / Courses for the HSC?
7. How do I find out about the content of Units / Courses?

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT & HSC EXAMINATIONS
8. What is School-based Assessment?
9. What does St James College do for your Assessment?
10. What must students do for their Assessments?
11. What happens with non-completion of Assessments?
12. What does SJC do with my Assessment Marks?
13. Tell me about the HSC Examinations

HSC RESULTS, UNIVERSITY ENTRY & THE UAI
14. What do I receive when I get my HSC results?
15. How do I get into University after completing the HSC?
16. What is the difference between the HSC and the UAI?

What is the HSC?

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the highest educational award you can gain in New South Wales schools. It is awarded after satisfactory completion of Secondary School (which is generally Year 12) and the HSC external examinations.

It is an internationally recognised credential that provides a strong foundation for the future, whether you wish to enter university, vocational training or employment.

The Higher School Certificate is governed by the Education Act 1990 (NSW), which sets out the general requirements you need to meet to be awarded the Higher School Certificate.

The HSC is presided over by the NSW Board of Studies.

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What is the NSW Board of Studies?

In relation to the Higher School Certificate, the New South Wales Board of Studies is a section of the NSW Department of Education, the Government organization responsible for all schools and courses taught in New South Wales:

For the HSC it does the following things:
- develops Preliminary and HSC courses
- organises and oversees the HSC examinations and assessments
- calculates and records HSC marks and achievements
- issues HSC and Records of Achievement to students
- gives advice to schools, employers and the public on educational issues and all matters related to the HSC

Click here to go to the Board of Studies website

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3. How am I eligible for the HSC according to the Board of Studies?

The rules and requirements for eligibility are set out in the Board’s publication, the Assessment, Certification and Examination (ACE) Manual, a copy of which is which is kept at St James College. It is also on the Board website:

Click here to go to the ACE Manual on the BOS website

To be eligible for the award of the Higher School Certificate, you need to:
- be enrolled at St James College, a registered and accredited private school or other government approved school.
- complete the requirements for each course, including any necessary practical or project work
- complete tasks designed by your school for the internal assessment program in each HSC course
- sit for, and make a genuine attempt at, the required Higher School Certificate examinations.

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4. What do I have to do to get my HSC at St James College?

- Complete a program of study in the YEAR 11 Preliminary Course (Terms 1 to 3) of at least 12 units (6 subjects) including 2 units of English. At St James College, you will study two English subjects in the Preliminary Course for a total of 4 units.

- Complete a program of study in the YEAR 12 HSC Course of at least 10 units, including 2 units of English (one subject).

- Complete the Assessment Tasks in each subject in both Preliminary and HSC Courses and sit for the HSC Examinations in each HSC subject.

- Have a satisfactory record of attendance and achievement.

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5. What are Units?

2 Units = 100 Marks and equate to at least 4 hours per week of classroom instruction.

Each extra unit is worth 50 marks and and equates to at least an extra 2 hours per week of classroom instruction.

Most courses at St James College are 2 unit courses. The only exception in the Preliminary Year 11 Course is Mathematics, where a student has the following choices:
- General Mathematics = 2 Units
- Mathematics = 2 Units
- Mathematics Extension I = 3 Units
In the HSC course there is a second one unit extension for the students with excellent mathematical skills. This extension is called
- Mathematics Extension II = 4 Units

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6. When do I decide on my Units / Courses for the HSC?

At the beginning of each year St James College submits an entry to the Board of Studies showing those courses that you expect to complete that year. If you wish to change courses after the entries have been submitted, you need to apply to the Principal.

Preliminary Course:
In the case of Preliminary courses, the Principal will be able to allow a change of course provided that he/she is satisfied that the student can satisfactorily complete the new Preliminary course before commencing study of the HSC course.

HSC Course:
Students studying an HSC course may not change course unless the principal is satisfied that they:
- have satisfactorily completed the Preliminary component (or equivalent) of the course they wish to enter
- will be able to complete all HSC course requirements, including assessment

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7. How do I find out about the content of Units / Courses?

The Board of Studies publishes syllabuses for every Board Developed Course, together with specimen examination papers where required. Copies of these documents are provided to St James College.

Board syllabuses contain information about course objectives, outcomes, structure and content as well as assessment requirements. In addition to syllabuses and specimen examination papers, marking guidelines and performance scales are provided.

Some courses specify certain texts, topics, projects and works. These specifications are notified through Board publications distributed to schools, and in Official Notices in the Board Bulletin.

Click here for Board of Studies HSC Course Syllabuses

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8. What is School-based Assessment?

Your final HSC mark is a combination of School-based Assessments and the HSC Examination.

Students are required to complete School-based Assessment tasks for all courses studied at St James College.

School-based assessment counts for 50% of your overall mark in each Course, and is reported on your Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement.

School-based Assessment tasks are designed to measure performance in a wider range of outcomes than may be tested in an examination. Assessment tasks may include tests, written or oral assignments, practical activities, fieldwork and projects. The assessment requirements for each Board Developed Course are set out in each syllabus.

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9. What does St James College do for your Assessment?

St James College develops an assessment program for each Course. This means St James:
- sets tasks that will be used to measure your performance in each component of a course
- specifies the relative value of each of these tasks
- informs you in writing of:
- the components and their weightings for each course
- when assessment tasks will take place
- the mark value of each task in relation to the total number of marks for the course
- the nature of each assessment task (eg assignment, test, project etc)
- the administrative details associated with each task (eg student absence, illness, late submission of work etc)
- provides adequate notice of the precise timing
of each assessment task
- keeps records of your performance in each task
- provides feedback on your performance and what you must do to improve.

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10. What must students do for their Assessments?

Students are expected to complete the tasks that are part of the assessment program, and ensure that they have a copy of St James College assessment program for each course.

If an assessment task is not going to be done or handed in at the scheduled time, it is your responsibility to ask your teacher whether you can be given an alternative task or an extension of time.

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11. What happens with non-completion of Assessments?

Read the St James policy on tasks that are not completed. Depending on the circumstances, a zero mark may be awarded, an extension of time granted or an alternative task set. Your principal may allow an estimate to be given for a task that has not been completed. This applies only in exceptional circumstances and only where an alternative task would be unreasonable or impractical.

When alternative tasks are set or an estimate awarded, the resulting mark will be a measure of what students have actually achieved in the relevant aspect of the course.

Aside from the procedures outlined above, the Board does not compensate students for difficulties in performing or completing assessment tasks, even when they are caused by factors outside students control.

Some HSC courses have prescribed texts, topics, projects and works that must be considered or studied for the Higher School Certificate. You should ensure that you are aware of the requirements for your course. Board publications on prescribed texts, topics, projects and works for all courses in each examination year are available at your school. Ask your teachers for information or check the Board website:

Click here for Board of Studies HSC Course Syllabuses

It is each student’s responsibility to purchase their own individual copies of the required textbooks, novels and other resources.

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12. What does SJC do with my Assessment Marks?

St James College submits your assessment marks to the Board of Studies, calculated from your results on each formal assessment task you undertake as part of your HSC course.

At the end of the Higher School Certificate examinations, you may ask St James College for your rank order in each course that you have studied based on school assessments. If you feel that your rank in any course is not correct, you may apply to the Principal for a review.

Further details about reviews and appeals are on the assessment appeal form, which may be obtained from St James College.

Contact Kylie Black the Principal of SJC for more information:
EMAIL: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
PHONE: +61 2 8217 9611
FAX: +61 2 9211 0628

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13. Tell me about HSC Examinations

Your final HSC mark is a combination of School-based Assessments and the HSC Examination.

Most final examinations for the Higher School Certificate are written examinations that are held in Term 4 each year.

At the end of Year 12 you may be required to take speaking examinations in languages.

The proportion of marks given to written examinations, practical examinations and practical works is set out in the Examination Specifications for courses, as listed in the syllabuses.

Carefully chosen expert markers mark examination papers. Closely supervised procedures are maintained to ensure accuracy and security.

If at examination time you become ill or suffer an accident that affects your performance, you should submit an illness/misadventure appeal form through the principal, provided that you can present evidence to support your appeal, eg a medical certificate. In the case of most Board Developed Courses, if your appeal is upheld you will receive your examination mark or your moderated assessment mark for the examination, whichever is the greater.

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14. Tell me about HSC Results

If you meet all the requirements, you will be awarded a Higher School Certificate.

The Board of Studies issues a Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement to students who have satisfactorily completed any Preliminary or HSC courses. The result of each HSC course satisfactorily completed appears on the Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement.

Results of Board Developed Courses are recorded under the following headings on the Record of Achievement:
- The Assessment Mark (where applicable) is a moderated mark awarded for your school-based assessment tasks.
- The Examination Mark is the mark awarded for the external examination.
- The HSC Mark is the average of the Examination Mark and the Assessment Mark.
- The Performance Band shows your level of achievement in that course.

Where the course has an examination, this information will also be contained in a Course Report that will be issued for each course completed.
- The Course Report will include descriptions for each Performance Band which describe what students at each level of achievement typically know and can do.

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15. How do I get into University after completing the HSC?

Entry from Year 12 into University Courses in NSW and the ACT generally depends on your Universities Admission Index (UAI).

A University Admissions Index (UAI) is calculated from your HSC results. This is a statistical calculation determined by the Universities (not the Board of Studies) to determine your ranking out of 100 compared to other students that did the HSC course. Your 10 best units are chosen for this calculation, including English.

As most students will be studying 10 units in the HSC, all 10 units will be counted, including English.

Universities use this UAI to decide if you qualify for an offer to join a particular course.

Some courses have additional selection methods such as an interview or portfolio.

Details of UAI requirements can be found in the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) Handbook.UAC can be contacted by phone on (02) 9752 0200

Click here to go to the UAC website

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16. What is the difference between the HSC and the UAI?

HSC marks
HSC marks are made up of 50% school based assessment and 50% HSC External examination. HSC marks give an indication of how well a student has performed subjects studied for the HSC course. The HSC Record of Achievement is a statement giving students information about the standards they have achieved in each of the subjects they have studied. HSC marks are based on standards.

UAI
The UAI is a statistical calculation based on your HSC marks and compares how well you performed against other students. The UAI allows for a fair comparison of students who have studied different combinations of subjects of varying degrees of difficulty. The UAI is a rank, not a mark.

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