30 October 2009

On Friday 23 October we provided answers to common questions arising from Section 3 of the 2009 HSC Studies of Religion exam held on 22 October. We have acknowledged all those who have so far emailed and telephoned the Board, and we are in the process of providing additional, more detailed responses where required. In the meantime, some further common questions have been identified and are answered below.

Has the Board started looking at students' answers to the exam?

Yes. The Supervisor of Marking and Chief Examiner have already looked at a range of responses. The marking process will begin as it normally would, with the markers being fully briefed and a range of checks and balances in place to manage any unusual responses to the questions.

Read more about how we deal with variations in difficulty in exams.

Read more about the HSC marking process.

Read more about how HSC marks are determined.

What happens if some of the five option questions in Section 3 were easier than others?

The HSC marking process already has a mechanism to deal with this. The Board accepts that in any exams that include both compulsory and optional questions an additional step is needed before the marks are added up. We use a process called 'optional question scaling'. This ensures students are not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by choosing an easier or more difficult optional question.

Read more about optional question scaling in part 2 of this description of determining marks.

Were there delays to the start of exams in some schools?

Yes. In fact, every year there are instances where HSC exams have a delayed start for one reason or another. For example, emergency evacuations may be called during reading or writing time; electrical storms may disrupt power and lights; floods may delay students' arrival at school, and, from time to time, there may be a disturbance in the exam room. Unpredictable and unforeseen events will occur and so the Board has standard procedures that minimise impact on students. A small number of schools reported a delayed start to the 2009 Studies of Religion exam following concerns raised by students during reading time. Presiding officers report to us when there is a disturbance in an exam. These reports may be relevant to Illness/Misadventure appeals.

Read about How Your HSC Works.

Students, teachers and parents with further questions can use the email address service@bos.nsw.edu.au

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