Some minor changes have been made to the layout of the HSC examination writing booklets, and to the layout of the HSC Economics examination paper. The amendments are designed to assist in ensuring that all students’ responses can be accurately reconciled and scanned.

Key amendments to the writing booklet include:

• Spaces have been provided for students to indicate the number of booklets that have been used for a particular question.
• On the last page of the writing booklet, a box has been provided for students to tick if they have continued their answer in another booklet.

A sample of the writing booklet is available to download from the How your HSC works section of the Board’s website.

The HSC Economics examination paper will have minor format changes from 2012.

The changes are:

• Section II will be produced as one personalised booklet with the student’s name, student number and centre number printed on it.
• A personalised Section III and IV writing booklet will be provided for each student. This will consist of a 16-page booklet. The Section III question is to be answered on pages 2–8 and the Section IV question is to be answered on pages 10–16.
• If students require more space to answer either the Section III or Section IV questions, they may ask for an extra writing booklet.

A version of the 2011 HSC Economics paper in the new format is available to download from the HSC syllabuses section of the Board’s website. A link to this will be provided on Students Online for students enrolled in Economics in 2012.

Teachers are asked to draw students’ attention to the samples on the website, and to ensure that students are aware of the importance of providing accurate information on their examination booklets.

For further information:
Helen Bristow
Manager, Examining and Testing
(02) 9367 8095
helen.bristow@bos.nsw.edu.au