ATAR HSC and State Assessment Systems 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which body is responsible for administering the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations in New South Wales?
- VCAA
- NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) (Correct answer)
- ACARA
- UAC
Correct answer: NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority)
NESA oversees the NSW HSC curriculum, examinations, and the process that leads to ATAR calculation in New South Wales.
Question 2: In Victoria, the senior secondary qualification whose results feed into the ATAR is called the:
- HSC
- SACE
- VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) (Correct answer)
- QCE
Correct answer: VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education)
The VCE is Victoria's Year 11–12 qualification; VCE study scores are scaled and aggregated by VTAC to produce the ATAR.
Question 3: In the NSW HSC, what is the 'internal assessment' component?
- School-based tasks (assignments, tests, practicals) completed during Year 11–12 that contribute to the HSC mark (Correct answer)
- The ATAR calculation performed internally by NESA
- A separate exam sat only by private school students
- An optional bonus component worth 5% of the final mark
Correct answer: School-based tasks (assignments, tests, practicals) completed during Year 11–12 that contribute to the HSC mark
Internal (school) assessment tasks in NSW count for 50% of the final HSC mark, with the external exam comprising the remaining 50%.
Question 4: What is the role of 'moderation' in the NSW HSC assessment process?
- It adjusts school assessment marks so they align with external exam performance, preventing schools from inflating internal marks (Correct answer)
- It converts raw exam marks to a scale of 0–100
- It removes the top and bottom 5% of marks from each cohort
- It ensures all students sit the same number of exams
Correct answer: It adjusts school assessment marks so they align with external exam performance, preventing schools from inflating internal marks
Moderation scales school-based marks to match the distribution of external exam marks for each school's cohort, ensuring fairness across schools.
Question 5: In Queensland, what system replaced the OP (Overall Position) for ATAR calculation?
- The SACE system
- The ATAR based on QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) results (Correct answer)
- The WACE system
- The VCE system
Correct answer: The ATAR based on QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) results
Queensland moved from the OP system to a direct ATAR based on QCE results and QCAA-administered external exams from 2020 onwards.
Question 6: Which of the following is the senior secondary credential in South Australia whose results are used to calculate the ATAR?
- HSC
- VCE
- SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) (Correct answer)
- TCE
Correct answer: SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education)
The SACE is South Australia's Year 11–12 credential; performance in Stage 2 SACE subjects is used by SATAC to calculate the ATAR.
ATAR HSC and State Assessment Systems 1
Which body is responsible for administering the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations in New South Wales?