Change my view (1 Viewer)

[Trebla]

except the HSC is at the end of the day is testing booksmart, not practical skills. Hence why it culminates as a final external paper.

Not really. Have a read of the learning outcomes expected of the syllabus. Whilst it may be weighted more to theory, it is intended to be more all-rounded. Consider the HSC from an educator’s perspective, not just from a narrow-minded ATAR ranking point of view.

Every subject’s syllabus has a set of learning outcomes and for some they vary from theoretical to practical. Those learning outcomes must be formally assessed at least once to contribute to your HSC mark. Some of these are not possible to assess through the actual HSC exam, so internal practical assessments play that role.

If NESA was awash with a tonne of money and specialist education staff then it would be better to standardise practical exams across the entire state. Unfortunately NESA isn’t loaded, so internal assessments are the next best thing.

 

[coolcat6778]

Not really. Have a read of the learning outcomes expected of the syllabus. Whilst it may be weighted more to theory, it is intended to be more all-rounded. Consider the HSC from an educator’s perspective, not just from a narrow-minded ATAR ranking point of view.

Every subject’s syllabus has a set of learning outcomes and for some they vary from theoretical to practical. Those learning outcomes must be formally assessed at least once to contribute to your HSC mark. Some of these are not possible to assess through the actual HSC exam, so internal practical assessments play that role.

If NESA was awash with a tonne of money and specialist education staff then it would be better to standardise practical exams across the entire state. Unfortunately NESA isn’t loaded, so internal assessments are the next best thing.

The nsw syllabus is awfully written with many omissions, considering that many key terminology tested in the hsc exam isn't even present in the syllabus

 

[jane1820]

The nsw syllabus is awfully written with many omissions, considering that many key terminology tested in the hsc exam isn't even present in the syllabus

literally the english advanced mod b question last yr
'artistry and integrity' pack it up gang

 

[Isit_actually?]

Internal assessments are very biased and should be scrapped

I agree that internal assessments can feel biased at times, but scrapping them completely isn’t the best solution. A better approach could be for the HSC itself to design and mark the internal assessments and assignments. That way, every school would have the exact same tasks, marked to the same standard by HSC markers. This would not only remove bias but also make sure the syllabus is tested consistently throughout the year instead of relying only on the final exam.

 

[coolcat6778]

I agree that internal assessments can feel biased at times, but scrapping them completely isn’t the best solution. A better approach could be for the HSC itself to design and mark the internal assessments and assignments. That way, every school would have the exact same tasks, marked to the same standard by HSC markers. This would not only remove bias but also make sure the syllabus is tested consistently throughout the year instead of relying only on the final exam.

well the papers wouldn't have the school logos but the nsw government logo, hence it would just be an external. That's what I'm asking for. Plus assignment assessments ALWAYS are biased whether external or internal. A subject like maths should solely be assessed by timed condition testing. It also doesn't make sense to have external exams when we haven't finished learning everything yet. This just benefits people doing tutoring even more, since they get so much time to prepare as they have likely studied the content much much prior. The 4 week break before an external exam we currently get is there to attempt to level the playing field.

This might even be worse since now your HSC mark is DIRECTLY based on an assignment assessment (due to no moderation stuff), where you aren't able to recover your score from the HSC test

 

[cheesynooby]

Absolutely not!

If I was in a selective cohort for mathematics advanced, I wouldn't have gotten a band 6 since my assessment mark would've been too low due to an extremely competitive cohort. Meanwhile achieving a top rank (doesn't have to be 1st) is pretty easy in a non selective school if your lucky. Still, I came close to not getting a band 6 since my assessment mark was only a 90.

This is another strong argument against internals. It only benefits small populations and small schools with barely any competition.

In a selective school like James Ruse, you're pretty much guaranteed to get the lowest assessment mark, even though ur exam mark could be average. there's no recovering

no

 

[qweeosh]

I agree that internal assessments can feel biased at times, but scrapping them completely isn’t the best solution. A better approach could be for the HSC itself to design and mark the internal assessments and assignments. That way, every school would have the exact same tasks, marked to the same standard by HSC markers. This would not only remove bias but also make sure the syllabus is tested consistently throughout the year instead of relying only on the final exam.

I think the problem with that would be it accentuate the problem of economic differences amongst students. This is mostly in reference to students who have the privilege of going to tutoring centres and etc. It would also stop students from essentially growing throughout the year, by applying the mentioned system, students would simply tested instead of learning. The problems that will arise will be similar to the problems found in Singaporean and Chinese education systems where the education system becomes less educational but more competitional -> Due to Australia's tall poppy syndrome, it can deducted that such system won't work in the broader Australian public.

 

[qweeosh]

literally the english advanced mod b question last yr
'artistry and integrity' pack it up gang

Isn't artistry and integrity somewhat part of the present syllabus? Since it would just be part of "distinctive qualities of a text"?

 

[jane1820]

Isn't artistry and integrity somewhat part of the present syllabus? Since it would just be part of "distinctive qualities of a text"?

literally dk but when my teacher was like 'we're doing a practice essay today for your prelims' and pulled that question i instantly knew it was over for me (it was i didnt write an essay bc idk what to do)

 

[Isit_actually?]

I think the problem with that would be it accentuate the problem of economic differences amongst students. This is mostly in reference to students who have the privilege of going to tutoring centres and etc. It would also stop students from essentially growing throughout the year, by applying the mentioned system, students would simply tested instead of learning. The problems that will arise will be similar to the problems found in Singaporean and Chinese education systems where the education system becomes less educational but more competitional -> Due to Australia's tall poppy syndrome, it can deducted that such system won't work in the broader Australian public.

I get what you're trying to say but unfortunately this is the state of the education system anyways. Even in school, whether it be the internal or external assessment, at the end of the day students care about marks more than learning because of the incentive it provides to the ATAR. The ATAR has essentially reduced education into a numbers game the focus is no longer on intellectual curiosity or genuine understanding, but on how effectively you can maximise marks.


This is why tutoring centres thrive: they’re not really about teaching deeper knowledge, but about “teaching to the test” and drilling exam strategies. So even if we kept the current system, the inequality you mentioned already exists those with resources will always have an advantage. At least if the system was standardised or externally marked across the board, students might feel like they’re being measured on the same scale, instead of dealing with inconsistent internal assessments that vary in difficulty and generosity depending on the school.


In the end, the problem isn’t whether one system is perfectly fair, but which system best reduces existing biases. Right now, schools with more funding, better teachers, and more external support already give their students an advantage. So while any change won’t magically solve the issue of privilege, it could at least shift the focus away from how much a school inflates marks, and more onto consistent standards across the state.

 

[academic_reaper]

Even with trial exams, that still presents bias. The teacher can fucking see your name or recognizes your handwriting. They subconsciously think you are inferior and mark accordingly to their inherent bias. (Don't reply to this if you disagree, we know you're a teacher's pet and enjoy their dick). Literally nobody got a band 6 in biology, chemistry or english advanced in my school, which is reflective of absolutely awful garbage reprehensive teachers.

The purpose of the HSC is to rank people on a state (technically federal) level for entrance into uni. The fairest way to rank people is external examinations marked on the same basis.

Yes!! Omg, the arguments are so accurate here. I wrote the crappiest essay one time in legal, term 1, like l didn't even memorise 1/2, it was so choppy.. and l got full marks for it. Like l think l had one LCMDI (stats were 1 per para) and def under 200 words.

One of my classmates, who memorised it word-for-word and had been tested by her friends, literally got 6/15 even though l read over it later and l was shocked at how good it was. She asked ms if she could remark her essay, and this teacher literally said 'l've been marking for 7 yrs, l know what a band 6 essay looks like'

Man, the bias is so real. They should get ppl who have no idea what our handwritings look like so we can all be accurately marked.