‘Well that’s s**t’: Aussie students react to HSC results

After years of study and weeks of anticipation Year 12 students have received their ATARs. And some of their reactions are priceless.

It’s that time of year again.

After weeks of anticipation, the wait is now over for 70,000 Year-12 students who received their HSC results on Wednesday.

With bated breath, students all around NSW huddled with friends and family as results went live at 9am this morning. For some it was a morning of pure, unadulterated joy. For others there was a flood of relief, that the anxious wait was finally over.

And of course for some, disappointment, that their expectations hadn’t quite been met. As is the case every year, social media was flooded with ATAR reaction videos that showed the culmination of two years of study and hard work.

For Mulan Xu, a student at Pymble Ladies College on the north shore of Sydney, she felt jubilation. Securing an ATAR of 99.6, Mulan shared the moment with her mum who was overcome with joy.

PLC student Mulan Xu achieved a 99.6 ATAR and was able to share the moment with her mum. Picture: Daily Telegraph/ Tiktok

“99.6! 99.6! Wow, I’m so happy for you,” her mother exclaimed.

Posted on The Daily Telegraph’s Tiktok page, support poured in from commenters. One user posted, “Wonderful, you obviously worked hard,” with another saying “Awww so wholesome, my mum never hugs me”.

For others the mood was more sombre. Another student uploaded their reaction to the results with the caption “5 stages of grief in finding out my ATAR”. Holding back tears, the 2024 graduate simply said “Well that’s s**t … That’s not what I wanted.”

However the comment section was nothing but supportive with users stressing how proud she should be for just getting through the exam period.

One supporter said:“I know it doesn’t feel this way right now, but everything happens for a reason. You did your best and I’m so proud.”

CEO of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), Paul Martin said: “Today can bring with it a range of emotions and reactions – so I am reminding all young people now leaving school – this is only the beginning.”

Students all across NSW received their HSC results on Wednesday morning. Picture: Kadie!/Tiktok

There were a range of emotions on display across social media in response to the news. Picture: Ellaalouise / Tiktok

“There are many pathways to achieve your goals. And goals change over time,” Mr Martin said. “Continue learning and finding ways to feed your passions and interests.”

However for many the day holds far less significance than it did for previous cohorts. Some 27,000 students this year applied to the Universities Admissions Centre for early offers despite the crack down on the practice by federal Education Minister Jason Clare.

In February this year Mr Clare announced that early offers could not be issued before September as they had been in previous years. More than 40,000 school-leavers were estimated to have received an early offer in 2021 and 2022.

And while these schemes were heavily criticised for encouraging students to “slacken off” for their final exams, it seems the cohort of 2024 kept their heads down right up to the finish line.

This year was the largest HSC honour roll in NSW history with 19,591 students receiving at least one band six. 1,457 of those students featured on the All-round Achievers list, signifying top band results across all 10 units of study.

NSW Minister for Education Prue Car, at the HSC First in Course ceremony at UNSW on Wednesday. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

NSW Minister for Education, Prue Car congratulated the Class of 2024 acknowledging their hard work and dedication. “Reaching the end of your schooling journey takes grit and dedication, and every student deserves to feel proud of their efforts and everything they have achieved,” Car said.

“Whether you are moving into the workforce, furthering your education, going into a traineeship or joining TAFE, I wish all our students the very best as they take their next steps forward.”

As always the state’s school rankings following the release of results generated much interest. North Sydney Boys took out the top spot beating out James Ruse for the second year running. Sydney Grammar School jumped from seventh to third in their best result since 2018.

However it was NSW public schools that dominated one of the hardest subjects in the curriculum. Nine out of the ten top performers in mathematics extension 2 attended public schools.

Originally published as ‘Well that’s s**t’: Aussie students react to HSC results