HSC 2020: new UAC disadvantages for children of JobKeeper, JobSeeker recipients

The University Admissions Centre has announced HSC support for Year 12 students whose parents have lost their job, or who are earning less because of COVID-19. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

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The class of 2020 will go down as one of the most unique HSC rounds in NSW.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many students to learn from home, making practical assessments difficult, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is giving increased powers to schools to mark their students as they see fit.

NESA Chair Professor Peter Shergold said teachers will be given more control over what and how they teach and how HSC assessments will be set.

“Teachers this year will be given much greater flexibility to determine just what it is they are teaching,” Professor Shergold said.

“They know what is going to work best in this year of disrupted learning,” he said.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2020 HSC.

NEW UAC DISADVANTAGES

If you’re a Year 12 student and your parent’s employment has been effected by the pandemic, you may be eligible for some special consideration towards your ATAR.

For students with parents on either the JobSeeker of JobKeeper payments, these will now be counted as Financial Hardship when applying for the Educational Access Scheme.

The EAS allows each university to individually decide the nature and weighting of how they adjust ATAR rankings for disadvantaged students.

If your parent/s receives the JobKeeper payment, you will be able to apply for financial disadvantage from August. The parent must be receiving the payment for at least three months.

Similarly parents on JobSeeker must be receiving the payment for at least three months from March onwards.

Year 12 students with parents on JobKeeper or JobSeeker will now be eligible for financial disadvantage.

ENGLISH EXTENSION 2

If you’re taking English Extension 2 and have chosen film for the major work, you may want to stop shooting your short film.

The short film major work will not be marked, even if the student has completed filming, or if their film is animated or with a single actor.

Students instead will be required so submit a portfolio of supporting documents which outline their vision for their work, including story boards, pictures of locations and up to three minutes of already shot footage, a script, a shot list and a soundtrack.

All other major works in English Extension 2 will continue as normal.

If film students want to change streams they will have that option until June 5.

ART AND TECHNOLOGY PRACTICAL EXAMS

For students of the technology subjects and Visual Arts, NESA has agreed to allow schools to mark some components of major works internally, encouraging schools to mark based on progress since Term 4 last year.

This will apply to Design and Technology: Major Design Project (Product), Industrial Technology: Major Project (Product), Textiles and Design: Major Textiles Project (Product) and Visual Arts: Body of Work.

Year 12 student Paige Persijn pictured studying for her HSC at home in Caringbah after schools were closed. Picture: Toby Zerna

The hand-in date for these major works will be extended by two weeks.

NESA will still external mark the folios in Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design externally.

Teachers may estimate their marked component if the student’s work is significantly disrupted by COVID-19, which will be up to teacher discretion to determine.

Not all practical examinations will be changed however. Dance, Drama, Music and Society and Culture practical works will still be marked externally and will continue as normal.

VET WORK PLACEMENTS

Students enrolled in VET courses with work placement requirements will still be eligible for their HSC credit units if they are unable to take their placement because of coronavirus.

Students who started a 240, 300 or 360 hour VET course in 2020 who intend to continue the course in 2021 will be able to fulfil the placement requirement with 35 hours, which NESA predicts will be possible by either late this year or early next year.

VET course students who can’t take their work placements will still receive HSC credit.

DANCE, DRAMA AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE EXAMS

There are many cancellations and alterations to how creative arts students will be marked this year.

For Dance students, the core composition assessment can no longer be performed by another student, and must be danced by the choreographer (the student being marked).

For the Dance students studying either Composition or Dance and Technology Film and Video as their major study will no longer be marked by NESA and will receive a school estimate mark. These students may choose to change their major study option by May 22.

Because of social distancing, students may have to alter their work so they do not dance or interact in proximity to others.

Ensemble performances will not go ahead for this year’s HSC. Picture: AAP

For Dance students, the group performance exam is cancelled, and the two other components of the subject (Individual Project and the written paper) will have equal weighting.

For the Individual Project, those who chose theatre criticism can now use filmed performances rather than attending live theatre, and those who chose Video Drama will no longer have their film marked. These students can change streams until June 5.

For music students, all performances are subject to social distancing – so no more than two can perform together. Because of this, students may use pre recorded accompaniment.

The ensemble performance exam in Music Extension is cancelled, and the marks redistributed between the remaining solo assignments.

St Marys Senior High School students during the first day of the HSC exams last year. Picture: Jonathan Ng

WILL THE WORKLOAD BE THE SAME?

NESA has decided to allow schools to determine for themselves the number, weighting and type of assessment tasks for HSC and Year 11 subjects.

Principals will make determinations about the school based assessments in these subjects:

Aboriginal Studies

Ancient History

Community and Family Studies

Design and Technology

English (English Studies, English Standard, English Advanced, English EAL/D, English Extension 1 and English Extension 2)

Engineering Studies

Geography

History Extension

Language in Context Stage 6 (Chinese, Japanese and Korean)

Mathematics: Mathematics Standard, Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2

Modern History

Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science, Investigating Science – depth studies, and Science Extension)

Students and parents should continue to monitor the assessment requirements set out by their school, as they are subject to change from the school due to coronavirus.

WILL STUDENTS STILL GET AN ATAR THIS YEAR?

Year 12 students will still be assessed for an ATAR ranking this year for enrolment to university in 2021.

UAC applications opened on April 1 as scheduled, and there will be a plan on ensuring a pathway to university for those affected by the pandemic in the coming weeks.