What actually counts towards the HSC can feel overwhelming to figure out. How is your final HSC mark calculated? Is it only the final HSC exam that counts towards the HSC? How much do school assignments count? Do Year 11 marks play a role? What about all that work from the junior years? Let’s break it down clearly so you know exactly what counts—and what doesn’t.
What DOES count:
✅School based assignments within Year 12!
- For each subject, the combined results of your school assignments determine 100% of your school assessment mark. This mark counts towards the HSC as it makes up 50% of your final HSC mark.
- In Year 12, every subject has a series of assignment tasks—these might be speeches, in-class essays, practical projects, or research assignments. Each task is weighted differently, meaning some count more towards your assessment mark than others. Assignment weightings will be listed at the top of your assignment notification.
💡 Top tip: Don’t ignore the “small” tasks. Even a quiz worth just 10% counts towards the HSC as it can lift your overall result and push you into a higher band.
✅Your actual HSC exam!
- The HSC exam you sit alongside the rest of NSW Year 12 students on the big day makes up the other 50% of your final HSC mark.
- In Year 12, you must study at least 10 units. Most subjects, like Legal Studies or Business Studies, count as 2 units, while extension courses usually count as just 1 unit.
- Even if you study 11 or 12 units in the HSC, only your 2 units of English plus your best 8 other units count towards the HSC. This means if Chemistry ends up being your lowest 2-unit subject out of 12, it won’t count towards your final mark.
What DOESN’T count:
❌Specific subject choices.
- When it comes to the HSC, the specific subjects you choose do not matter as much as how well you do in them—scaling plays a role, but strong results in any subject will always count more towards the HSC.
❌Any assignments prior to Year 12.
- Though work in preliminary years (especially Year 11) is important for learning foundations, and you must satisfactorily complete these years, any marks gained before Year 12 do not count, your grades are a clean slate.
❌Homework and class participation in Year 12.
- Although crucial for learning and preparing for assignments, this work is not reported to NESA, so it does not count towards the HSC.
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