What is the Record of School Achievement (RoSA)?
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) issues the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school before completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC).
The RoSA is a cumulative credential and contains a student’s record of academic achievement up until the date they leave school. This could be at the end of Year 10 or up until and including the end of Year 12.
The RoSA records completed Year 10 and Year 11 courses and grades, and Year 12 HSC results for students not eligible for the HSC. It also records participation in any uncompleted Year 11 or Year 12 courses and the date of leaving school.
What is the Higher School Certificate (HSC)?
Achieving the HSC is different to getting an ATAR. A student does not receive a simple ‘pass’ or ‘fail’, nor do they get a single rank or mark for all courses. The HSC results are a detailed package showing each student, their level of knowledge and skills that they achieved in each course.
How is the HSC mark calculated?
The HSC mark is a 50:50 combination of a student’s examination mark and school-based assessment mark for each course.
Assessment Mark
School-based assessment tasks measure performance in a wider range of course outcomes than can be tested in an external examination. Students are required to complete a number of assessment tasks for their courses. This may include tests, written or oral assignments, practical activities, fieldwork and projects. Schools submit an HSC assessment mark for every student in most courses. NESA puts the marks through a process of moderation to allow a fair comparison of marks in each course across different schools.
Examination Mark
The examination mark for each course shows the student's performance in the HSC examination for that course, which was set and marked by NESA. The examination consists of a written paper and, for some courses, speaking and listening examinations, practical examinations, or major works that are submitted for external marking. Each student's achievement is assessed and reported against set standards of performance.
A unique part of the standards approach is a special procedure called 'judging'. Judging means a student’s raw exam marks can be matched to the standards and the reporting scale used by NESA. It means a student is rewarded for their performance with the mark they deserve, no matter how many other people performed at a similar, higher, or lower level.
Performance bands
Student performance in each HSC course is measured against defined standards. HSC marks for each course are divided into bands and each band aligns with a description of a typical performance by a student within that mark range. The performance bands and descriptions give meaning to the HSC mark. For a 2 unit course, Band 6 indicates the highest level of performance and the minimum standard expected is 50.
- Band 6 = 90 - 100 marks
- Band 5 = 80 - 89 marks
- Band 4 = 70 - 79 marks
- Band 3 = 60 - 69 marks
- Band 2 = 50 - 59 marks
- Band 1 = 0 - 49 marks
Each band is aligned to what a student at that level of performance typically knows, understands and can do. The 'average' performance in most courses is usually a mark in the mid-70s (Band 4). Band 1 indicates that a student has not met enough of the course outcomes for a report to be made. Band 1 includes marks ranging from 0 to 49. For an Extension course, the bands are E4 (highest level of performance) to E1.
Determining HSC results
HSC achievement is assessed and reported against set standards of achievement ensuring students are rewarded for their performance with the mark they deserve, no matter how many other people performed at a similar, higher, or lower level.
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
The HSC results are used by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to calculate a rank order of students known as the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The ATAR is not a mark, nor is it a summary of the HSC. It is a ranking system used to allocate university placements.
UAC calculates the university admission ranks each year using students’:
- moderated assessment marks (before alignment with the standards), and
- total exam marks (before alignment with the standards).
HSC students may indicate that they wish to have an ATAR calculated. However, calculation of an ATAR is optional. For example, many students who do not wish to gain entry to university the following year do not request calculation of an ATAR. To be eligible for an ATAR, students must satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of certain Board Developed Courses for which formal examinations are conducted by NESA.