Learning from the 2024 HSC Results

From the Head of Senior School, Mr Tristan Bevan

The Senior & Middle Leadership teams spent time recently analysing the HSC results from our 2024 cohort. Whilst this information is most pertinent to those in Year 11 & 12, I hope that this will help to educate all students & parents about the nitty gritty of HSC data.

English Advanced Vs English Standard

This graph shows the ‘value-added’ results for English subjects only. The students highlighted in Green are those who studied English Standard. Here are a few observations:

• For one student – in the green circle – English Standard was the appropriate course, and they worked to a level for it to demonstrate significant growth
• Fourteen of the students in the blue box underperformed when compared with their ability demonstrated in Year 10. This includes six students with a Year 10 score of >50%.
• The students in the red box who had lower achievement in Year 10 (37 – 42%), studied English Advanced and showed significantly more growth than those who studied English Standard.

It should be noted that few of the students in the boxes probably ‘enjoyed’ studying English, but as 2 units of English are mandatory in the HSC everyone must study it. Some academic resilience is needed here and the ability to work through a little discomfort for the longer-term benefit will help our students develop the grit and determination that will be useful in life beyond school.

Raw Marks vs Moderated Marks for the Stage 6 courses

As a teacher of a highly challenging course, my students often receive raw marks that can be accompanied by disappointment. My students are used to this whilst also being aware that raw marks are not an accurate reflection of HSC performance. Whilst we focus on learning from feedback and gaining as many raw marks as possible, a simple calculation can give a better estimate of an HSC moderated mark.

For all but very few outliers, the HSC is reported between 50 – 100. This means that we need to moderate raw marks adjusted to range from 0 – 100 to reflect the HSC marks range.

Moderated Mark = Raw Mark/2  +  50

The table below gives a better estimate of potential HSC marks.

Raw Mark	10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100
Moderated Mark	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100

As a specific example, I once had a student who scored 18% in their HSC Chemistry exam and once internal assessments and moderation had taken place they received and HSC mark of 60.

The key for students is to have perspective when receiving marks and to strive to maximise their raw marks by working consistently over the course, seeking and acting on feedback from their teacher and working co-operatively with their peers.

Extension subjects

It is very pleasing that almost 44% of our students studied an extension subject for the HSC last year. Extension subjects have multiple advantages:

• It is beneficial for a wide range of students to study at least one extension subject. This can be as an 11^th unit or paired with a second extension subject or 1-unit subject (such as Studies of Religion 1) to make 10 units.
  
• Extension subjects build upon and develop strength in their corresponding 2-unit courses, often leading to better performance across that curriculum area.
  
• In terms of ATAR, Extension units often scale well, meaning that for a person studying 11 units, only half of their lowest performing 2-unit subject will contribute to their ATAR.
  
• English Extension 1 is often considered to have a more predictable examination than English Advanced. For students studying 11 units, who have significant strengths in other curriculum areas, this may mean that only one unit of English Advanced has to count as it is mandatory to count 2 units of English, but these units do not have to be from the same course.
  
• In most cases, students studying Mathematics Extension 1 will outperform their peers in the Advanced Mathematics Examination due to more frequent and rigorous practice beyond the scope of the Mathematics Advanced course.
  
• Development of Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills: Extension subjects often involve complex problem-solving and critical analysis, which can enhance a student’s intellectual capabilities, assisting them in all their subjects and preparing them for the challenges of higher education and professional environments.

There are times where students wish to change their program of study, but please encourage them to keep an open mind and to listen to the advice of teaching staff who have both years of experience and access to data that can influence these choices. Too often students request a change of subject as a fait accompli and no amount of logical persuasion can prevent them from seeking short-term relief of pain, whilst missing out on the medium-term gain.

School Spirit – Support and Participation

The participation in the Swimming Carnival was an excellent problem to have. So many students took part that the Sports Dept. found creative solutions to allow the carnival to finish on time.

With ISA Semi-Finals, this week and ISA Finals the week after I’d like to urge students to take up the challenge set by the Student Leaders to support these teams. Whilst it may mean a morning away, the teams that have made it this far would really appreciate the support. Students wishing to attend should enquire with the Sport Department to see if there is room on the bus to travel with finals teams. Full School or Sports uniform is an expectation for any supporters.

I look forward to Treasure Island performances in Week 8, 9 & 10. It is marvellous to see and hear the dedication of the students busy in rehearsals lead by Mr Cunich in preparation for the show. Drama performances are always strong at Oxley and well worth coming to the show.

The Inter-House Cross Country carnival date has been adjusted as broadcast to Thursday 20 March. In preparation, I have been holding Run Club before school on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, leaving the PCC at 7.30am. This is a social run for athletes of all abilities focused as much on the ‘Building Connections’ as on ‘Stay Fit’ parts of our Wellbeing Framework.

In addition to this Hugo Findlay & I are organising an ‘Oxley Takeover’ of Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens parkrun on Saturday 22 March – an ideal opportunity for all ISA Cross Country Runners to come and participate. For those who don’t wish to run, there are plenty of volunteer roles to be filled on the day by students, parents & staff. If you are keen, register for a parkrun barcode, print it out or download it and come along on the day. For those teams that haven’t made the ISA Finals, perhaps they could use a parkrun on one of the next few weeks to help prepare for the Inter-House Cross Country Carnival as it can provide race/pacing practice. A shout out to Hugo who has paced both Rory & Euan Shedden to 5k PB’s over the past few weeks. As the staff member coaching Cross Country, I’d like to advocate for maximum participation, as we can all run, and to encourage students to recognise the team aspect of Cross Country rather than just seeing it as an individual sport. I look forward to seeing you out and about running!