Is The NSW HSC Too Easy? (1 Viewer)

[A l]

As you all may have heard, there are plans to use a nationwide School Certificate system to replace the differences in the state School Certificates to provide convenience for those who wish to go to other states for careers. Apparently every state has different standards and this is regarded as a problem for students wishing to take their careers in other locations.

In New South Wales, the HSC was regarded as "too easy" (meaning standards-setting is too soft on candidates), compared to the other states since 99% of students pass English very easily.

What do you think of the New South Wales Higher School Certificate system?

 

[Jiga]

I think it is, I got a UAI of 79, with minimal effort, that really shouldnt occur. However, from what Ive been led to belive with the govts intentions is that they want to make harder questions, I dont think this will help anything, all its going to mean is that people get crapper marks - prity much it wouldnt make people smarter and IMO it could possible increase teenage depression rates as students who would have been going ok (passing) in previous years would then be failing. Just my thoughts...

 

[mattyg87]

99% of students pass because of the aligning basically. If they made the standards a bit harder then it should be better

 

[withoutaface]

It's not necessarily too easy, but a lot of subjects are testing the wrong things. (SEE: 7 mark question on the history of shipbuilding in last year's chem exam)

 

[boasboy]

everything but maths is pretty much ok. ..

( I HATE MATHS . i still barely pass 3 unit >: )

 

[Cape]

Some questions aren't necessarily easy, its just the questions can be moulded especially in the english exams to suit many different responses, which sometimes have no relation to the actual question.

 

[joujou_84]

its not HARD..........just very STRESSFUL.......*bastards*

 

[hatty]

i dont think its "TOO" easy, but it sure is easy.

 

[Will_Sparky]

I think its that alot of people don't realise that a mark of 51 in English, is not going to get you a UAI of 51! Eg. "The Debate" in today's Telegraph (yes, i know, the telegraph, but bear with me). Brendan Nelson - Fed. Education Minister. "Many employers are sick of hiring university graduates who are struggling with basic grammer and spelling."

From that, I sort of guess that he doesn't understand the principle of the UAI being a rank, not a mark. Someone has "basic grammer and spelling" and just passes standard English is unlikely to go to university because English must be included in the calculation of your UAI and unless they got amazing marks in their other subjects... won't be at uni. I dunno, I think its just a stupid idea ... this isn't easy.

 

[withoutaface]

I think its that alot of people don't realise that a mark of 51 in English, is not going to get you a UAI of 51! Eg. "The Debate" in today's Telegraph (yes, i know, the telegraph, but bear with me). Brendan Nelson - Fed. Education Minister. "Many employers are sick of hiring university graduates who are struggling with basic grammer and spelling."

From that, I sort of guess that he doesn't understand the principle of the UAI being a rank, not a mark. Someone has "basic grammer and spelling" and just passes standard English is unlikely to go to university because English must be included in the calculation of your UAI and unless they got amazing marks in their other subjects... won't be at uni. I dunno, I think its just a stupid idea ... this isn't easy.

You can get a shit mark in English and own everything else and still get into uni...

 

[Will_Sparky]

You can get a shit mark in English and own everything else and still get into uni...

How many people have done that?! If your shit at HSC English, I'm more than sure you'll be shit at HSC Phys, Chem, Bio, etc.

 

[sladehk]

the Hsc may be "easy" but since every is trying so hard, the last few 1 or 2 marks made a lot of difference

 

[slip]

the standard in nsw is better then many other states. the reason 99% of english students pass is because when the new hsc came in to many people were failing, this was unacceptable to the community, so as a responce instead of improving the level of education the department of education made the marking easier.

and it doesnt matter how hard the hsc is because the final thing that matter the uai is a rank not a grade, as long as everyone has the same conditions it will work in the same way no matter if the paper i at kindergarten level or havard level.

there are two issues here.

1. that each state body has different exams and processes, Nelsen is right that a nation wide certificate would mean that careers around australia would be easier for young people wishing to move else where.

2. the standard of the skills student learn is not high enough. this has less to do with the exam and more to do with what is taught. they can only test what is taught, changing an exam is useless with out changing the skills learnt.

Basically education needs more money. As does the health system. Solution striop back spending the defence(or should that be offence) department.

 

[persephone]

i don't think that it's as easy as they say it is. to some it may be easy to others it may be really difficult. but to scrap it all together would be a very big step. a national exam would be good i guess but i had no problems with the hsc. it'll takes years to get a national exam set up and that'd change the curriculum and everything would have to start afresh. on the upside BoS can go national....

 

[zenger69]

according to my teacher... the NSW education system is the most centralised education system in the world.

Thats in terms of all teachers having same EMPLOYER, sam SYLLABUS, sam GUIDELINES AND CODES.
Centralisations = beaucracy and ridiculous things to the max which lets down teaching.

A nationwide exam would make it even more ridiculous with the beaucracies and guidelines and stuff. No way are they going to make the guidelines as flexible as IB.

In many academic countries.. like China, Japan and European countries... schools in different regions ( like 20 km apart) do totally different things.

So why would you want more of a centralised system.

If they want comparison, give everyone doing these state leaving school tests a UAI.

 

[KFunk]

The syllubi in, for example, both physics and chemistry are dumbed down and quite easy. However, dealing with the stress of the HSC, cramming the years worth of knowledge into your head and dealing with the entirely irrelevant questions with a "focus on society" is a true art.

I will admit though that the content insome courses is not easy eg. ext.1 english and ext.2 mathematics. Both of these courses are doable, but are by no means easy to the point of "Pff, conjunctive integrand functions... I got them straight off."

 

[acmilan]

In the least arrogant way, I think the HSC was far easier than i originally thought it to be. Id prefer them to be teaching some more difficult and relevant stuff (especially in the science subjects)

 

[fornstar]

How many people have done that?! If your shit at HSC English, I'm more than sure you'll be shit at HSC Phys, Chem, Bio, etc.

this kid in my school, i kid u not, couldnt speak english, well he could but no1 understood him. he was shit in english

he got 97

he killed maths and the sciences

 

[fornstar]

once u get ova the hsc, as in being worried/nervous, its not that hard

after trials i was ova the hsc, i studied but was willing 2 go 2 tafe

i think thats y i went alrite, i was ova it & the nerves didnt get 2 me

plus i heard from teachers marking the english & sor exams, that they givn marks away

mayb thats where they need 2 get tougher, with the marking

 

[wasted_emotions]

i hope its easy haha why would u have a problem with it...