NSW Minister for Education and Training, John Della Bosca, announced today that a record 67,189 students will be sitting for the Higher School Certificate which starts this week.

Mr Della Bosca said it was the first time in the 40-year history of the HSC that the number of students undertaking the exam had broken through the 67,000 mark – an increase of 1004 on last year.

“The HSC is recognised as the gold standard in Australia and is a student’s passport to tertiary education throughout the world as it is highly regarded internationally,” the Minister said.

“I wish students all the best for the remainder of their preparation and during the exams which begin this Thursday (18 October) – the exam process can be an extremely challenging time but it can also be an exhilarating experience as students strive to do their best.

“Most of the students, of whom 52 per cent are female, will sit six exam papers each in about 750 exam centres including schools in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

“There are 110 different examinations for courses ranging from English to Latin, Physics to Drama, and Software Design and Development to Primary Industries.

“However, Mathematics is by far the most popular elective subject this year followed by Business Studies and Biology,” Mr Della Bosca said.

The top 10 most popular elective subjects this year are:

• Mathematics (52,122 students)
• Business Studies (15,993)
• Biology (14,620)
• Personal Development, Health and PE (13,278)
• Studies of Religion (13,236)
• Ancient History (11,495)
• Chemistry (10,444)
• Modern History (9,769)
• Visual Arts (9,420)
• Physics (9,253)

“English is a compulsory HSC subject but it is interesting to note this year that 44 per cent of students have chosen the most demanding level - 2 unit English (Advanced) - this represents a 14 per cent increase over the past five years,” Mr Della Bosca said.

Other 2007 HSC enrolment highlights include:

• 88 per cent of students eligible for an HSC this year are sitting a Mathematics exam or have completed a Year 11 or Year 12 course in Mathematics in previous years.
• Almost half of all HSC students (44 per cent) are studying at least one science course.
• Biology is the most popular science subject and fourth most popular subject overall with 14,620 students.
• 30 per cent of HSC students are enrolled in a history course, and 1960 students are studying both Ancient and Modern History.
• The top three languages are French (1410), Japanese (1376) and Chinese (1147).
• A total of 6592 students are studying one or more languages – that is almost one in 10 students.

“The diversity of subjects demonstrates the wide range of interesting courses on offer for today’s HSC students and how we are striving to ensure all students are given the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Mr Della Bosca said.

“This year the HSC is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and it is interesting to reflect on how far we have come in that time.

“The first HSC exams took place in 1967 with a total of 18,336 candidates and since then 1.86 million students have been awarded with an HSC.

“In 1967, students had the choice of 28 subjects while today there are 80 subjects. Forty years ago only 20 per cent of students progressed from Year 10 to Year 12, compared with almost 80 per cent in 2007.

Some of the changes in the HSC from 1967 to 2007 include:

• More languages are now on offer – 34 compared with 12 in 1967;
• Vocational Education and Training subjects now give students the chance to gain nationally –recognised qualifications and a head-start in a trade career;
• The 1967 Science course combined Physics, Biology and Chemistry while today’s students can choose from five science specialties – Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics and Senior Science;
• Accelerated students can now take Distinction Courses, giving them the opportunity to study Cosmology, Philosophy and Comparative Literature at a university level.

Mr Della Bosca reminded students that the HSC Advice Line would continue operating up until 10pm on Thursday 8 November.

“Students can call 13 11 12 to talk to experienced Year 12 teachers of 26 major courses, after hours and on weekends. Calls cost a flat rate of 25 cents from landlines anywhere in the State,” he added.