Board of Studies News - School Certificate

School Certificate Computing Skills (Pen-and-paper) test details for Friday 13 November 2009

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:52:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Computing Skills (Pen-and-paper) (School Certificate)

Date: Friday November 13, 2009, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Candidature: 22,006 (as at 1 September 2009)

The online test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, 20 in each of the five skill areas:

Computer operations
Word-processing
Spreadsheets and databases
Graphics and multimedia
Internet and email

All questions are answered on a separate machine-scored answer sheet.

Students have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the test.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Computing Skills (Online) test details for 13 November 2009

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:49:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Computing Skills (Online) (School Certificate)

Date: Friday November 13, 2009

Candidature: 62,297 (as at 1 September 2009)

The online test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, 20 in each of the five skill areas:

Computer operations
Word-processing
Spreadsheets and databases
Graphics and multimedia
Internet and email

Students answer each question by selecting the appropriate alternative.

Students require their Student Number and Password to access the online test. Students sit the test at a time determined by the school, at any time during the school day from Wednesday 11 November to 11 am on Friday 13 November. Students have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the test.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Computing Skills (Online) test details for Thursday 12 November 2009

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:19:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Computing Skills (Online) (School Certificate)

Date: Thursday November 12, 2009

Candidature: 62,297 (as at 1 September 2009)

The online test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, 20 in each of the five skill areas:

Computer operations
Word-processing
Spreadsheets and databases
Graphics and multimedia
Internet and email

Students answer each question by selecting the appropriate alternative.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Computing Skills (Online) test details for Wednesday 11 November 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:55:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Computing Skills (Online) (School Certificate)

Date: Wednesday November 11, 2009

Candidature: 62,297 (as at 1 September 2009)

The online test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, 20 in each of the five skill areas:

Computer operations
Word-processing
Spreadsheets and databases
Graphics and multimedia
Internet and email

Students answer each question by selecting the appropriate alternative.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Australian History Geography test details for Tuesday 10 November 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:37:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship (School Certificate)

Date: Tuesday November 10, 2009, 12:50 PM - 3:00 PM

Candidature: 84,236 (as at 1 September 2009)

The paper is a two hour written test consisting of two sections. All questions are compulsory.

Section 1 - Australian Geography, Civics and Citizenship (50 marks). Questions in this section are based on Focus Areas 5A3 and 5A4 and the geographical tools and skills from the Stage 5 Geography Syllabus.

Part A (20 marks) consists of 20 multiple choice questions answered on a separate machine-scored answer sheet.
Part B (30 marks) consists of questions which require short answers and the application of geographical skills, and one extended response. Answers are written in the spaces provided on the question paper.

Section 2 - Australian History, Civics and Citizenship (50 marks). Questions in this section are based on Topics 5, 6, 7 and 8 and the historical skills from the Stage 5 History Syllabus.

Part A (20 marks) consists of 20 multiple choice questions answered on a separate machine-scored answer sheet.
Part B (30 marks) consists of a number of short answer questions and one extended response. Answers are written in the spaces provided on the question paper.

Questions in Sections 1 and 2 may utilise source material such as written sources, photographs, maps, diagrams, statistics and graphs, which are generally included immediately above the question(s) that directly relate to them.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Mathematics test details for Tuesday 10 November 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:26:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Mathematics (School Certificate)

Date: Tuesday November 10, 2009, 9:25 AM - 11:30 AM

Candidature: 84,221 (as at 1 September 2009)

The test consists of two sections.

Section 1 (25 marks) consists of 25 short-response questions, answered in the question booklet. Calculators may not be used in this section.

Section 2 (75 marks) has two parts, A and B. Calculators may be used in both parts.

Part A (55 marks) consists of 50 multiple-choice questions and five multiple correct/incorrect questions, answered on a separate machine-scored answer sheet.
Part B (20 marks) consists of four questions, each containing several parts, worth 5 marks each. All answers to Part B are written in the spaces provided in the question booklet.

All questions are compulsory.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Tests - Test Yourself Online!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:53:00+1100

Students, teachers and parents are invited to visit the Board's SC Test Yourself Website in preparation for the 2009 School Certificate tests.

Here students can test themselves on a selection of multiple-choice questions from past School Certificate tests in English, Mathematics, Science, Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, and Computing Skills.

Parents and teachers are also encouraged to use the site to better understand the kinds of multiple-choice questions students will be asked in the School Certificate tests. It is important to note that the 2009 School Certificate tests do not include only multiple-choice questions. For specifications about the tests click on the following link: School Certificate tests.

The website is proving to be extremely popular with 109,535 tests completed on the Sunday before the 2008 School Certificate. You can nominate the number of questions you want to attempt and receive immediate results and answers to any questions you answered incorrectly.

Try out your skills and knowledge with questions like this:

Adam earns $5 for the first hour of babysitting and $4 per hour after that. He babysat for n hours. Which expression represents the amount Adam earned?
(a) 9n
(b) 4n + 1
(c) 4n + 5
(d) 5n - 1

All questions are automatically marked and the correct answers are shown at the end of each test.

Multiple choice questions are a part of each School Certificate Test. To find out more, read about the 2009 English-literacy and Science test components.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate Science test details for Monday 9 November 2009

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:07:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: Science

Date: Monday November 9, 2009, 12:50 PM - 3:00 PM

Candidature: 84,261 (as at 1 September 2009)

Section 1 (60 marks). Section 1 consists of two parts:

Part A (50 marks) consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. All answers to this section must be recorded on the answer sheet provided.

In Part B (10 marks), there are 10 constrained-response questions. Students write their answers in the boxes on the answer sheet provided.

Section 2 (40 marks). There will be 5-8 short-response questions with a total value of 40 marks. These questions may consist of several parts, and are answered in the spaces provided.

There is a stimulus booklet attached to the test. Questions from both Section 1 and Section 2 will draw on the material in the stimulus booklet.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

School Certificate English-literacy test details for Monday 9 November 2009

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:01:00+1100

The Board of Studies joins with the rest of the community in wishing all School Certificate students the best for their tests.

Test: English-literacy (School Certificate)

Date: Monday November 9, 2009, 9:20 AM - 11:30 AM

Candidature: 84,295 (as at 1 September 2009)

This test consists of two sections.

Section 1 - Reading/Viewing (60 marks) consists of reading/viewing tasks that require students to respond to a range of texts. This section of the paper will use a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

Section 2 - Writing (30 marks) consists of two extended writing tasks.

There is a stimulus booklet attached to the test. Questions from both Section 1 and Section 2 will draw on the material in the stimulus booklet.

All questions are compulsory.

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Just enter your email address in the box on the right, and don't forget to confirm your subscription.

Key Dates for 2010 School Certificate and Higher School Certificate

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:45:00+1100

Key dates, including submission of School Certificate grades and HSC assessment marks, plus the starting dates for the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate are available on the Board's website.

2009 HSC Media Guide - something for everybody!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:25:00+1100

The latest HSC facts, trends and resources can be found in the 2009 Higher School Certificate Media Guide.

Featuring artwork from 2008 HSC students on the front and back covers, the 2009 HSC Media Guide offers readers the enrolment figures for every HSC subject in this record-breaking year. The Guide also includes important statistics and dates for the 2009 mandatory School Certificate Tests for Year 10 students.

The 2009 HSC Media Guide is available as a PDF file to download as well as the quick linked HTML document.

Journalists may request a print copy of the 2009 HSC Media Guide from the Corporate Communications Unit by emailing information@bos.nsw.edu.au with postal delivery details. Some previous years' Media Guides are also available in print for journalists wishing to compare statistics across time.

Don't miss out! Get your news fast and from the source with our easy email alerts. Simply enter your email address in the box to the right of this article and remember to confirm your details when the verification message arrives.

School Certificate and Higher School Certificate key dates for media

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:30:00+1100

Media can view School Certificate and Higher School Certifcate key dates and useful web links on the Board's website. For all media enquiries telephone the Board's Corporate Communications unit on (02) 9367 8250, 9367 8066 or 0418 418 053.

For general enquiries please call (02) 9367 8111.

Key dates

17 October HSC Advice Line opens
20 October Start of 111 written HSC exams. View HSC exam timetable
21 October English Paper 1
9 November Start of SC tests. View SC test dates
13 November Conclusion of SC tests and HSC exams
10 December SC award documents arrive in schools
15 December First in Course HSC award ceremony held at Australian Technology Park, Redfern
16 December Release of HSC results to students by internet, SMS and automated telephone service from 6am
16 December HSC Examination Inquiry Centre opens for questions about results
16 December HSC merit lists published on the Board's website
17 December Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) issues Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
18 December Students receive HSC results summary notice in mail
12 January Students receive formal HSC credentials in mail

Useful links

Official Notice - Stimulus booklet in English-literacy School Certificate test

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:24:00+1100

BOS 30/09

In 2009 and beyond, the School Certificate test in English-literacy will have a stimulus booklet attached at the back of the test paper. The booklet will contain all the texts related to Section 1 Reading/Viewing.

On the front cover of the test paper will be an instruction to students to detach the stimulus booklet and use it to answer the questions in Section 1.

A mock-up of the 2009 English-literacy test format (using the questions from the 2008 test) can be found on the Board's website.

Effective: 2009 English-literacy School Certificate test.

Contact

Garry Green
Senior Assessment Officer, English
(02) 9367 8241
garry.green@bos.nsw.edu.au

Official Notice - School Certificate Computing Skills Testing Online Test Mandatory from 2010

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:21:00+1100

BOS 28/09

From 2010 all Year 10 students will complete the School Certificate Computing Skills Test (CST) online.

The CST has been a mandatory part of the School Certificate qualification since 2006, with schools able to choose either online or pen-and-paper versions for their students.

In 2009, more than 75 percent of all schools have chosen the online CST.

Any school wanting to change its 2009 CST choice from pen-and-paper to online to better prepare for the mandatory online version in 2010 should contact records@bos.nsw.edu.au or telephone (02) 9367 8107.

Pen-and-paper versions of the CST may be available in 2010 under exceptional circumstances. Schools will receive advice about these arrangements early in Term 1.

Contact : John Wheelahan
records@bos.nsw.edu.au
Telephone (02) 9367 8107

Effective from : 2010 School Certificate Computing Skills Test

Don't miss out! Get your Board news fast and from the source with our easy email news alerts. Simply enter your address in the box to the right of this article and remember to verify when you get our confirmation message.

Studying for the HSC - Information Booklet for Year 10 Students 2009

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:42:00+1100

Schools should have received copies of Studying for the NSW HSC - Information Booklet for Year 10 Students, 2009 (PDF, 480KB).

The booklet is for Year 10 students who are planning their Year 11 and 12 studies. It contains information on course selection and assessment guidelines for the HSC in an easy to read format.

This year's edition has been revised to ensure it targets information useful to students preparing to start Year 11. It also sports a new eye-catching cover which feaures an HSC student's artwork from ARTEXPRESS.

For detailed course information, also checkHSC Course Descriptions (PDF, 460KB) on the Board's website.