'Why the HSC system in NSW is unfair and needs to be abolished'
OPINION -- As a Gen-Xer, the HSC (or the TAE, as it was called in WA when I was in Year 12) was a relatively simple process.
You sat the exams, and your marks were very much 'make or break.'?If you got 73 per cent in chemistry, then that was your mark. If you got 39 per cent in maths, you just had to suck it up.
But life for HSC students in NSW is a ridiculously long process, beginning in Year 11 where the marks for your work go towards your final results. This means kids burn out very quickly. After nearly two years of pressure, they are absolutely exhausted and it's no wonder so many kids drop out of school months or even weeks before the exams.
I've spoken to several students and parents who still don't quite understand the process. The truth is, much of the HSC is shrouded in mystery and complexity.
I have twins who are about to take the exams next week, so we are dealing with twice the stress levels of most people.
But there's one thing I have learned: many parents don't even start to think about the HSC until their child is at that stage, and it's not until you learn the details that you are smacked in the face with the unfairness of it all.?
There have been countless debates about the disadvantage of the ATAR system, which you can read about here.?
There have been calls for it to be abolished, and hopefully it will be.
Many people aren't aware of the incredibly unfair loophole that students at several wealthy 'elite' schools are able to utilise จC they are offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an alternative to the HSC.?
Here's why it is so unfair for everybody else:?the IB is not subject to the same rigorous scaling process as the HSC, so it gives IB students a huge advantage.
They are not ranked with the student majority, and the number of top ATAR scores given to them is unlimited. It is incredibly unfair to the rest of the Year 12s in NSW. Why on earth is this allowed??It's not a fair playing field and I believe it's a total disgrace.
The brutal marking system
Many parents are horrified to learn of the brutal HSC marking system, in which students are 'weighted' up or down according to the score others in their class receive.
Let's take, for example, a student who happens to be great at French, while his classmates aren't quite as proficient.?That student might score 80 per cent in his final exam.
Great, or not entirely great? Well, that depends on his classmates. If the other kids receive lower scores, then the student with the high score has his score marked lower, in accordance with what the others have received.
Of course, the system can work well if a student is struggling and everyone else in the class scored high results; the struggling student's final mark will be scored up to closer reflect what everyone else has got.
But what is fair about this crazy system? Nobody will ever convince me the HSC and ATAR system is reasonable.
Stressful times
Yes, I tell my kids the HSC is not the "be all and end all."?I constantly reassure them that while it's the most stressful time of their lives, it's only the most stressful time of their lives so far.
We all know life gets more complex once you're dealing with difficulties at work, relationship issues, the sheer chaos of life, the pandemonium of adulthood.
My kids know they're loved and admired no matter what happens.?I also love to tell them that even though I'm armed with two university degrees, throughout my long career in journalism nobody has ever asked about my Masters degree. Most people don't give a toss. "You're only as good as your last article," somebody told me.
The HSC exam period itself is ludicrous as it covers 18 days, excluding weekends.
It's an exam that pretends to be everything to all students.
"The total exam time can be 20 or more hours to obtain a single number. Compare this with three hours, 45 minutes for the US Scholastic Aptitude Test," writes James Athanasou, adjunct professor at the University of Technology, Sydney.
"Some courses are very challenging. Some merely assess the ability to cram and regurgitate. English is a basket case of a subject. Maybe it should be called literature. It is compulsory but does not assess what its name implies to a layperson.
"In 2-unit advanced [English], not all students study the same texts, even in the same school. Often it comes down to the teacher's choice."
Yes, the system might work well for kids in selective schools where every child already meets very high academic standards, but what about the majority of kids who go to regular high schools?
Unnecessary pressure
The HSC means the last two years of a student's school life is consumed by their exams instead of enjoying their youth.
For all the people who like to tell the Year 12s, "Don't worry, it's just a number!" please remember the system has changed significantly since you were at school. It is a hell of a lot tougher now. ?
Putting aside the final result, the all-important number, we don't get to see all the blood, sweat and tears that went into the amazing major works the students complete, from brilliant art to magnificent woodwork and incredible essays on Gothic literature.
WATCH: Experts share their tips for students struggling with exam stress. (Post continues.)
One of my sons spent nights with as little as zero to three hours sleep, surviving on Red Bull, to finish his major works จC work that will soon be reduced to "just a number".
The media only shows the happy faces
In the aftermath of the HSC, newspapers love to publish articles about the most successful students. We see their beaming faces, we read about their brilliant scores, and we are happy for them because they are talented and they worked very hard.
But what we don't see is all the other kids who are devastated as they see their dreams destroyed.
For most students, those feelings will be fleeting, as they find themselves on a different and fulfilling path. Let's hope they will come to the realisation that their 13 long years of school, particularly during the rollercoaster of the teenage years, has been meaningful after all.?