Principles for setting HSC exams

Principle 1

The exam will test a representative sample of the knowledge, understanding and skills outcomes in any given year. The exam is formulated to avoid predictability and encourage students to prepare for all syllabus outcomes. Over a number of years, it is expected that the full range of syllabus outcomes that can be appropriately measured by an exam will be covered.

Principle 2

The exam as a whole will be constructed in such a way that it provides a representative sampling of a range of syllabus outcomes and questions that allow demonstration of performance across all levels in the performance scale.

Principle 3

The coverage of syllabus outcomes and content in the exam must allow students to demonstrate the levels of performance that are described in the bands on the performance scale. Each question in an exam should be mapped against syllabus outcomes, content and performance descriptions that students may demonstrate in answering the question. These will be addressed in the table of specifications, constructed by the exam committee each year.

Principle 4

Values and attitudes outcomes will not be included in the exam.

Principle 5

The exam as a whole will:

• provide the full range of students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they know, understand and are able to do
• allow for appropriate differentiation of student performance at each band on the performance scale, including demonstration of higher order skills.

Principle 6

The level of difficulty of an exam should be maintained consistently from year to year.

Principle 7

In accordance with the exam specifications, the exams should include a range and balance of question types, such as:

• objective-response questions
• short-answer questions
• extended-response questions including essays.

Principle 8

The demands of the exam will be appropriate for the time allocated in terms of:

• the number and length of student responses required
• the amount of reading time provided
• the complexity of the questions.

Principle 9

The layout will assist students in working through the exam. Instructions will be clear and concise.

Principle 10

Questions will be set simultaneously with marking guidelines, and will allow for marks to be awarded commensurate with performance.

Principle 11

Both the marks allocated and space provided to answer each question will be appropriate for the anticipated range of responses.

Principle 12

The marks allocated for each question or question part will be clearly indicated.

Principle 13

Wherever appropriate, explanatory information will be placed at the top of a section or page. This placement is preferable to the examination question containing the information.

Principle 14

The language used in questions will be accessible to all students so that it will be clear to all students what they are expected to do.

Principle 15

Questions will require minimal reading time, except where reading and comprehension are being specifically examined.

Principle 16

Stimulus material will only be provided when it is essential to answering the question.

Principle 17

Questions must be free of bias, stereotyping or tokenism.

Principle 18

The requirements of the question will be clear to all adequately prepared students, while encouraging flexibility in their responses.

Principle 19

Free response questions will have simple structures with a minimal number of parts and sub-parts. The parts will be sequenced in order of difficulty, and allow the students to demonstrate what they know, understand and are able to do.

Principle 20

Where terms such as ‘describe’, ‘analyse’, ‘synthesise’ and ‘evaluate’ are used they will be used consistently and appropriately.

Principle 21

To assist in achieving comparability, optional questions within a section of the exam must be marked using similar marking criteria. Choices within questions should have a comparable degree of difficulty.

Principle 22

To assist moderation in exams where there is a core and options, there will be no internal choice within questions in the core section of the exam.