2023 HSC disability provisions statistics overview
Disability provisions in the HSC give practical assistance to students who may otherwise be disadvantaged when undertaking their exams. Learn about the number of provisions provided across schools and school sectors in 2023.
About the statistics
Disability provisions allow students to participate in the examination process and show markers what they know and can do. Emergency provisions are also approved for late injuries such as a broken arm prior to the examinations.
Applicants approved for disability provisions do not receive additional marks. Provisions are not intended to provide any advantage.
You can view all the 2023 disability provision applications in NSW schools by searching school disability applications.
Find data from previous years by viewing previous years' disability provision statistics.
Total applications by school sector
In 2023 there was a total of 839 schools with HSC exam students. Of those schools, 763 schools submitted disability applications making up 90.9% of all schools with HSC students.
| By school sector | Schools with HSC exam students | Schools with applications | Percentage of schools with applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government | 457 | 403 | 88.2% |
| Catholic (Syst) | 113 | 112 | 99.1% |
| Independent | 269 | 248 | 92.2% |
| Total | 839 | 763 | 90.9% |
Summary of students by school sector
Use the dropdowns to view the total number and percentage of students with disability applications in 2023, and the total for each school sector.
The total number of exam students includes self-tuition students.
In 2023, there was a total of 72,166 HSC exam students across the Government, Independent and Catholic schools in NSW.
Total number of disability provisions applications across school sectors
| Number of disability applications | Percentage of HSC students with applications |
|---|---|
| 10,735 | 14.9% |
Total number of fully approved, partially approved, and fully declined applications
| Approval type | Total number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 7,419 | 69.1% |
| Partially approved | 3,007 | 28.0% |
| Fully declined | 309 | 2.9% |
There was a total of 38,750 HSC exam students in Government schools in 2023.
Number and percentage of disability provisions applications
| Number of disability applications | Percentage of students with applications | Percentage of total applications |
|---|---|---|
| 4,729 | 12.2% | 44.1% |
Fully approved, partially approved, and fully declined applications
| Approval type | Total number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 3,345 | 70.7% |
| Partially approved | 1,262 | 26.7% |
| Fully declined | 122 | 2.6% |
There was a total of 20,602 HSC exam students in Independent schools in 2023.
Number and percentage of disability provisions applications
| Number of disability applications | Percentage of students with applications | Percentage of total applications |
|---|---|---|
| 4,014 | 19.5% | 37.4% |
Fully approved, partially approved, and fully declined applications
| Approval type | Total number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 2,713 | 67.6% |
| Partially approved | 1,189 | 29.6% |
| Fully declined | 112 | 2.8% |
There was a total of 12,814 HSC exam students in Catholic schools in 2023.
Number and percentage of disability provisions applications
| Number of disability applications | Percentage of students with applications | Percentage of total applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1,992 | 15.5% | 18.6% |
Fully approved, partially approved, and fully declined applications
| Approval type | Total number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fully approved | 1,361 | 68.3% |
| Partially approved | 556 | 27.9% |
| Fully declined | 75 | 3.8% |
Types of provisions
This table displays most of the disability provisions available to students and the number of students approved for each provision in 2023.
| Provision | Number | Approved for |
|---|---|---|
| Assistance | 231 | Students who require assistance in negotiating the examination, for example, an aide to turn pages or prompt student with an obsessive condition to move to the next question. |
| Bite-sized food+ | 299 | Students who have a medical need for regular nutrition. |
| Black & white paper | 17 | Students with colour blindness who cannot interpret the colour material in Geography or Visual Arts. |
| Coloured lenses / overlay | 114 | Students who need coloured filters to address glare or print distortion. |
| Diabetic provisions+ | 214 | Students with diabetes who need to check their blood glucose level and possibly take remedial action. |
| Drink+ | 169 | Students who have a medical reason for regular hydration, or who require a drink such as glucose or electrolytes. Note: all students may take water in a clear container into the examinations. |
| Examiner aware | 66 | Performance examinations where the examiner may mistake a pre-existing condition (such as a stutter) for performance anxiety. |
| Extra time | 1158 | Students with demonstrated vision or cognitive disability or very limited reading ability. Additional two and a half minutes or five minutes per half hour. See also reader or extra time. |
| Extra time - work or rest | 6 | Students who require both extra time and rest breaks, but not cumulatively. Additional five minutes per half hour. |
| Extra time to type | 3 | Students granted a computer with a very slow demonstrated typing speed; conditions such as cerebral palsy. |
| Extra time to write | 339 | Students with demonstrated slow writing speed on extended responses. Additional 2.5 minutes per half hour. |
| Feeding breaks | 2 | Recent mothers who need to feed their baby regularly. This is not a disability but uses the provision application process. |
| Heat or ice pack+ | 195 | Students whose pain is shown to be alleviated by this provision. |
| Hospital or alternative venue | 167 | Students currently in hospital, or unable to attend a school due to medical or psychological conditions. |
| Individual audio | 2 | Students who have a hearing disability which affects their access to a listening examination in the examination centre. |
| Individual instructions+ | 119 | Students with hearing or attention disabilities who may not hear general announcements. |
| Individual supervision | 237 | Students who are unable to sit with other students, generally for reasons such as anxiety or vocal tics. |
| Medication+ | 302 | Students with a medical need to take prescribed medication at regular intervals. |
| Modified examination paper | 223 | Students with a demonstrated need for modified examination papers such as enlarged print, a split paper or inability to use mathematical instruments. |
| Oral and/or Sign interpreter | 29 | Students who communicate by lip reading and/or signing. |
| Personal computer | 74 | Students with a demonstrated handwriting disability and for whom no other provision (rest, extra time or writer) is shown to be effective. |
| Reader | 1583 | Students with low reading ability, as demonstrated on an accepted reading test. |
| Reader OR extra time | 359 | Students with very low reading ability who may elect at each examination to use a reader OR extra time. |
| Rescheduled examination | 37 | Students with a condition such as cystic fibrosis, chronic fatigue or sleep apnea who are unable to sit an examination at the scheduled time. |
| Rest breaks | 7855 | Students with demonstrated pain, anxiety disorder or concentration issues who have difficulty completing the examination without a break |
| Special furniture+ | 403 | students requiring special furniture such as a tilted desk, padded chair or footrest. |
| Special lighting+ | 147 | Students with vision disability who have problems with fluorescent or artificial lighting. |
| Stand / stretch | 887 | Students with chronic pain or concentration disability that prevents sitting for an extended period. |
| Thesaurus/dictionary | 23 | Students with a moderate to profound hearing loss. |
| Toilet breaks | 162 | Students with an infection or chronic condition that requires frequent or extended visits to the toilet. |
| Towel+ | 38 | Students with hyperhidrosis who need to dry their hands frequently. |
| Varied seating+ | 430 | Students who require particular seating, for example students with a hearing or vision disability which requires sitting at the front, or students needing to sit near a window or exit. |
| Ventilation provisions+ | 45 | Students who require a controlled temperature range. |
| Vision aids+ | 17 | Students who require magnification or other vision assistance. |
| Writer | 1030 | Students unable to write/type (fracture or sprain), persistent pain when writing/typing, illegible writing or poor spelling. Includes additional five minutes per half hour to compensate for dictation. |
| Various other provisions | 718 | A small number of students, for example, brailler, audio headphones* or talking calculator. |