Breaking HSC rules

HSC rules

The integrity of NESA’s assessment processes underpins the high standard of scholarship represented by the award of the HSC. 

NESA maintains the integrity of its assessment processes by conducting a range of programs. These programs ensure that: 

• each student’s results are determined by the quality of work they produce, and
• no unfair advantage is gained.

What students must do

Candidates for the HSC, their teachers and others who guide them, must comply with NESA’s rules and requirements for upholding the integrity of HSC school-based assessment and exams.

HSC students are made aware of these rules and requirements well in advance of sitting their exams.

Before commencing their studies, all HSC students must:

• complete HSC: All My Own Work or its equivalent
• sign a confirmation of entry form, declaring that they have read the HSC rules and procedures guide.

HSC students submitting projects, works and performances must sign a student declaration form. This confirms that the work is their own and has been developed in accordance with HSC: All My Own Work.

Advice given to HSC students

Students undertaking HSC exams and HSC minimum standard tests are reminded of HSC rules and made aware of the assessment conditions by invigilators at the start of each exam and test.

The advice includes, but is not limited to these instructions:

• Students can only bring into the exam room approved equipment on the exam equipment list. The list is made available to students well before the start of exams.
• Students cannot bring notes, paper, unauthorised material or any unauthorised communication or electronic devices into an exam.
• If students accidentally bring study notes, a mobile phone or other prohibited items into the exam, they are allowed to remove them without penalty before the exam starts.

By breaking HSC rules and/or engaging in malpractice, students risk being ineligible for the HSC.

Malpractice in HSC exams and minimum standard tests

Malpractice is any attempt to gain an unfair advantage over other students. It is unacceptable in any form, including but not limited to:

• plagiarism
• collusion
• misrepresentation
• breach of assessment conditions
• bringing unauthorised equipment or material 
• bringing in electronic devices unless specifically approved.

NESA treats allegations of malpractice very seriously and detected malpractice will jeopardise a student’s award and achievement of the RoSA or the HSC.

The Examinations Rules Committee (ERC) deals with all cases of suspected malpractice in HSC exams and HSC minimum standard tests. 

Malpractice Register

The Malpractice Register allows NESA to record, assess and analyse the number and type of malpractice offences that occur across the state.

Schools must record all instances in the register where a student was found to have engaged in malpractice in an HSC school-based assessment task.

Details are recorded so that:

• individual students cannot be identified
• aggregated data does not identify individual schools.

HSC school-based assessment malpractice data

The tables below report and analyse the aggregated data from previous years. Schools may want to reflect on the nature of offences and penalties imposed in their school, compared with all other schools in the state.

You can browse malpractice data from previous years including the:

• number of offences by course
• assessment types and offences committed
• offences and penalties imposed.

HSC exam breaches

The overwhelming majority of students undertaking HSC exams follow the rules.

The relatively small number of cases noted in the table below should be considered in the context of over 70,000 students attempting over 400,000 exams.

Most exam breaches fall into one of 3 categories.