Certifying HSC practical component
If you are doing an HSC course that includes a practical component, such as a performance, project or submitted work, you and your school must certify that it is all your own work. Find out how certification works.
Certification
Some Higher School Certificate (HSC) courses have a practical component that provide opportunities for students to apply the skills and knowledge learnt throughout the course that is examined as part of the HSC exam. The practical exam components may include performances, projects or submitted works.
To keep things fair for all students, your HSC practical exam component must be certified. Students must declare that their work is their own and detail where they have received assistance or the aspects of the work that has been completed by someone else. Your supervising teacher and principals will also certify your work.
Student declaration
Your supervising teacher will ask you to sign a declaration when your HSC practical exam component is due to be marked. The declaration states that your practical work is all your own work.
You can see a sample of the declaration below.
Sample student declaration
I declare that:
- the planning, development, content and presentation of this project is my own work, except for the limited material, if any, drawn from acknowledged sources
- I have not copied another person's work
- I have not submitted this work, in any part, for any HSC examination or assessment task in any other course
- I have not worked on it after 3:00 pm on the completion/hand-in date
- I have read and discussed with my parent/guardian/carer the Higher School Certificate Rules and Procedures, including those on plagiarism and malpractice
- I understand that if this declaration contains false information I might not be eligible to receive my Higher School Certificate results, or may incur a penalty
- I am aware that all examination responses, including recordings of oral examinations and performances and images of submitted works, remain the property of NESA, and that NESA may use these responses in its educational publications.
Teacher and principal certification
Your supervising teacher and principal must certify that your HSC practical exam component:
- complies with NESA requirements
- is your own work
- has been done under their supervision and is consistent with other examples of your work.
Supervision of your practical exam
- You must obtain your school’s permission before you begin any work that will need to be completed away from school.
- Your teacher must:
- agree that they can supervise you completing the work
- be sure that it comprises only your own work
- supervise your work and monitor its progress.
For your supervising teacher to sign their certification, your work needs to be completed at school under their supervision. HSC practical exam components are marked at your school or the relevant marking centre. Only in exceptional circumstances can your HSC practical exam component be marked elsewhere. You must get permission from NESA to do this.
Recording HSC practical exam component progress
Your supervising teacher is required to supervise your work and monitor its progress. In most courses with a practical exam, you will be required to keep a record of meetings and discussions with your teacher about your work, in the form of a:
- journal
- folio
- diary or log.
You will need to show the record of meetings to your supervising teacher regularly so that your teacher is aware of your work's progress.
If your work is on computer, you should save and backup copies of the work at various stages of development. Date-stamped digital photos are also useful records of progress of your project.
Outside assistance with practical exams
You should understand what outside assistance means in your HSC practical exam component.
You need to understand how, and under what circumstances outside assistance should be acknowledged and recorded.
How it is recorded depends on the nature of the work and the type of project.
| Type of assistance | Example | Is this outside assistance? | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your supervising teacher discusses your practical with you. | Your teacher provides feedback on the development of your practical. | No | This is not regarded as outside assistance. You still need to record the progress of your work in your practical journal, folio, diary or log. |
| Your supervising teacher needs to work on your practical. | Your work requires equipment that students are not permitted to use at school. | Yes | This must must be recorded as outside assistance in your practical journal, folio, diary or log. |
| You need to ask someone else to work on your practical. | A plastics expert is needed to mould a piece of plastic for your practical. | Yes | Discuss this work with your supervising teacher before any work is undertaken. Your teacher will tell you:
|
| If you want to have someone other than your supervising teacher review your work. | You want a mentor, tutor or your parents to review your work and comment on it. | Yes | Discuss with your supervising teacher beforehand, to clarify
|
Certification checklist
To make sure that your HSC practical exam is properly submitted for certification, make sure you:
- obtain your school's permission if you plan to work on your practical away from school and you discuss how it can be supervised by the school to certify that the work is all your own
- consult your supervising teacher to show your work in progress, so that they are aware of your intentions for your project
- have evidence of the development of your project that shows it is all your own work
- acknowledge in your journal, logbook, folio or other written record, where anyone other than you has worked on or contributed to your project
- complete all work by the due date and time
- hand in all documentation required for the marking of your work, including the journal, logbook, folio or other written record.
NESA rules state that practical exams must:
- not contain materials or processes that are dangerous to the health and safety of anyone involved
- not use, produce or display prohibited weapons, replicas or related articles
- adhere to child protection requirements.
There are specific course requirements including size, weight and duration limits for practical exams. Penalties for not complying with requirements could include loss of marks.
Note - practical exams that do not meet NESA requirements will not be eligible for public showcases.
Practical exams that are not certified
If a practical exam is not certified, your marks may be reduced, or you may get a mark of zero.
The process for practical exams that are not certified will follow this sequence:
Supervising teacher reports on why a practical cannot be certified.
The supervising teacher will complete a report stating reasons why your practical exam cannot be certified.
You can comment on the report
You will be given the opportunity to provide comments on the report.
Provide evidence
If the reason for non-certification is suspected cheating or work that is not entirely your own, you will need to provide evidence that:
- your HSC practical exam is all your own work
- any outside assistance has been acknowledged.
NESA will review all evidence
A judgement about penalties will be made.
You and your school will be notified
You and your school will be notified when HSC results are released.