Higher School Certificate illness/misadventure applications – procedures for lodging an application

ACE 11003

Last Updated: 1 April 2019

Lodging the application

Application forms are available on Schools Online  before examinations commence. An Information Guide for Students and full details of submission procedures are given on the form.

Principals should provide the application forms to students on request and should make every attempt to explain the procedures. Principals should not dissuade students from lodging applications.

All illness/misadventure applications relating to written examinations are to be lodged within one week of the student's last examination, and no later than the date of the last HSC examination. Those relating to Higher School Certificate oral and practical examinations must be submitted within one week of the examination or submission date.

All HSC illness/misadventure applications must be submitted to NESA.

Applications submitted after the closing date will be considered only in exceptional cases.

Supporting evidence

In all cases NESA requires evidence that clearly identifies the disadvantage experienced during the time the student was attempting to complete the examination. Supporting evidence from any source is acceptable but a student’s application must include:

1. a statement from the student explaining how they were affected during the examination session;
2. a specific medical certificate with details of the date of onset of the illness, plus any additional dates of consultation, together with a statement about how the student’s performance in the examination may have been affected. In cases of misadventure, evidence from other sources (eg police statements and/or statutory declarations explaining how the student’s performance in the examination may have been affected) should be provided with the date and time of the occurrence and subsequent events;
3. a presiding officer’s report that outlines any observable signs noticed by the supervisor during the examination;
4. a statement from the student’s school principal. This should contain reference to the student’s preparation for the examination and any other information deemed relevant to the genuineness of the application. Such a statement is of particular importance in cases where the student was absent from the examination.