Accumulation of the Higher School Certificate: Preliminary and HSC courses
ACE 8036
Last Updated: 1 April 2019
There is no time restriction on the accumulation of Preliminary courses.
Students may accumulate HSC courses towards the Higher School Certificate over a five-year period.
The five-year period:
- commences in the first year the student satisfactorily completes an HSC course
- applies regardless of whether the student defers studies for one or more years during the five-year period. Accumulation of HSC courses cannot extend over more than five years
- is a ‘rolling period’ so that students wishing to go beyond the five years will have the earliest year’s presentation deleted.
Stage 6 VET or Content Endorsed Courses that are included in a student’s HSC pattern of study must comply with the five-year accumulation rule for HSC courses.
For students repeating a course within the five-year accumulation period, the latest attempt will void the previous results in that course in regard to Higher School Certificate eligibility. For students changing to another course in the same subject area eg HSC English Advanced and HSC Extension 1 to HSC English Standard, the latest attempt will void the previous results in that course in regard to Higher School Certificate eligibility.
Credentialling
Students who are accumulating courses may access a Student eRecord showing each calendar year of study. The Student eRecord will record all the Stage 5, Stage 6 Preliminary and Stage 6 HSC courses (including VET and Life Skills courses) satisfactorily completed. HSC courses will be reported over a five-year accumulation period, including repeat attempts.
An HSC Record of Achievement will be awarded to all students who complete the Higher School Certificate as part of the HSC credentialling.
Candidates studying by self-tuition will receive a Result Notice for each calendar year of study. Result Notices will record all the Preliminary courses satisfactorily completed, and HSC courses satisfactorily completed over the five-year accumulation period, including repeat attempts.
On completion of the accumulation, all pattern of study requirements must have been met for both the Preliminary and HSC study patterns.
Students who choose to accumulate must be aware that some courses, including Board Endorsed Courses, may be discontinued during the period of accumulation. In such cases, students may need to commence alternative courses to fulfil Higher School Certificate requirements.
Students who have completed the requirements for the award of the Higher School Certificate may continue to accumulate units beyond the minimum pattern of study.
In general, students may not count more than one 240-hour Board Developed Course in the one subject for the award of the Higher School Certificate.