Curriculum and Learning

Year 12 Semester 1 Academic Awards

In recognition of academic excellence over the first two terms of the HSC course, the following Year 12 students were presented at last week’s College Assembly with their Academic Commendation certificates for Semester 1.

Year 10 Academic Attainment Testing – Tuesday 13 May 2025

On Tuesday 13 May, all Year 10 students at the College will undertake the Academic Attainment Tests (10AAT) and Careers Exploration administered by Academic Assessment Services (AAS).

The purpose of the 10AAT and Careers Exploration are to provide the College with externally determined independent assessment data that will inform prospective Year 11 students and their parents/carers making appropriate subject selection choices for the senior years of secondary schooling.

The tests are prepared and administered by AAS, who are nationally renowned independent consultants specialising in the assessment and analysis of educational performance and progress.

It is important to note that the data from the 10AAT and prospective careers advice will contribute significantly to subject selection recommendations for Year 11 in 2026, along with Year 10 assessments undertaken and the NESA HSC Minimum Standards Tests which will be conducted on Monday 12 May.

Students are required to assemble outside the College Hall by no later than 8:35 AM, ready to commence the tests shortly after. The students resume normal timetabled Period 5 classes after lunch.

Year 10 students are advised in preparation for the day:

1. To bring a blue or black pen and a scientific calculator (NOT a CAS) in a plastic sleeve that is transparent, unlabeled and unmarked.

2. They may bring bottled water in the testing rooms – transparent, unlabeled and unmarked.

3. Mobile phones and smart watches are not permitted in the testing rooms.

Year 11 Assessment Block

A reminder that the Year 11 Assessment Block will commence next Wednesday 14 May and will conclude on Wednesday 21 May with the following day reserved for catching up on missed assessments. The assessments are varied in type, structure and format and include but are not limited to written responses to pre-published stimulus materials, oral presentations and practical examinations.

As explicitly stated in the Especean issued 9 April 2024, it is the College’s expectation that all senior students conduct themselves in an exemplary and serious manner during the Assessment Block. Year 11 students are reminded to consult the document Assessment / Examination Block Rules for Senior Students on the Year 11 CANVAS page as any breach of the rules may incur a zero mark being awarded for the associated assessment.

The Assessment Block timetable was issued to Year 11 students on Thursday 10 April and students are reminded to become familiar with and abide by the Assessment / Examination Block Rules for Senior Students available on the Year 11 CANVAS page.

Parents/carers and students of Year 11 are reminded, that in the event of absenteeism due to illness or misadventure during the Assessment Block, a telephone call to the Year Coordinator, Mr Biviano, must be made on the morning of the assessment. Where possible, the missed assessment or a substitute will be arranged within the Assessment Block period. Immediately, on the student’s return to school, a completed illness/misadventure form, with the related medical certificate or other official supporting evidence attached, must be personally given to Mr Biviano and the relevant Head of Department.

If illness or misadventure prevents a student from attending or submitting an assessment or affects their performance in an assessment, it is the student’s responsibility to complete and submit an illness/misadventure application, not a parent/carer or relative, unless the student is physically unable to do so.

At the Year 11 Meeting on Thursday 8 May, I will reiterate the following points to the students regarding instances for which illness/misadventure applications are valid:

• occurred immediately before or during an assessment

• was unexpected

• was beyond the student’s control and prevented them from attending or diminished their performance in the assessment.

The College will not consider illness or misadventure applications for:

• difficulty preparing or lost preparation time

• alleged deficiencies in teaching

• misreading the Assessment Block timetable

• misreading assessment instructions

• attempting the wrong assessment

• long-term illness (e.g., glandular fever, asthma or epilepsy), unless the student has suffered a flare-up of the condition during the assessment

• conditions for which the student has been granted disability provisions, unless they have further unexpected difficulties

• conditions for which a student should have applied for disability provisions

• other commitments such as participation in work, sporting event, holiday, or attendance at tests conducted by other organisations.

Illness/misadventure applications must include advice or evidence from a relevant independent expert, not a parent/carer or relative, on the same day, either immediately before or after each assessment for the student. The medical certificate must be written by a practising medical doctor who is not a parent/carer or relative. A certificate from a dentist to cover an appointment will not be accepted unless sudden urgent or emergency treatment was required.

The student must provide documentation that is current, specific to the date and time of the assessment, and submitted with the illness/misadventure form. A medical certificate that merely states “illness” and/or “unfit for work/study” is unacceptable and the College will not consider an illness/misadventure application without sufficient evidence supporting a genuine reason.

Michael Cutrupi 

Director of Curriculum