Allocating and submitting Stage 5 grades

Last updated: 22 September 2025

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Updated 22 Sep 2025

NESA has made changes to ACE Rule: 2.3.1. These changes clarify:

that Stage 5 assessment policies and procedures must detail procedures for final grade appeals (see paragraph 1.c)
that student appeals against final Stage 5 grades must be resolved at the school level (see paragraph 1.c, footnote 2)
the timeframe and rationale for retaining grades for 100-hour courses completed in Year 9. (see paragraph 3).

View all changes

NESA is authorised under sections 20A and 94 of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) to:

determine whether candidates for the award of the RoSA have participated in, and satisfactorily completed courses of study developed or endorsed by the Board
prepare and distribute to schools information relating to other forms of assessment for the RoSA.

2.3.1 Submitting grades to NESA

Stage 5 courses

Schools must have policies and procedures for determining grades

Schools must have policies and procedures for determining grades that will be submitted to NESA. The policies and procedures must include:
1. an assessment plan for every 100-hour or 200-hour graded Stage 5 course (except for courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content, or Loading )1, and
2. procedures for determining grades, and
3. procedures for final grade appeals2, and
4. procedures for retaining student work samples.

Determining Stage 5 course grades

NESA’s Loading indicate the outcomes and content that students may be assessed on.
Schools must maintain a record of grades allocated to students for any 100-hour or 200-hour course completed in Year 9 to be submitted with the students’ grades for their Year 10 courses, at the end of Stage 5.
Teachers must:
1. give students the opportunity to demonstrate their full range of achievement relative to the Loading or Course Performance Descriptors, and
2. at the completion of the 100-hour or 200-hour course and using all available evidence of student achievement in the course, make a valid judgement to determine a grade for each student that best matches their achievement at the end of the course with an achievement description of the Loading or Course Performance Descriptor.

Submitting grades to NESA

Schools must:
1. submit an A to E grade to NESA for every student entered into a 100-hour or 200-hour graded Stage 5 course (except courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content or Loading ), based on the available evidence of student achievement in the course, by the due date outlined in the Loading , and
2. submit an A to E grade for students assigned an ‘N’ for their achievement in a 100-hour or 200-hour course. This is the grade that will be awarded to the student if they successfully appeal against the ‘N’ determination.

Confirming grades for Stage 5 courses

Schools must:
1. generate a Confirmation of Grading report, and
2. check the Confirmation of Grading report prior to the principal’s certification process.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

Please contact Quality in Credentialling by email at grademonitoring@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Footnotes

Schools must give students sufficient notice of an upcoming assessment task.
Student appeals of final grades awarded in Stage 5 courses must be resolved by schools by the due date outlined in the Loading .

Glossary

Common Grade Scale

Generic, holistic descriptions of typical performance at each of 5 grade levels that can be used to identify and report student achievement in both primary and junior secondary years in NSW schools.

Confirmation of Grading report

A report generated by schools, using Schools Online, to confirm the grades allocated.

work sample

Any item of work completed by the student and graded by the teacher.

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