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ACE Rules

Clarified ACE Rules came into effect on 14 October 2024. These rules apply to students commencing HSC courses from Term 4 2024, for students sitting for HSC exams in 2025, and for students receiving the RoSA from October 2024.

For students sitting for HSC exams in 2024, the previous ACE Online rules continue to apply.

To learn more about how NESA has clarified the ACE Rules, refer to the information sheets.

Calculating and confirming submitted marks and grades

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Updated 03 Jul 2024

NESA has made changes to Rule 2.2.1. These changes include outlining the requirement for schools to have procedures for determining grades and final grade appeals for Preliminary and graded HSC courses. (see paragraphs 3.a and 4.a)

NESA has made changes to Rule 2.2.5. These changes outline the timeframe within which schools need to resolve student appeals over marks allocated for individual assessment tasks. (see paragraph 32)

NESA has also published a new rule – Rule 2.2.6 ‘Appealing Stage 6 grades’. This rule outlines requirements for internal school reviews of final Stage 6 grades and for subsequent appeals to NESA.

View all changes

NESA is authorised under section 20A of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) to prepare and distribute to schools information relating to the conduct of exams and other forms of assessment for RoSA and HSC candidates.

Categories

HSC (assessment)PreliminarySchools Online

About submitting grades to NESA

  1. Principals are responsible for ensuring that grades reported on the RoSA or HSC Record of Achievement are submitted in Loading... by the due date in the Loading....
  2. NESA reports a student’s achievement at the completion of each course.

Preliminary courses

  1. Schools must:
    1. have procedures for determining Preliminary grades, and final grade appeals
    2. submit to NESA an Loading...:
      1. for all students completing any Preliminary Board Developed or Board Endorsed Loading..., except VET courses, University Developed Board Endorsed courses (UDBECs), and Life Skills courses, and
      2. that reflects student achievement at the end of the course based on valid teacher judgement of all assessment opportunities, and
      3. for students assigned an ‘N’ for their achievement in a course. This is the grade that will be awarded to the student if they successfully appeal against the ‘N’ determination.

HSC courses

  1. For English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1, and Numeracy, schools must:
    1. have procedures for determining grades, and final grade appeals
    2. submit an Loading... to NESA using the Grade Work File in Loading....

Confirming grades awarded for HSC courses

  1. 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.

Categories

HSC (assessment)Schools OnlineVET

About submitting HSC school-based assessment marks to NESA

  1. Schools must submit assessment marks for Board Developed and Board Endorsed HSC Loading... to NESA in Loading... by the due date published in the Loading....
  2. Assessment marks are not required for VET courses, University Developed Board Endorsed courses (UDBECs) and Life Skills courses.
  3. Schools must submit assessment marks that reflect the knowledge, skills and understanding of outcomes and content of the HSC course.1

Determining final school-based assessment HSC course marks

  1. Schools must:
    1. calculate each student’s final school-based assessment mark using the marks assigned to the various assessment tasks. This final school-based assessment mark is reached by the aggregation2 of the assessment task marks for each student3; and
    2. ensure the final school-based assessment marks submitted to NESA:
      1. establish the rank order, and
      2. show the relative differences between students’ achievement in the course; and
    3. have procedures in place to check the accuracy of all assessment marks submitted to NESA.
  2. Schools must determine final school-based assessment marks and individual assessment tasks in a course based on formal assessment results, and not a student’s attendance and application.

Grouping students for HSC school-based assessment

  1. Schools must:
    1. assess all students undertaking a course at the school, including all its registered campuses, as a single group
    2. determine school-based assessment marks for all students undertaking a course at the school as a single group, including:
      1. students also undertaking a related Extension course, and
      2. students accelerating into a course, and
    3. assess students undertaking Loading... as a single group, and:
      1. submit Extension 1 students’ marks as a mark out of 50, and
      2. double Loading... students’ marks, and submit their doubled marks as a mark out of 100.
  2. For a common course of study taught across 2 or more schools, students entered into the course must follow the assessment program of the teaching school, not students’ home schools.
  3. The teaching school must submit these students’ final assessment marks as part of the combined teaching school group.

HSC Board Developed courses

  1. For each Board Developed course (except Stage 6 VET Industry Curriculum Framework courses, English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Life Skills courses), schools must submit a school-based assessment mark to NESA for every student, including those studying the course with an outside tutor.
  2. NESA will:
    1. moderate assessment marks for Board Developed courses4, and
    2. report moderated marks on a student’s HSC Record of Achievement.

HSC Board Endorsed courses

  1. Schools must submit school-based assessment marks for students studying any HSC Board Endorsed course, except for:
    1. VET Board Endorsed courses
    2. University Developed Board Endorsed courses, and
    3. School Developed Board Endorsed Life Skills courses.
  2. NESA will:
    1. not moderate marks for HSC Board Endorsed courses, and
    2. report marks for HSC Board Endorsed courses on the HSC Record of Achievement.

Calculating marks for HSC Board Endorsed courses

  1. In calculating and reporting marks for HSC Board Endorsed courses, teachers need to be informed by the Performance Band Descriptions for Reporting Achievement in Stage 6 Board Endorsed courses.
  2. When assessing HSC Board Endorsed courses, schools must:
    1. base their assessment on the HSC course outcomes, and
    2. ensure assessment reflects the extent to which a student has achieved the objectives and outcomes of the course.

HSC optional exams

  1. Schools must submit estimated exam marks for students entered into optional HSC exams for:
    1. English Studies
    2. Mathematics Standard 1, and
    3. Stage 6 VET Industry Curriculum Framework courses.

HSC Life Skills courses

  1. Schools are not required to submit school-based assessment marks for Life Skills courses.

Confirming HSC school-based assessment marks

  1. Schools must:
    1. generate a Confirmation of Assessments report, and
    2. check the Confirmation of Assessments report prior to the principal’s certification process.
  2. Once all school-based assessment marks have been submitted to NESA, principals must certify that the entered assessment marks are complete and accurate, using an aggregation5 process6.
  3. There are restrictions on reporting school-based assessment results.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

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

Footnotes

  1. Schools must not include measures of objectives and outcomes of values and attitudes (the affective domain) in their assessments.

  2. This involves summing the weighted marks for each student in the course.

  3. For further information about aggregation, email Quality in Credentialling at qc@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

  4. Moderation of assessment marks allows comparison across the entire candidature for any course.

  5. This involves summing the weighted marks for each student in the course.

  6. For further information about aggregation, email Quality in Credentialling at qc@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Categories

HSC (assessment)Schools Online

Issuing rank order notices

  1. NESA will provide:
    1. assessment ranks to HSC students in Students Online after the final HSC exam, and
    2. assessment rank order reports1 listing ranks by course and by students to principals via My Reports in Loading....
  2. Schools must not advise students of their final submitted HSC school-based assessment mark.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

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

Footnotes

  1. These reports are: Assessment Rank Order Report by Course; Assessment Rank Order Report by Student; Assessment Rank Order Student Notice.

Categories

HSC (assessment)HSC credentialLife SkillsRoSASchools OnlineVET

Certifying HSC results data

  1. Principals must certify the HSC results data is correct and final by the due date in the Loading....
  2. HSC results data includes:
    1. HSC assessment marks, and
    2. HSC grades, and1
    3. HSC optional exam mark estimates (where relevant), and
    4. HSC Life Skills outcomes (where relevant).

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

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

Footnotes

  1. For Mathematics Standard 1, English Studies or Numeracy.

Categories

HSC (assessment)Schools Online

Internal school reviews

  1. Students:
    1. may request a school review of their placement in the rank order for a course based on their performance during the course1, and
    2. cannot seek a review of teachers’ judgements of the worth of individual performance in assessment tasks, or appeal marks or grades in individual assessment tasks.
  2. Schools must:
    1. develop and implement internal review procedures as part of their policies and procedures for HSC school-based assessment, and
    2. convene a school review panel to examine student review requests, and
    3. refer to the school’s internal procedures for determining the final school-based assessment mark, and consider whether it:
      1. has weighted the assessment tasks in line with NESA’s requirements, and
      2. complied with the stated formal assessment program when determining the student’s final assessment mark, and
      3. was calculated or entered correctly when determining the student’s final assessment mark, and
    4. inform students of the outcome of rank order reviews, and
    5. advise students of the provision for a subsequent appeal to NESA, including information about grounds for appeal, and
    6. retain all documentation for 24 months.
  3. If the school review panel:
    1. upholds the appeal, then revised final assessment marks must be provided to NESA as requested
    2. declines the appeal, then no changes to the rank order will be made.

Appeals to NESA

  1. Marks awarded for an individual school-based assessment task are not subject to appeal to NESA. Schools must resolve an individual student appeal2 over marks allocated for an individual assessment task within 2 school weeks of the task being returned.
  2. Students may appeal to NESA following an unsuccessful school rank order appeal.
  3. Students appealing to NESA must submit the appeal:
    1. through their school, and
    2. on the student appeals form supplied by the principal, and
    3. with relevant evidence to support the appeal, and
    4. by the due date specified in the Loading....
  4. Principals must:
    1. obtain the student appeals form and principal’s report form in Loading..., and
    2. provide the student with the student appeals form, and
    3. complete the principal’s report form, and
    4. consider any additional documentation provided by the student, and
    5. complete, upload and attach all relevant evidence for the principal’s and the student’s forms, and send all appeal documentation to studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au.
  5. NESA will only consider if:
    1. the school review process was adequate in determining whether:
      1. the components and weightings specified by the school in its school-based assessment program complied with NESA requirements as detailed in the Assessment and Reporting document, and/or
      2. the procedures used by the school for determining the final assessment mark complied with its stated formal assessment program, and/or
      3. there were no computational or other clerical errors in the determination of the assessment mark; and
    2. the conduct of the review was proper in all aspects.
  6. NESA will:
    1. not revise the assessment marks or the rank, because the appeal is directed to the assessment process
    2. not consider further appeals from other students whose assessments or rankings may be affected by reviews or appeals
    3. not consider appeals submitted after the release of results, and
    4. direct the school to conduct a further review, if the NESA appeal is upheld.

Relevant evidence

  1. Students submitting an appeal to NESA must provide relevant evidence, which may include:
    1. the school’s stated formal assessment program, and/or
    2. evidence of student performance in assessment tasks, and/or
    3. whether the school followed the procedures of their formal assessment program in the school review.
  2. Principals must provide relevant evidence in their report to NESA, which may include:
    1. whether the review panel considered:
      1. that the assessment task weightings specified in the school’s stated formal assessment program complied with NESA’s requirements, and/or
      2. that the procedures used for determining the final assessment mark were in accordance with the school’s stated formal assessment program and assessment task weightings, and/or
      3. that no clerical errors occurred in determining the final assessment mark; and/or
    2. the composition of the school review panel, including those who were directly involved in teaching and assessing the course, and those who were not directly involved, and/or
    3. the formal assessment program information provided to students, and/or
    4. the feedback provided to the student about their performance in formal assessment tasks, and/or
    5. the information provided to the student about the school’s review process, including:
      1. the outcome of the school review, and/or
      2. the relevant parts of the school’s policies and procedures for school-based assessment.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

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

Footnotes

  1. The marks or grades awarded are not subject to review as part of the school review process. Schools must resolve individual student appeals over marks allocated for an individual assessment task within 2 weeks of the task being returned. Any appeals must be dealt with using the school’s policies and procedures for school-based assessment. 

  2. Any appeals must be dealt with using the school’s policies and procedures for school-based assessment. 

Categories

PreliminaryRoSAHSC (assessment)HSC credentialSchools Online

Internal school reviews of final Stage 6 grades

  1. Students:
    1. may request a school review of their final grade awarded to them by their school in any NESA Stage 6 course.
    2. cannot seek a review of results in a single or multiple individual assessment tasks.
  2. Students appealing their final grade in a Stage 6 course must:
    1. submit their appeal, in writing, to their principal, and
    2. provide evidence that the grade awarded in the course was inconsistent with the progressive reporting from their school.
  3. Schools must:
    1. follow their procedures for internal school reviews of final grade appeals, and
    2. inform students of the outcome of their final grade appeal, and
    3. revise grade(s) in Loading... by the due date outlined in the Loading... in the event of an upheld appeal or if the period for revising grades in Schools Online has passed, advise NESA of the revised grade(s), and
    4. retain all documentation for a minimum period of 24 months, and
    5. resolve final grade appeals, where possible, within the school, and
    6. advise students of the provision of a subsequent appeal to NESA if the appeal is declined.

Appealing final Stage 6 grades to NESA

  1. If the school declines a final Stage 6 grade appeal, a student may appeal to NESA.
  2. When considering a final Stage 6 grade appeal, NESA will only consider: 
    1. if the school’s review process was adequate for determining whether the procedures used by the school for determining the grade align with:
      1. Loading..., and
      2. the school’s policy regarding the grading of student achievement.
    2. if conduct of the school review was proper in all respects.
  3. NESA will not revise results awarded in individual assessment tasks.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

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