Many of you have just completed the HSC. Many of you are probably doing the HSC this year or the next.Many could also be starting the HSC syllabus this year or the next. All of us are somehow affected by the High School Certificate. And this very HSC is being completely revamped with changes to the HSC 2019 syllabus by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority. Changes will be effective for those doing their HSCs in 2019, and those starting Year 11 in 2018. Now what exactly are these changes and are they going to be welcomed changes or not so welcomed? While we can answer the first, only time will answer the second. For those of you not aware of what exactly these changes are, here is a list of the major changes coming for the 2019 HSC syllabus.

4. History

All this time, history students have been studying in depth about Sir Robert Menzies and Labor party figures while hardly any mention was given to actual world war heroes. The revamping of the history syllabus is expected to include in depth information of both world wars and give major prominence to the Anzacs and their role in Australian politics. They also want to replace Ancient Egypt and the Rameses kingdom with major historical events that contributed to the shaping of our modern world. This includes the French revolution, Industrial revolution and more of our native Australian history.

3. English

The most significant change in the English syllabus would be bringing back in depth focus on grammar. It is well known that students entering top universities in NSW still have problematic grammar, which gravely affects them in university coursework and beyond. In order to avoid this, sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation and writing skills will all play a major role in the new HSC syllabus. The interpretation of English texts through generalised themes of journey, discovery and belonging will also be no more. Instead, the big classic guns of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Bard to name a few will be made compulsory for all. Basically they want more focus on quality rather than quantity.

2. Math

HSC students until now have done enough integration and differentiation for a lifetime in their preparation for the HSC. But what’s the basis for this in real life use? Not a lot of them know or realise. Hence math is set to be a more “practical” subject. Students will now learn how a Google algorithm works. They will also learn more statistical and data analysis and its application in new technology, ie how math in technology works. Because we all know technology has A LOT of math going into it! They are also going to ensure that more financial literacy is taught to students after noticing that students who go in the science stream post HSC generally lack knowledge in this field. Employers have complained in general that school leavers have less than average skills in numeracy which…is not a good thing.

1. Science

Science is changing everyday. The chemistry of art is not going to help anyone when in fact there are revolutionary advances happening in cancer research everyday. Hence in order to keep up with the ever evolving world of science, major focus will now be thrown on stem cell research and non infectious diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Desalination, gravitational waves and seismic plates will be given a large chunk of earth and environmental sciences and in the physical sciences aswell. Science in the HSC so far had a lot of rote learning and very little understanding. BOSTES now wants to change this and include more real science rather than social theory.

So there you go, these are just some of the large scale changes set to be made to the 2019 HSC. While some of the changes do look promising, only time will tell how they actually play out. If you do know any other changes being made to the HSC syllabus, please let us know. Until then, Peace out!