HSC subjects set to change and Shakespeare's back on the reading list

The changes were made by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), formerly the Board of Studies, to equip students with skill for future work and study requirements such as the addition of mandatory module, the Craft of Writing. 

Woonona High School principal and NSW Secondary Principals' Council organiser for the Illawarra Belinda Wall said it comes after an exhaustive process so is no surprise.

Shakespeare makes it back to the reading list and Ms Wall admitted some students will love it while others hate it: “the syllabus is comprehensive and Shakespeare is one part of it.” 

She added there’s no need for pupils who like the hands-on subjects to worry either.

“They’re not getting rid of VET courses, they’re just changing the curriculum in the other courses,” she said.

“[VET] subjects are still available to them, so they can still access that as well. They’re still be able to have a pattern of studies that suits their areas and strengths as a learner and their post school aspirations.”

Illawarra Grammar School principal Stephen Kinsella said he hoped the changes would increase academic results and help students to choose subjects more in line with their interests and abilities.

“Rather than choosing courses of study that are perceived to be easier or subjected to favourable scaling in the calculation of an ATAR,” Mr Kinsella said.

“Learning should allow students to ‘fly’ and not be constrained by an overly prescriptive syllabus. Whether this can be achieved or not will be determined by how the subjects are assessed in the final HSC examinations.”

The chairman of NESA Tom Alegounarias said being able to write well and understanding the mechanics of good writing, including the correct use of grammar, had never been so important, with the demand for digital content increasing at a rapid rate.

Feedback was taken from more than 7000 teachers, students, professional associations, industry representatives and academics, while the new syllabuses will be introduced next year for students doing the HSC in 2019.

The calculus-based maths syllabuses have been released in final draft to allow for further consultation.