What do I need to do to satisfactorily complete my courses?

Satisfactory Completion of Board Developed and Board Endorsed Courses

The following course completion criteria refer to both Preliminary and HSC courses. A student will be considered to have satisfactorily completed a course if, in the Principal’s view, there is sufficient evidence that the student has:

• Followed the course developed or endorsed by NESA;
• Applied themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school and
• Achieved some or all of the course outcomes.

For courses where school assessment marks are submitted to NESA, students must make a genuine attempt at assessment tasks that total more than 50% of the available school assessment marks for that course. It is emphasised that completion of assessment tasks worth exactly 50 percent is not sufficient; tasks worth in excess of 50 percent must be attempted. The student must also fulfil the course completion criteria.

If the Principal determines that a student is in danger of not meeting the course completion criteria, the student will be given a written warning in sufficient time to correct any problems regarding their satisfactory completion of course requirements, specifying details of action required by the student and alerting the student to the possible consequences of a non-completion ('N') determination. The letter will request from the student and/or parent/guardian a written acknowledgement of the warning. If the student is still at risk of not meeting requirements, at least one follow-up warning letter will be issued.

If the Principal determines that a student has not met the above criteria for satisfactory completion of a course, the school will inform NESA and the student in writing.

If a student does not satisfactorily complete a course, they will receive no results in that course, the course will not appear on their NESA record, and the course will not count towards their pattern of study for the award of a Higher School Certificate. This may mean that the student is no longer eligible to receive an HSC or an ATAR.

Satisfactory Completion of VET Curriculum Frameworks

The satisfactory course completion criteria outlined for Board Developed and Board Endorsed Courses above also applies to the completion of any courses requiring competency-based assessment.

In addition to this, courses in the VET Industry Curriculum Frameworks have been designed to deliver units of competency that are drawn from Industry Training Packages. Work placement is a mandatory Preliminary and HSC requirement of each framework course, and for some other VET courses. For each course, a minimum number of hours are required in the workplace to enable students to progress towards the achievement of industry competencies and to practise skills acquired in the classroom or workshop. If a student fails to complete the mandatory work placement component of a VET course, it may be determined that they have not made a genuine attempt to complete the course requirements as outlined above.

Satisfactory Attendance

Whilst NESA does not mandate attendance requirements, Principals may determine that as a result of absence, a student has not met the course completion criteria outlined above. The school will regard absences seriously as teachers, Head Teachers, Deputies and the Principal must decide if there is sufficient evidence to show that a student is making satisfactory progress towards achieving the outcomes of a course. It is generally accepted that a student’s attendance will need to be at least 85% if they are to satisfactorily complete a course of study.