Four students missed exams because they had COVID-19.
About 52 schools had to close during the test period,but most sectioned off year 12 so the exams could continue. Ahead of the final exam,food technology,Education Minister Sarah Mitchell congratulated the class of 2021 on their resilience.
“I am incredibly happy to see them so triumphantly reach the finish line,” Ms Mitchell said. She also congratulated the teachers,principals and supervisors involved in helping the exams run smoothly.
When the Delta outbreak hit Sydney in late June,and cases kept climbing,many wondered if it was possible to hold a complex event like the HSC,which would require students to travel and sit in rooms together for hours.
Senior educators called for it to be cancelled and for students’ school assessment marks to be used to determine their results,as happened overseas last year with the International Baccalaureate.
Many began debating how to interpret the Education Act’s reference to a public examination,and whether that meant the tests could be limited to a handful of subjects,such as maths and English.
NSW Health eventually pushed the exams back to November 9 - it was originally due to begin on October 12 - to ensure vaccination coverage was high enough to prevent too many students from being forced into isolation.