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The proportion of NSW HSC students achieving band 6 in chemistry almost doubled and those achieving the top result in physics rose by 30 per cent when new syllabuses were tested for the first time last year.
Education chiefs and science teachers said the increase in top results did not mean the subjects had become easier, but rather the way the results were measured had changed.
Band 6 results in HSC chemistry almost doubled after a new syllabus was introduced.
HSC students results are sorted into bands. Two-unit subjects are marked ranging from band 1 (between 0 and 49) and band 6 for students achieving 90 or above.
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Music and Maths Extension students achieved more top bands than those in any other two-unit Higher School Certificate subjects over the past 10 years, scotching the widely held belief that easier courses are more likely to lead to band 6 results.
English Extension 1 students were the best performers in one-unit subjects, with one in three achieving an E4 or 45 or more out of 50, while more than 20 per cent of History Extension students and English Extension 2 students finished with the top result.
But just one in 20 Maths Standard students achieved 90-plus, also known as a band 6, despite many capable students gambling that they ll get a higher mark by studying an easier subject, a
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Music and Maths Extension students achieved more top bands than those in any other two-unit Higher School Certificate subjects over the past 10 years, scotching the widely held belief that easier courses are more likely to lead to band 6 results.
English Extension 1 students were the best performers in one-unit subjects, with one in three achieving an E4 or 45 or more out of 50, while more than 20 per cent of History Extension students and English Extension 2 students finished with the top result.
But just one in 20 Maths Standard students achieved 90-plus, also known as a band 6, despite many capable students gambling that they ll get a higher mark by studying an easier subject, a