There’s a Push to Penalise NSW HSC Students for Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

Students are marked on their ability to understand texts.

In a report by the Daily Telegraph, it has been revealed that New South Wales students are not penalised for spelling and grammatical errors in their final HSC English exams.

However, Australian Tutoring Association co-founder Mohan Dhall has now called for an added marking criteria for spelling.

English is probably one of the most important subjects when it comes to getting your ATAR, considering it's compulsory to study it. 

So, with spelling and grammar taken off the table for NSW students, a pretty heavy weight is also lifted from their shoulders.

Essentially, the NSW Education Standards Authority wants young people to focus on their understanding and deconstruction of the texts that they have examined as a part of their HSC syllabus, not their spelling and grammar efforts.

"Students are not penalised for errors that may be due to writing under exam conditions, with little time to review or edit their work. The emphasis is always on students showing markers their understanding of texts," a spokesperson for the authority told the Daily Telegraph.

While some academics have criticised the decision, the spokesperson points out that errors are likely to be made under stressful and time-sensitive exam conditions, and students probably shouldn’t be penalised for mistakes they make in a situation that is unrealistic to everyday writing circumstances.

The other reason why spelling and grammar penalties are being pushed to the side is because students who have reached a level of education to complete their HSC have already achieved at least the ‘minimum standard’ for spelling, grammar and punctuation.

I've marked the HSC. We do not mark students down. NAPLAN is a different story but HSC is treated as a first draft. If it can be understood and the ideas are there, spelling is not a consideration.

— Amy Melville (@missamelville) February 8, 2021

University of Technology literacy expert Dr Don Carter told the Daily Telegraph that he disagreed with the lack of penalisation, claiming that a mathematician wouldn’t get away with poor calculations, so neither should a writer with spelling.

With the rise of technology, some have also argued that tools like spellcheck and autocorrect have prevented young people from learning how to fully spell out words. 

Well, here's your opportunity to start trying to spell some of those tricky words you keep avoiding. 

Header Image: Lincoln Beddoe via Getty Images