The article provides expert opinion concerning proposed changes to the HSC English examination including a reduction in the number of texts being studied and proposals for shorter responses. This will lead to a reduction in rigour and increase the likelihood of tutor written prepared answers. Based on experience as Chief Examiner of English for the HSC, it cites examples of the complexity of the texts being studied and argues that shorter answers fundamentally change the way students will prepare and present their knowledge as well as making it easier to remember rote learner answers.
Diminishing the number of texts and the length of responses poses a significant threat to the status of the NSW HIgher School Certifcate Examination, due to the mandatory nature of English. The increased propsensity for rote learned reponses creates commensurate risks of plagiarism and this is highly problematic for a high stakes standardised test such as the HSC.