Forget planes, it’s snakes on the (HSC Maths) exam

Joel Serena, NSW Learning Specialist

This year, more than 16,000 HSC students took on the challenge of the Advanced Maths exam, which was a dip in numbers compared to previous years. Meanwhile, the Maths Standard 2 exam takers rose to 31,711 students, showing that this pathway is gaining popularity. But what’s even more interesting than the numbers is what’s happening inside the exam papers themselves, especially on the Standard paper, where there’s been a shift toward more worded, real-world-style problems.

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The stats can be a lot to swallow

For those of you who haven’t had a close look at the 2024 Standard 2 paper, here’s the scoop:

68% of the paper involved worded problems^1, and 28% of the paper involved worded problems without any visual stimulus² (e.g. no graphs, charts, diagrams, tables etc) - meaning a whopping 41% of worded problems came without it. Just questions which required students to read, decode and deconstruct, and apply knowledge.

And while you digest that, here’s more - for the second consecutive year, students were asked to respond with written explanations without calculations. Question 30 in the Standard 2 paper showed students a scatter plot recording the age and length of female and male anacondas. Students were then asked to write down three observations from the graph - no calculations needed!

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What this means is that students are now required to draw upon their literacy skills in mathematics to decode and deconstruct the question, rather than procedural calculations.

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*Question 30, 2024 Higher School Certificate Mathematics Standard 2 Examination, NSW Education Standards Authority*

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Literacy doesn’t need to get you twisted in knots

At Edrolo we continue to talk about the role of literacy in Maths, and the Standard 2 paper just highlights how crucial it is (and will continue to be). As students move up through the stages, from junior years all the way to the HSC, they’re being asked to use literacy skills in Maths in a way we haven’t seen before. How can we best support them in building this skill? How can we ensure students are confident in reading, decoding, deconstructing, and explaining their answers in a mathematically sound and clear way?

If you think literacy is becoming a vital part of Maths education, you’re not alone. The Edrolo Stage 4 and 5 system is designed precisely for this shift:

Worded problems, aligned across stages: We’ve created hundreds of pre-differentiated, exam-style worded questions that span across Stages 4 and 5, ensuring that students develop and refine these literacy and problem-solving skills as they progress.
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Colour-coded solutions for reading and reasoning: Each problem comes with a colour-coded solution guide, breaking down each step and helping students learn how to decode, read, and answer questions. This scaffolding helps students turn reading comprehension into mathematical reasoning and problem solving.

*An example of a worded problem and solution in the Edrolo NSW Year 10 Maths resource, requiring students to respond with a written explanation.*

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*Another worded problem example from the Edrolo NSW Year 10 resource, where students are not required to perform any calculations*

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The evolving trends in the HSC Maths exams highlight the growing importance of literacy skills in Mathematics, as well as teaching those skills early on in Stage 4 and 5 so that students are fully prepared for when they sit the HSC. If you’re already seeing the need to build literacy skills in your students or planning for next year’s Maths curriculum, reach out to us today.

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¹The questions were:

Multiple-choice = 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14

Short answer = 16b, 17, 19b, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 37, 38, 41

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²The questions were:

Multiple-choice = 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13

Short answer = 17, 23, 25, 27, 30, 31, 33, 37

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