Keen to stack yourself against the 2018 HSC Top Achievers? There’s nothing like comparing yourself against other people to send you into a downward spiral of self-loathing and despair. Still, the good folks at NSW Education Authority Standards have deemed it okay, so who are we to complain?
Okay, maybe that’s a little facetious. After all, nobody understands the importance of competition better than GOAT employees. We have to participate in a Hunger Games-style assault course to get to our desks in the morning, and it never did us any harm. Well, apart from Peter #wewillneverforgetyouPete.
So, if you want to use random students who you’ve never met before as a barometer of your educational worth, then we’re fully on board! Read on to find out more about the 2018 HSC Top Achievers.
2018 HSC Top Achievers Merit List
We’re going to start with a disclaimer: we’re not going to name every top achiever from 2018. Sadly, we don’t have the time, resources to waste, or the inclination to be that thorough. What we will do is explain how the Top Achievers list works and use a selection of working examples to prove our point. For an extensive list of 2018 HSC Top Achievers, you should follow this link.
Top Achievers in Course
To be included on the Top Achievers in Course list, students have to do two things. The first is to achieve one of the highest places in an HSC course or VET exam. The second is to obtain a result in the top possible band with their subject. So, not too difficult then! Eliza Fox, for example, did this in Biology and was the number one ranked student for that course. Jake Vernon-Elliot, Tiana Thuy Lieng, Albert Demskoy, and Niva Ewald made up the top five.
However, the maximum place in each course varies depending on the candidature of the course. Classes with more than 10,000 people get twenty places, between 1,001 to 10,000 ten, and there are five for fewer than or less than 1,000. So, students who enrolled in Aboriginal Studies only got five places and were headed by Emma Bui, Kate Aston, and Binta Mariama McKern.
2018 HSC Top Achievers for Schools
Yes, schools also receive a rank based on the number of pupils that score highly in one or a range of topics. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, students from Sydney Grammar School were the best as they topped eleven subjects, the most of any establishment. Pymble Ladies’ College also scored highly, with four of their students taking away the top prizes.
There was a total of 92 schools and 132 HSC first place awards in 2018. Check out where your school ranked with this ranking tool.
HSC Related Stress
While competitiveness is a powerful medium, you shouldn’t put yourself under undue pressure. Yes, scoring highly in this year’s HSC Top Achievers programme is an incredible achievement, but it isn’t the end of the world. So, please don’t get stressed out with the process, and if you do, don’t be afraid to ask for help.