Image courtesy of Hobart College – 2021

TASC Level 3 and Level 4 courses include an externally assessed component which is managed by TASC. The external assessment may be a written exam, oral assessment, practical assessment, a folio or project assessment.

2022 external assessment timetables:

If you are sitting exams, your school will receive a printed copy of the Student Exam Guide to give to you at the start of Term 4.

An electronic copy of the 2022 Student Exam Guide is also available. The Exam Guide covers the essential information you need to prepare for your end-of-year exams and assessments. It includes new Tips for staying CALM during exams.

See the information sheet about Getting Prepared for the 2022 Written Exams, which covers what to do to get ready for ahead of the exams and minor changes:

  • ‘reading time’ being refocused as preparation time
  • using one consistent term for exam paper parts/sections
  • updated information sheets.

Adjustments and supports are available to assist students in particular circumstances. See:

Handling end-of-year pressure

The infosheet Managing Exam Stress links to key resources to assist you in managing the very normal feelings of pre-exam nerves. As well as being able to tell if it’s becoming too much and you need more help. The Student Exam Guide also includes Tips for staying CALM during exams to help you stay focused.

Importantly, talk with your teachers about your assessments and how you can prepare. Your teachers help prepare students for their exams every year and can provide expert advice.

Have you seen REACHOUT.com’s exam stress toolkit? It has stories and practical tips from recent students, checklists, action plans and tips and articles about handling end-of-year pressure and stress in ways that work for you, and secrets to study success.

What if I need some support?

Don’t hesitate to ask for help. There are people who can assist you. Reach out to family, friends and your teachers or others at your school, about how you are feeling and if you need a hand.

If you don’t feel like you can talk to someone you know, call or chat with one of these great agencies that are set up to support you:

Everyone participating in external assessments and exams must follow the same rules. See External Assessment Rules.

The Academic integrity page and Academic integrity guide both provide information about:

  • how to correctly reference (cite) other people’s information, images, ideas or words used in your work
  • what you must do to show which parts of the work you hand in for assessment are yours, and which parts you have got from other people’s work.

All students are expected to observe the highest standards of honesty and integrity in the work they submit for assessment.

It is fine to use other people’s information, images, ideas or words (including material you get from the internet) in your own work but you must be clear and open about what you have used, whose material it was and where you got it from.

The use of a wide range of sources of information shows that you have undertaken good preparation and study. External markers reading or viewing your work must be able to clearly see what parts of it are your own work, and what parts you have used from other people’s work, and where you got the information.

If you hand in work that is not all your own work and you do not reference it appropriately, this is called plagiarism, which is a form of cheating.

If you are caught cheating, you risk the cancellation of your external results and possibly all of your results for the year, for both internally and externally assessed subjects.

When you submit your student declaration you are agreeing to comply with the TASC academic integrity requirements. Submit your Student Declaration via the online form.

A Student Declaration must be completed by all students who are undertaking one or more TASC courses.

When you complete the Student Declaration you are:

TASC is committed to protecting information collected through this process and the handling of data in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 2004.

More information and the online Student Declaration form is available on the TASC Student Declaration page.

Notice of External Assessment:

You will receive a Notice of External Assessment (NoE), sometimes called a ‘pink slip’ (printed on pink paper), in mid-October with information about where you will sit your external assessment for Level 3 or 4 Courses, including written, oral and practical exams.

Usually, you will sit exams at your school or another exam centre nearby. You MUST bring your Notice of External Assessment to every exam.

If you misplace your Notice of External Assessment, contact your school immediately to have another one printed. If you do not have your Notice of External Assessment with you on the day of an exam, you will need to contact your TASC Liaison Officer (unless otherwise directed by your school) who will print a new one.  You will not be given extra time for your exam to compensate for the time spent getting a new Notice of External Assessment.

If you have an exam timetable clash, your Notice of External Assessment will advise of your individual exam timetable changes. If you do not have a correct Notice of External Assessment before your exams, you will need to speak with your TASC Liaison Officer who will print you a new one.

TASC ID:

You are given a TASC ID when you register with TASC. Your TASC ID will have two numbers, one letter, followed by five numbers. For example, 16K18367.

Your TASC ID and your exam papers are on your allocated desk for each written exam. You can also see your TASC ID on your Notice of External Assessment.

Your TASC ID is the only identification which is allowed on your external assessment material. Your name or school must not appear on any exam paper, folio, display or other work you submit for external assessment.

In the lead up to exams:

  • Develop a routine that works for you, that includes both your studies and what you most enjoy.  See Study Tips and the Study Planner.
  • Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need a hand. There are people who can assist you. Reach out to family, friends and your teachers or others at your school.
  • Keep up to date with the latest information, including talking with your teachers and registering to receive TASC information via email (including your results).
  • Feel confident about your end-of-year assessments, knowing you will have the opportunities and support needed to demonstrate your knowledge and to ultimately achieve your goals.

Practising with past exam papers:

  • Past exam papers are available for all current courses. To access exam papers, go to Courses and select your course. Scroll down and click the tab ‘Supporting documents including external assessment material’.
  • As TASC courses are typically accredited for a five-year period, a maximum of five exam papers are provided. For those courses recently accredited, exam papers from the previous course have been made available.

What to take into your exam:

  • Your Notice of External Assessment: You must take this with you to all your exams. This notice shows the exams you are registered to complete and your TASC ID.
  • Writing equipment in a clear, sealable plastic bag, or clear pencil case: You must bring your own writing tools such as pens, pencils, erasers/rubbers and highlighters. They must be in a clear, sealable plastic bag or clear pencil case.
  • Water: You may bring plain water only in a clear plastic bottle with 1500 ml maximum capacity, with no adhesive labels and a secure pop-top lid. You cannot refill your water bottle during the exam, share it with others, or have any other type of drink (other than plain water).
  • Calculators: You may bring TASC approved calculators into some exams – check which exams and the types of calculators allowed in the Policy on Use of Calculators in Exams. If calculators are allowed, you may bring more than one approved calculator if you like.
  • Dictionaries: You may bring any/all of the following printed dictionaries into your exam for any course:
    • a standard English dictionary/thesaurus
    • an English to other language dictionary/thesaurus
    • an other language to English dictionary/thesaurus.
      Dictionaries cannot be annotated or highlighted in any way, including using stickers to mark a place.
  • Watch: You may bring a basic analogue watch (not a ‘smart’, programmable/computerised watch) into your exam. You must remove the watch and place it at the top of the desk where it can be clearly seen by the Exam Supervisor.
  • Asthma inhaler: You may bring an inhaler in a clear zip-lock bag labelled with your name and TASC ID. Hand this to the Exam Supervisor before the exam starts.

What can’t you take into your exam:

  • Electronic equipment for communication or that can hold notes – such as mobile phones, laptop computers, iPads, tablets, ‘smart’ programmable (computerised) watches and fitness trackers, music players, or any other similar devices.
  • Electronic dictionaries and/or spell checkers.
  • Electronic storage media, such as USB drives, or other memory cards or storage devices.
  • Subject-specific reference books or dictionaries (such as Physics or Chemistry dictionaries) – see the allowable dictionaries above in ‘What to take into your exam’.
  • Recording devices of any kind, including cameras.
  • Notebooks, loose notes, papers, manuscripts, books – unless their use during the exam has been permitted.
  • Food or drinks (other than water) unless expressly given permission through TASC’s reasonable adjustments.
  • Correction pens, bottles or tape (such as Whiteout or Liquid Paper).

You must turn off and leave items you are not allowed to have during your exam in the area provided. Exam Supervisors have the right to check any material brought into the exam room and remove any unauthorised material.

See the External Assessment Rules for the full list of items not allowed and the penalties applied.

If you unexpectedly can’t attend your exam because:

  • you are sick, tell your school, arrange a medical appointment with your GP and complete the TASC Senior Secondary External Assessment Medical Certificate.
  • you have an emergency (or can’t attend for another reason), tell your school and write to TASC explaining why.

For more information, see Illness & emergency during exams.

Derived exam ratings will be applied to determine your results, if it is accepted that you are sick or experience an emergency and can’t attend your exam (in whole or in part).

For more information about derived exam ratings, see the information sheet on Student Results using Derived Exam Ratings.

For some courses, you must submit a folio or project as part of your external assessment.

See Folio assessment.