On behalf of everyone at Canberra Grammar School, I am very pleased to congratulate the students of Year 12 2019 who sat for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and received their results on Tuesday (17 December). As a group they can be very proud indeed and the School is delighted to see their efforts so well rewarded.
Canberra Grammar School offers students a choice of curriculum in the senior years alongside a broad co-curricular programme of arts, sports, leadership and service. In 2019, 55% of students took the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC), while 45% took the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The latter will receive their results in early 2020, and we look forward to congratulating them then.
In the meantime, we are particularly pleased to congratulate Thomas Gedye, who is the HSC Dux. Nicholas Arthur also earned a place on the All Round Achievers’ List, along with 39 students – 40% of the cohort – who earned entries on the Distinguished Achievers’ List. We are also delighted to congratulate Benjamin Daniell, who earned an outstanding state placement in Software Design and Development.
In addition, we congratulate students in subjects that outperformed the NSW state percentages in the upper bands. These include Agriculture, Ancient and Modern History, History Extension, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Design and Technology, Drama, English Standard, English Extension, Geography, Mathematics Standard 2, Music 2, PDHPE, Physics, and Software Design and Development, which was once again truly exceptional. A majority of subjects outperformed the state in the very highest band.
This year, around half of all HSC students received early offers to university, and we expect the great majority of university applicants to attain their higher preferences.
As always, please remember that the School’s results are incomplete until IBDP grades are received and that statistics published in various media outlets omit almost half of our students’ results. The league tables are therefore profoundly misleading indicators of the year group’s performance, which will be augmented significantly in January. This is the case for all dual curriculum schools each year, as is explained here: https://ibschoolsnswact.org.
Please note also that under the NSW HSC system, the School does not receive ATAR notifications and cannot therefore provide overall ATAR statistics. Nonetheless, 99% of HSC students at the School will gain an ATAR, which is 100% of those who sought one.
Finally, I would like to thank our Year 12 students who led the School with passion and integrity this year. They performed at the highest levels in music, in multiple concerts, and in major drama events. They represented the School in a wide range of competitive sports. They presented art and design exhibitions, and they took part in outdoor education and leadership development activities. They organised House projects and carnivals. They participated in the Sony Foundation Camp and instigated many other student initiatives and service projects, including raising tens of thousands of dollars for charitable causes this year.
They have been a great pleasure to work with. They worked hard and they deserve their success. We thank them for their enormous contribution to the life of the School and wish them every happiness for the future.
Justin Garrick
Head of School
An equivalent statement for IBDP Results released in December 2019 may be read here.
