YEAR 12 students around the region have been celebrating the end of two years of Covid-induced disrupted schooling at their highly anticipated school formals.

The 2021 Higher School Certificate exams finished on Friday 3 December with the Food Technology exam the final exam, much to the relief of many students who had to wait an extra month to complete their exams following the postponement of the exams from October to November.

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Over the past four weeks, students sat 110 exams across 750 exam venues, with strict COVID-safe protocols in place.

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said this was a momentous day for the Class of 2021, who have shown incredible resilience and hard work to get to this point.

“Today officially marks the end of 13 years of schooling for 69,000 Year 12 students and I am incredibly happy to see them so triumphantly reach the finish line,” Ms Mitchell said on Friday.

“HSC students should be very proud of what they have achieved over the past two years.

“The resilience, focus and adaptability they have shown will serve them well in the next chapter of their life, whether that is university, vocational training, or employment.”

Ms Mitchell thanked the school sectors, principals, teachers, school staff, exam supervisors and invigilators, students and their families for their engagement and adherence to the COVID-safe HSC exam guidelines.

Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Paul Martin said the 2021 HSC was a huge success, with all exams going ahead safely even when a small number of schools closed due to COVID-19.

“Having a robust set of COVID-safe exam protocols in place was vital to the success of exams this year,” Mr Martin said.

“The protocols and plans in place also proved effective in mitigating against other issues throughout the exam period, including flooding in parts of the state.

“My sincerest gratitude goes to the school community and exam staff for delivering a COVID-safe HSC this year.”

Marking is already underway, with results to be delivered via SMS and email on Monday 24 January.

Students can now get their school assessment ranks via Students Online until 30 December.

By Emma DARBIN