HSC Legal Studies: Challenging crime question on courts and compliance

Legal Studies students Libby Austin and Charlee Rose Murtough-Coombes found the 2023 HSC exam reasonable, but like many of their peers found Question 25 ‘a little confusing’. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

A fifteen-mark question on crime and courts threw some HSC students through a loop as they sat down for their three-hour Legal Studies exam.

Legal Studies teacher at Emmaus Catholic College in western Sydney Carmen Rojo said the exam overall was a fair one, and that scoring highly in the fifteen-marker would come down to how well students understand the legislation, such as police powers.

“When it comes to compliance with the courts, (courts) need to make sure that those people in power are following things like the Evidence Act,” Ms Rojo added.

“(Students) need their LCIDs – legislation, case, international documents and media articles … to link to the answer.”

The question in question: Number 25 in the 2023 Legal Studies HSC Exam, the most controversial question in the test. Picture: NSW Education Standards Authority

Her students, Year 12 graduates and keen debaters Charlee Rose Murtough-Coombes and Libby Austin, both found Question 25 “a little confusing”, at least at first glance.

“It stumped me a little bit because I didn’t understand what they meant by courts advocating for compliance,” Charlee Rose said.

Libby Austin and Charlee Rose Murtough-Coombes, Year 12 students at Emmaus Catholic College in Kemps Creek, had their HSC Legal Studies exam on Wednesday morning. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

“But then I took it (meaning) what happens in the courtroom … and then outside local courts, they do AA meetings and … domestic violence meetings. They do the educational stuff as well, so I just took that and ran with it.”

“Once I broke it down … I think I was pretty well-prepared by talking about punishment and awareness kind of forcing society’s hand,” Libby said.

“I answered that question to the best of my capabilities, so I’m pretty confident going out of the exam that we both did well.”

Both 18-year-olds will continue to take exams for other subjects over the coming weeks. HSC exams conclude on November 3 with the Food Technology paper.