Students from Dulwich Hill High School who recently completed their Higher School Certificate (HSC) Visual Arts course reported feeling relatively prepared for their exams, attributing their confidence to the structure of the assessment. The Visual Arts exam requires students to submit a major practical work, which accounts for half of their final HSC mark, before sitting the 95-minute written test.

Seventeen-year-old Oscar Davies Chavez explained that having the major work completed ahead of the exam reduced pressure during the written component. He noted that unlike some subjects, memorization plays a lesser role in Visual Arts, as part of the exam focuses on interpreting the provided materials rather than recalling specific quotes or facts.

The written exam includes questions about particular artworks, and students must demonstrate their understanding through analysis and interpretation. Eighteen-year-old Claudia Boland said the exam was largely consistent with previous years, though she found one 12-mark question challenging. The question asked students to explain how artists explored the "human form" through three different sculptures. Boland remarked that while all three works were sculptural, they varied significantly, and she felt she could have prepared more on this area.

Oscar Davies Chavez described his approach to the same question, emphasizing the connection that all three sculptures made with the human body despite their differences in form. He noted one piece’s unusual shape but explained he argued that viewers could still relate to it because recognizable human features such as arms and legs were present.

Overall, students expressed a sense of relief as the HSC Visual Arts exams concluded. The combination of practical and written components, with substantial prior coursework, appeared to help students manage the demands of the subject throughout their final year of high school.