Sick or something goes wrong during the HSC: illness/misadventure explained (2026)

First, breathe. Things go wrong for real students every HSC: a gastro bug the night before, a car accident on the way, a family emergency. NESA has a process for exactly this, called illness/misadventure. It works best when you know the steps before you need them, so here they are.

Everything on this page is from NESA's Rules and procedures guide 2026 and its illness/misadventure page. Your principal is your go-to person for the forms and the process.

Step 1: tell the right person, straight away

NESA's guide says:

• If you can't attend the exam, tell your principal immediately.
• If you get sick or something happens before the exam but you can still attend, tell the presiding officer when you arrive.
• If it happens during the exam and may have affected your performance, tell the presiding officer immediately.

Running late for a different reason? Contact your principal and get to the exam centre as soon as you can.

Step 2: go to the exam if you safely can

NESA's advice is to always attend exams if you can, even if you've had an illness or misadventure. It also says it does not expect you to attend against medical advice or if it is unsafe to do so. You can collect the application forms at the exam, or through your school if you can't attend.

Step 3: get independent evidence on the same day

This is the step students most often miss.

• You must get independent evidence on the same day, either immediately before or after each exam.
• A relevant independent expert, such as a doctor or a police officer, completes Section C of the form.
• A medical certificate that only says you were "unfit for work or study" is not accepted.
• You need a separate application and evidence for each exam (or exam component) that was affected.

NESA says it will not uphold an application without sufficient evidence of a genuine reason, so don't skip this even if you're feeling better by the afternoon.

Step 4: get the application to your school quickly

It is your right and responsibility to apply. Ask your principal for the application forms and NESA's information guide for students.

The deadline: NESA's 2026 guide says your school must lodge the application for HSC written exams within one week of the affected exam, or within one week of your last affected exam if several were affected. Your school needs time to do its part, so hand the form and evidence to your principal as early as you can. For practical components (submitted works, performances, oral exams) it's within one week of that date, and NESA says it only considers late applications in exceptional circumstances.

A panel reviews your application along with statements from the presiding officer and your principal. You get the decision letter on Students Online on the same day as HSC results.

What illness/misadventure covers

NESA says applications are for cases where the illness or misadventure:

• happened immediately before or during an HSC exam; and
• stopped you attending or reduced your performance in the exam.

What it doesn't cover

NESA lists things applications do not cover, including:

• difficulty preparing, or lost preparation time;
• incorrect exam equipment, or equipment that fails (NESA says it won't uphold applications for equipment failure);
• misreading the exam timetable or the exam instructions;
• entering or sitting the wrong exam;
• long-term illnesses (NESA gives glandular fever, asthma and epilepsy as examples) unless you have a flare-up;
• other commitments, such as a family holiday, work, a sporting event or performing.

If you have an ongoing condition, that's what HSC Exam Provisions are for (NESA renamed the Disability Provisions program to this for 2026). See what special provisions exist.

What mark do I get if it's upheld?

NESA says you get your exam mark, or a mark calculated from your assessment mark or estimated mark, or from the unaffected parts of your exam, whichever is higher. Its illness/misadventure page spells out the common cases:

• A course with one exam, and you couldn't attend: you get your moderated school assessment mark.
• A course with one exam, and you sat it: you get your moderated school assessment mark or your actual exam mark, whichever is higher.
• A course with more than one exam, some affected: you get a calculated mark or your actual exam mark, whichever is higher.

If your application is declined, you keep the mark you got in the exam.

What if I miss an exam completely?

This is where it gets serious, so talk to your principal the same day.

• If you miss a course's only exam (NESA's examples are Economics and Modern History) without an upheld application, you won't get a result in that course, which could make you ineligible for the HSC. If NESA accepts your principal's explanation, you get zero for the exam but keep the course and your assessment mark.
• If you miss one component of a course that has several, you get zero for that component and keep the course, as long as you completed the other components.
• If you miss an exam because you misread the timetable, contact your principal immediately, but you can't apply for illness/misadventure on those grounds.
• If you're entered in an Extension course (other than Mathematics Extension 2) and don't sit the related 2-unit exam, you get no result for either course unless an illness/misadventure application is upheld.

That's why the best protection costs nothing: double-check your personal timetable on Students Online, and set two alarms.

If the whole school is affected

If an event affects your whole school, NESA says your school will contact you directly with advice.

Look after yourself too

Being sick or shaken during exams is stressful on top of stressful. NESA's student wellbeing page lists support lines, including Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636). Our guide to handling exam-week stress has quick things that help, and who to talk to. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.