IT may have been the first time they picked up their pens in the HSC exams, but Tuesday's English paper left a mark on the 6000 Hunter students who tackled it.
Callaghan College - Jesmond Campus students were feeling relieved to exit the exam room and be underway in the nerve-wracking end of school exams.
"The first one is done - relief is the only way to describe it," student Jess Grace said.
"It feels very real now, it's actually happening," student Ruby Chesworth added.
Student Jonas McLean said he tackled and finished the paper within the hour under special exemptions, allowing five minute rest breaks every 30 minutes.
"The exam was pretty good, the main essay question was pretty easy. I took the exam in a quieter room too and was out by 11am," he said.
It's expected this year that 11,000 year 12 students may have exemptions to sit their HSC.
Those include rest breaks, extra time and feeding breaks.
More than one in seven accessed disability provisions last year.
Jonas said he was feeling more stressed about the second English paper test scheduled for Wednesday, October 16.
"I think that's the harder one because creative writing is not really my thing," he said.
He'll spend the rest of the week studying for his following exams which include advanced maths, timber, software and IPT.
"I'm just glad to be underway at the moment and I think there's plenty of pathways out there so don't stress too much," he said.
This year more than 76,000 students will sit the HSC across the state and 124 exams will take place over the next 19 days.
With a record 80,166 students completing at least one HSC course in 2024, the HSC remains the most popular high school credential in the country.
While Tuesday marked the start of written exams, close to 30,000 students have already completed language oral exams, performance exams, or handed in a major work in term 3.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car wished the students good luck and thanked teachers who have been part of the cohort's 13-year education.
"Trust that the hard work you've done has prepared you well, and go into every exam room determined to do your best," she said.
Students will receive their HSC results and ATAR on Wednesday, December 18.
