There are 77,975 students studying one or more HSC courses. Of these students 70,270 are on track to complete their HSC this year.

Students at St Columba Anglican School Nicholas Kosmeier, Tilak Groger and Rachael Sharp have been hard at work to try and achieve top marks in what is the 51st year of the HSC.

“Study has been a bit stressful at the moment. There is a lot to get done in a short amount of time,” Nicholas said.

“English is our priority now, but then we have to shift focus to other subjects. The stress levels are pretty high, but I’ll cope. It will get better after the first exam.”

Tilak is the opposite, saying stress does not get to him.

“I don’t put enough pressure on myself. I haven’t yet found a point where I’m stressed but when I do the big ol’ G-O-D up in the sky will help me out,” he said.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the HSC but that being said the staff at St Columba are absolutely wonderful and they are very supportive.

“All the teachers are a wonderful security net of support.”

Rachael said she struggles for motivation but forces herself to study.

“I need to stick to a study routine to get ready for the exam on Monday,” she said.

“I try to make a study timetable and stick to it, but throughout this study period I’ve been getting a lot of help from teachers and classmates which has helped me find my motivation.”

Rachael loves chemistry and has her eyes set on a Bachelor of Science. Nicholas will look into an engineering career and Talik enjoys mathematics.

More than 60,000 will sit the compulsory English exam on October 16 with study time – and stress levels – at a school career high.

It also marks the end of a 13 year education journey that began in 2005.

“It’s really sad, especially for me who has been a 13 year student at the school, so it’s sad for me to move on,” Talik said.

“The school has a wonderful alumni program so it’s a way to keep in touch without being the creepy guy who comes back once a year to take a school tour.”

From Monday October 16, 117 HSC written examinations over 300 hours are scheduled up until November 7.

Every exam was reviewed at least six times before more than 700,000 papers were printed.

HSC exams will be held in over 750 exam centres staffed by over 7,500 supervisors and presiding officers. Around 350 students will sit HSC exams overseas.

More than 5500 markers will work across NSW in nine marking centres and from home.

HSC results will be issued online, by email and via SMS from 6am on Thursday, December 14