The starter's gun is almost ready to fire for the region's Year 12 students, who face a marathon month of Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams from Tuesday.
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It's been a year like no other for school leavers, and local students told the Leader the nerve-wracking lead up to exam season has been an important time to seek support from friends and help from dedicated teachers.
The 2020 HSC will start with an English paper on Tuesday morning.
Oxley High School captain Olivia Collison said the anticipation of putting pen to paper is running high.
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"I'm pretty nervous, but I know it's just a moment in time," she said.
"I'm actually excited to get them all over and done with.
"I still need to hang out with my friends, but I did try to do a few hours of study every day ... even in the midst of the emotions of leaving."
Olivia and her friend Abbey Prout have been students at Oxley High since Year 7, and both said the support from teachers and peers had helped to not just get them through the challenges of COVID-19, but to "flourish".
"The teachers have been amazing, I imagine that none of this would be happening without them, so this whole thing has brought us all closer," Olivia said.
"We'll try our best, that's all we can do."
Abbey said she's looking forward to walking out the door and heading to the coast for a modified 'schoolies' with her mates.
"I am nervous, but I've been preparing so much with so much study so I just hope it all goes well and there are no surprising essay questions," she said.
New England Girls' School Year 12 student Maggie Halliday said eight hours of study every day for the past few weeks has made her feel more confident to face the challenge of the HSC.
"I just want to have that certificate as a recognition of my hard work," she told the Leader.
"I'm not sure how it's going to pan out ... even just going into that first exam and sitting down and getting started will be a relief, and not having that struggle of waiting."
Maggie said the close-knit group of Year 12 girls had helped each other during a strange year.
"Everyone is in the same boat and you really need to just talk to your friends and communicate as you go through something like this, because you need something to motivate you," she said.
HSC written exams were pushed back to give students extra time with their teachers.
They will start on October 20, and wrap up on November 11.
There are planning guidelines in place to help keep everyone healthy and safe amid COVID-19.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
