Cambridge HSC case studies
Cambridge HSC · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Cambridge Higher School Certificate is a senior secondary qualification built around external, subject-based assessment. Candidates usually take it after a sustained course of study, either at a school that offers Cambridge qualifications or as a private candidate where local regulations allow. It suits students who want a broad, examination-led certificate that can support university applications or employment, and who are prepared to be assessed mainly through written papers rather than continuous classroom marks. Assessment varies by subject. The Cambridge HSC case studies are 5 cases and about 3,984 words.
1The two 'outliers' that weren't: timing a pendulum
Pendulum depth study. A Year 11 Physics student determines g using a 50 g brass bob on inextensible string, timing ten complete oscillations with a stopwatch and dividing by ten.
765 words, about 4 min2Tidal window for the barge: model versus table
A sand barge must cross the shoal at the mouth of a river. Her draught is 1.9 m and the harbourmaster's standing order requires 0.6 m of water beneath the keel, so she needs a depth of at least 2.5 m for the whole 40-minute transit.
759 words, about 4 min3Rivergum Bakery: the hotel contract that full cost rejects
Rivergum Bakery bakes 16,000 loaves a month at an average retail price of 6.50. Variable cost is 3.20 a loaf (ingredients, packaging, energy) and fixed costs are 36,000 a month.
766 words, about 4 min4Three sources on the Bendigo Chinese community
A Year 12 History student investigates: "To what extent did the gold rushes change the lives of Chinese migrants in colonial Victoria?" She has three sources. Source A: an editorial in the Bendigo Advertiser , 1857, arguing that Chinese diggers are "unassimilable" and should be taxed off the fields.
770 words, about 4 min5No fly tower, no revolve, no lift: re-staging the group performance
Five Year 12 Drama students have built a 7-minute-40-second physical theatre piece set in a commercial laundry. Three devices carry it: 1.
924 words, about 5 min