Thinking about dropping Legal Studies? Is the Constitution scaring you? Don’t think you have what it takes to be the next Harvey Specter?
Well, before you make that big decision, make sure you have ALL the facts and current stats!
We’ve crunched the numbers from the UAC scaling data and the NSW public school course enrolment figures from over the past few years to create the ultimate, and only, fact sheet you need when considering dropping Legal Studies. Yes! We will cover the current drop rates, percentage of Band 6 achievers, the highest ATAR you can achieve in Legal Studies and, so much more!
Let’s dive in!
What to consider when dropping a subject
What are the key things you should consider before dropping Legal Studies?
- Will dropping Legal Studies give you the study time for your other subjects?
- Is Legal Studies a prerequisite for a university course you want to study?
To help you answer these questions, check our article here!
Or check out our video on it below!
Now for why you’re really here…
How many students drop Legal Studies?
From 2019 to 2020, exactly 2530 students dropped HSC Legal Studies. This represents 29.69% of the initial cohort or nearly three in ten students!
Data from over the past 8 years shows that, on average, 29.09% of a cohort taking HSC Legal Studies will eventually drop it.
Are more or less people dropping HSC Legal Studies?
From 2012-2018, the number of people dropping Legal Studies was slowly growing, from 28.4% in 2012 to 30.5% in 2018. However, in 2019 and 2020, 29.65% of the cohort dropped the subject.
This means we could possibly expect less people to drop Legal studies over the next few years.
Find out if Legal Studies is one of the top 10 HSC subjects students drop here!
Are more girls or boys dropping HSC Legal Studies?
There is a slight difference between the number of boys and girls who drop Legal Studies. Over the past 8 years an average of 30.68% boys drop Legal Studies, compared to 28.12% of girls.
Is HSC Legal Studies a popular subject to drop?
Because Legal Studies is a very content-heavy subject, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. Because of this, it is not surprising to see Legal Studies as one of the MOST dropped subjects in the HSC.
In fact, HSC Legal Studies is the third most dropped subject in the entire HSC with 2,409 students, on average, dropping it each year!
What’s the average mark for people who take HSC Legal Studies?
The million-dollar question! What is the average HSC Mark Legal Studies student achieve?
Well, lucky for you, we’ve crunched the numbers and the average mark for students who’ve taken HSC Legal Studies across the past five years is 77, or a Band 4! Interestingly, the average HSC mark for Legal Studies has fluctuated between 76 and 78 since 2016.
Wondering what other Social Sciences look like? Well, looking at data from 2016, the average HSC mark for Business Studies is slightly lower at 74.4. However, the average mark for Economics is 79, nearly scraping a Band 5 average!
Need more help deciding whether to drop HSC Legal Studies? Our HSC Subject Decision Tree Tool will take you through all the factors you need to consider.
How likely is it that I’ll get a Band 6 in HSC Legal Studies?
So the average Legal Studies mark is a high Band 4, but what are your chances of scoring a Band 6 (or 90+)? Well, 13.2% of students who take Legal Studies achieve that Band 6! That is around 2 in 15 students achieving that Band 6! Pretty cool!
What about the other Bands?
Interestingly, most people will achieve a Band 5 in HSC Legal Studies! Yes! Even though the average mark is in the Band 4 range, a whopping 29.4% of Legal Studies students get a Band 5. The next largest band group is Band 4 with exactly 28% of the being awarded getting a Band 4.
You can view the entire Legal Studies’ Band breakdown below!
What’s the top ATAR I can get with HSC Legal Studies?
As you probably know, the highest ATAR anyone can score is 99.95 – this is the highest ATAR you can achieve in the HSC!
For HSC Legal Studies, the highest ATAR achieved for a student taking the subject has always been 99.95.
However, it is important to note that even though 99.95 is the highest ATAR possible, it hasn’t always been achieved in every subject. For example, the average top ATAR mark for students who take Swedish has been 96.7, and the Average top ATAR for Portuguese is 82! So it can really vary, however for popular subjects, such as Legal Studies, the highest ATAR is usually 99.95.
Curious about the drop rates for other subjects?
Check out the stats and figures we’ve compiled for the following subjects:
Losing motivation in school? Check out these 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Drop Out of School to remind yourself where the HSC can take you!
Looking for extra help with HSC Legal Studies?
We pride ourselves on our inspirational HSC Legal Studies coaches and mentors!
Whether you decide to stick with HSC Legal Studies or drop the subject, our tutors and mentors can help you feel confident in any subject (including Legal Studies)! Learn how to write a Band 6 worthy Legal Studies essay, analyse your cases and ace your assessments with 1 on 1 tutoring in your own home, online or at one of our campuses in Hills or Hornsby!
Over the past 10 years, Art of Smart has a proven track record of helping over 8,000 students feel confident and improve their marks by 20.7%!
To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor get in touch today!
