Sleepless nights, dramatic dreams and a ‘cutie patootie’ paper: NSW students start their HSC exams

Some woke with dread while others played music to prepare - but ultimately HSC English examinees were met with few surprises

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There were no tears at Colo high school on Tuesday. No curveballs, either. Instead, students emerged from their first HSC exam, bleary-eyed but excited, to chatter in nervous huddles.

You can tell with just a look whether it's been OK," says Vanessa Pilgrim, deputy principal and former English teacher at the North Richmond school. Two decades into teaching, handling nerves hasn't gotten any easier.

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