Australian high school students all at sea over cryptic exam question

Australian students were asked to respond to this image by US-based artist Julie Paschkis, who said her work was about encouraging students to think creatively. Image / Supplied

When you see the words in this image, what do they conjure up?

Gone are the days of exams having right or wrong answers - Australian students sitting their English exam for the Year 12 Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales were presented an open-ended question that confused them.

The picture of a man rowing a boat with a pencil in a sea full of words was created by US-based artist Julie Paschkis, who wants children to "savour language and to play with words".

Students were asked to explain how the image used a variety of language forms and features to best communicate creative ideas.

But some students didn't even know some of the words or what they were supposed to do with them.

"The words were so odd - some of them I had no idea what they even meant, some more simple words like sun and honey were very, very random but some of them I had never even seen before," Bradfield Senior College Year 12 student told the Daily Telegraph.

"In class we learned about how to dissect images … It was confusing being given a picture - do we talk about the features like colour, or do we solely talk about words because that was what was in the question?"

Paschkis said US schools were teaching students there was one right answer to questions.

"I like the idea that things are more open-ended," she told the Telegraph.

"I love language and I feel like when you're really familiar with a word you go right to the meaning but when you don't know a word sometimes you hear the sound of it or what it looks like, it can take you to other places.

"When I put a word in a painting I am thinking about the meaning of it, but I am also thinking about the sound of it or the look of it, it is a more playful approach to the language, it is not just one meaning.

"It is not like I don't think there are facts for you to learn, but my hope in education is that there is room for open-ended exploration."

On Tuesday, Australian actor Cate Blanchett sent a message of hope to Year 12 students struggling during coronavirus, saying she's in awe of their "monumental" achievement.

The Oscar-winner said members of the class of 2020 have become "national heroes" for completing their schooling during a pandemic.

"This country has your back, and these exams are not the end of things. They are not the final word, and they do not, they do not define you."

The HSC was scheduled to begin on October 15 but was pushed back to this week, while oral language exams were delayed by a week in August.