HSC Past Papers (NESA): Exams and Marking Guidelines by Year

NESA publishes past HSC exam papers for Stage 6 courses on its HSC exam papers pages, in an exam pack for each course and year that holds the paper, the marking guidelines and, for the written exam, marking feedback. AusGrader lists the NESA Biology, Chemistry and Physics papers for 2023 to 2025 below, year by year, and each year opens the questions with marking against NESA's guidelines. For any other course, start at NESA's exam papers pages. Whatever the course, do a paper timed, mark it against the guidelines, then read the feedback.

This guide covers the HSC (Year 12) exam papers NESA publishes. The index lists our Biology, Chemistry and Physics papers for 2023 to 2025, and the feedback notes draw on what NESA published for 2024 and 2025. For the 2026 exam dates, see how to prepare for HSC exams.

Where can I find HSC past papers?

On NESA's HSC exam papers pages. The page sorts courses by learning area (English, Mathematics, Science, Human Society and its Environment and so on). Pick a course, then a year, and you get that year's exam pack.

An exam pack holds three things:

• The exam paper, as a PDF.
• The marking guidelines, as a PDF. They show the criteria for each mark or range of marks. Sample answers may be included, and NESA says plainly that they are not meant to be exemplary or even complete.
• Marking feedback, on the pack's page. It is written by markers about how students performed that year and covers the written section only. In the Biology, Chemistry and Physics packs for 2024 and 2025 it starts at Question 21, so there is no feedback on the multiple-choice questions, and NESA notes it may not cover every question.

On NESA's pages the heading is marking feedback, so search for that.

HSC past papers by subject and year

Each row below links to the subject page, whose past papers table has a column for each year (#2025, #2024, #2023) leading to that paper's questions, which you can answer and have marked. Our index covers the three sciences for 2023 to 2025.

HSC Biology past papers (NESA)

HSC Biology past papers cover 2023, 2024 and 2025. Each paper is worth 100 marks. Across the three papers, multiple choice carries 20% of the marks and written short answer 80%.

To decide what to practise first, see which topics the papers weight most in HSC Biology most tested topics, and where marks are hardest to win in HSC Biology hardest topics.

HSC Chemistry past papers (NESA)

HSC Chemistry past papers cover 2023, 2024 and 2025. Each paper is worth 100 marks, with the same 20% multiple choice and 80% written split across the three.

The 2025 paper prints an instruction that a formulae sheet, a data sheet and a Periodic Table are provided at the back, and they sit on the last pages of the paper PDF. Print the whole paper, sheets included, so you practise with what you will have in the exam room. The topic picture is in HSC Chemistry most tested topics and HSC Chemistry hardest topics.

HSC Physics past papers (NESA)

HSC Physics past papers cover 2023, 2024 and 2025. Each paper is worth 100 marks, again 20% multiple choice and 80% written across the three.

The 2025 paper prints that a data sheet, a formulae sheet and a Periodic Table are provided at the back. NESA's 2026 equipment list also allows compasses, a protractor and set squares in Physics alongside an approved calculator, so have them out when you sit a paper. See HSC Physics most tested topics and HSC Physics hardest topics.

What about Maths, English and the other HSC subjects?

AusGrader's index above does not list them. NESA's exam papers pages hold their papers, marking guidelines and marking feedback, so use these directly:

• Mathematics (Standard 1, Standard 2, Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2): NESA's HSC exam papers under Mathematics.
• English (Standard, Advanced and the rest): the same pages, under English.
• Human Society and its Environment, PDHPE and the other learning areas: the same pages, under each learning area.

The habits in NESA's feedback for those courses are in how to prepare for HSC exams.

How do I use an HSC past paper properly?

A paper you read through is not a paper you have done. Run each one in the same order.

1. Print the full paper. For Chemistry and Physics that includes the sheets at the back.
2. Sit it timed and closed book. Use the times printed on the cover. The 2023 to 2025 Biology, Chemistry and Physics papers each allow 5 minutes reading time and 3 hours working time. Use only the calculator NESA allows.
3. Mark it against the marking guidelines. Give yourself marks for what the criteria reward, not for what you meant.
4. Read the marking feedback for the same year. Look for the question you lost marks on and read what NESA says better responses did and what students needed to improve.
5. Sort each lost mark. Either you did not know the content, or you knew it and answered the wrong thing. Fix the first with topic questions and the second with the key words below.
6. Space your papers out. There are a limited number of papers per course. Early in revision do questions by topic, then keep complete papers for the weeks before your exam so each one counts.

NESA's feedback for the sciences keeps asking for the same few things, so check your paper for them:

• Read the whole question. Every part, not the part you recognise.
• Know the key word. NESA publishes a glossary of key words that often appear in HSC exam questions, and HSC key words shows what each one asks for. Explain asks you to relate cause and effect, while describe asks for characteristics and features.
• Use the stimulus. The graph, table or diagram is in the question for a reason. Refer to it in your answer.
• Show working and units. Calculation answers should show the steps and carry units.

HSC practice exams and practice papers

An HSC practice exam is any complete paper you sit under exam conditions and then mark. Three sources are available:

• NESA's past papers, above. They are the real standard, with real marking guidelines.
• Your school's trial and practice papers, which your school sets. They are not part of NESA's exam packs.
• AusGrader's marked past-paper questions. You answer the NESA questions from 2023 to 2025 in Biology, Chemistry and Physics and get each one marked against NESA's guidelines with feedback on where the marks went. Our HSC Biology, HSC Chemistry and HSC Physics pages open the questions by year.

You can do a full paper in a sitting on paper and then work through the questions on AusGrader to see where the marks went.

Where to go next

Pick your course above and start with the newest year, then work backwards. The HSC board page links every subject, and HSC bands explains what the numbers on your result mean.