HSC English Standard: Course, Assessment and Exam Guides (NESA)
HSC English Standard is assessed through two exam papers worth 100 marks and a school mark, under the English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024).
About the course
Your HSC English Standard mark is the average of two numbers: your HSC exam mark and your moderated school assessment mark. The exam is two papers worth 100 marks, and most of it is extended writing under time pressure.
Which syllabus applies in 2027?
The 2027 cohort sits the English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024). NESA's timeline has schools starting it with Year 11 in Term 1 2026 and with Year 12 in Term 4 2026, and 2027 is the first HSC exam for it. It replaces the English Standard Stage 6 Syllabus (2017). Past papers from 2026 and earlier were set on the old syllabus, so use them for technique and check the topics against the new one.
How is English Standard assessed?
There are two parts. NESA says school-based assessment is 50% of the HSC mark for most Board Developed Courses with HSC exams, and the exam supplies the other half. The HSC guide to how the HSC works covers moderation and the HSC mark in full.
| Assessment | Weighting | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| HSC exam | 50% of the HSC mark | Two papers, 100 marks in total |
| School-based assessment | 50% of the HSC mark | Tasks set by your school across Year 12 |
| School mark: knowledge and understanding of course content | 50% of the school mark | Mandatory component |
| School mark: skills in responding to texts and communicating ideas | 50% of the school mark | Mandatory component |
Your school chooses the number and type of tasks. NESA's limits on take-home tasks and task weightings are in how the HSC works.
What does the course cover?
Year 12 has four focus areas:
- Texts and human experiences. How texts represent individual and collective experiences, including identity, emotion and the tension between agency and conformity. NESA's prescribed texts for the 2027 to 2030 HSC span prose fiction, poetry, and drama, film, media or nonfiction.
- Language, identity and culture. The second focus area, assessed in Paper 2.
- Close study of literature. An extended response on your prescribed text, assessed in Paper 2.
- The craft of writing. Writing your own imaginative, discursive, persuasive or reflective pieces.
What is in the English Standard exam?
The exam has two papers.
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Texts and human experiences | Language, identity and culture; Close study of literature; The craft of writing |
| Working time | 1 hour 30 minutes | 2 hours |
| Reading time | 10 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Marks | 40 | 60 |
| Sections | Section I: 5 to 6 short-answer questions (20 marks). Section II: one extended response on your prescribed text (20 marks) | Section I: Language, identity and culture, one extended response (20 marks). Section II: Close study of literature, one extended response (20 marks). Section III: The craft of writing (20 marks) |
Paper 1 Section I uses stimulus and unseen texts, and at least 3 items are common to English Advanced. Paper 1 Section II is also common to English Advanced. In The craft of writing you answer one question, which may have 2 parts, and the response can be imaginative, discursive, persuasive or reflective.
What to focus on
Spread your time across all five sections, because each carries 20% of the exam. Three of them (Paper 1 Section II and Paper 2 Sections I and II) ask for an extended response on your prescribed text, so build deep knowledge of your texts early. For how the marks turn into bands, see the HSC bands guide. For using older papers well, read the HSC past papers guide.
In 2025, the median HSC mark in English Standard was 73 out of 100, which UAC scaled to 40. Scaling changes every year. See how any result scales in the HSC ATAR calculator.
Common questions
Do English Standard and English Advanced students sit any of the same exam questions?
Yes, in Paper 1. At least 3 items in Paper 1 Section I are common to English Advanced, and Paper 1 Section II is also common to English Advanced. The rest of the exam is set for English Standard.
Sources
- English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024): Overview, NESA, 2026, Course overview and implementation timeline. Year 12 focus areas and the 2026 to 2027 implementation dates.
- English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024): HSC examinations, NESA, 2026, HSC examinations. Paper structure, timing, reading time and marks.
- English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024): School-based assessment, NESA, 2026, School-based assessment. Year 12 components, weightings and task limits.
- New English 11-12 syllabuses, NESA, 2026, Implementation timeline. Year 11, Year 12 and first HSC exam dates for the 2024 syllabus.
- English Standard 11-12 Syllabus (2024): Year 12 content, NESA, 2026, Year 12 content, Texts and human experiences. Description of the Texts and human experiences focus area.
- HSC Rules and Procedures 2026, NESA, 2026, School-based assessment and HSC mark. School-based assessment is 50% of the HSC mark for most Board Developed Courses with HSC exams.
Syllabus and assessment material referenced in this guide is used under licence, © Copyright NSW Education Standards Authority. See our NESA licensing notice. The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) does not endorse this product or service. NESA takes no responsibility for any errors in the reproduction of NESA Materials. Any sample examination papers or model answers accompanying the NESA Materials are not part of the NESA Materials and are in no way endorsed or authorised by NESA.