HSC Maths Standard 2: Course, Assessment and Exam Guides (NESA)
HSC Mathematics Standard 2 is assessed 50:50 by school tasks and a 100 mark, 2.5 hour exam, under the 2024 syllabus.
About the course
HSC Mathematics Standard 2 is a 2 unit course whose result is half your school-based assessment mark and half one written exam. The exam is a 100 mark paper with a reference sheet, and the school mark is built equally from knowing the content and working mathematically with it. Knowing the Year 12 topics matters, and so does showing clear working.
Revise Year 11 content alongside Year 12, because it can be examined. Past papers from earlier cohorts (see HSC past papers) were set on the 2017 syllabus.
Which syllabus does the 2027 cohort sit?
The 2027 HSC cohort sits Mathematics Standard 11-12 (2024). NESA says it is implemented from 2026, that Year 12 teaching of it starts in Term 4 2026, and that its first HSC examination is in 2027. It replaces the Mathematics Standard Stage 6 Syllabus (2017), which cohorts up to and including 2026 sit. One document covers Standard 1 and Standard 2, with separate Year 12 content for each. For how the maths syllabuses are changing across the HSC, see the HSC syllabus guide.
How is HSC Mathematics Standard 2 assessed?
Your HSC mark in each course is a 50:50 combination of your HSC exam mark and your school-based assessment mark. NESA moderates the school marks against how your school group performs in the exam, so your rank within your school matters. How the HSC works explains moderation.
| Assessment | Weighting | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| HSC exam | 50% of the HSC mark | One written paper worth 100 marks |
| School-based assessment | 50% of the HSC mark | Your school's Year 12 tasks, summed into one mark |
| Component: knowledge and understanding of course content | 50% of the school mark | Mandatory, set by NESA |
| Component: skills in working mathematically | 50% of the school mark | Mandatory, set by NESA |
Schools decide the number, type and weighting of tasks, with NESA's limits on take-home tasks and task weightings set out in how the HSC works. Formal school tasks focus on Year 12 outcomes, and the Year 11 course is assumed knowledge. For what each band from 6 to 1 means, see HSC bands.
What does the course cover?
The Year 12 Standard 2 course has ten focus areas, grouped into five areas of study:
- Algebra: algebraic relationships, covering simultaneous linear equations (including break-even points), exponential relationships and quadratic relationships.
- Financial mathematics: investment and loans (investment, depreciation, loans and credit cards), and annuities.
- Measurement: trigonometry, and ratios and rates.
- Networks: network flow and critical path analysis.
- Statistics: bivariate data analysis (bivariate datasets, scatter plots and lines of best fit), relative frequency and probability, and the normal distribution, including z-scores.
The Year 11 course comes first. The Year 12 exam focuses on Year 12 outcomes, but Year 11 content may be examined.
What is the HSC Mathematics Standard 2 exam like?
NESA's specification is one written paper worth 100 marks, with 2 hours and 30 minutes plus 10 minutes of reading time and a reference sheet provided.
| Section | Marks | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| I | 15 | Objective-response questions |
| II | 85 | Questions that may have parts, 35 to 40 items in all, with at least two items worth 4 or 5 marks |
NESA-approved calculators may be used, so check your model against the approved calculator list before exam day. Check the NESA exam timetable for your date.
NESA has published a sample 2027 paper as one way the new syllabus could be examined. It is a sample, not an HSC paper, and no marking feedback exists yet for a cohort assessed under the 2024 syllabus.
In 2025, the median HSC mark in Mathematics Standard 2 was 73 out of 100, which UAC scaled to 46.4. Scaling changes every year. See how any result scales in the HSC ATAR calculator.
Common questions
Can you use a calculator in HSC Mathematics Standard 2?
Yes. NESA-approved calculators may be used, so check your model against NESA's approved calculator list before exam day.
Sources
- Mathematics Standard 11-12 (2024) Syllabus, NESA, 2024, pp. 6, 9, 32-43, 50, 52-53. Implementation dates, the Year 12 Standard 2 course structure and topics, the two mandatory school-based components at 50% each, and the HSC exam specification.
- Understanding your HSC results, NESA, 2026. The HSC mark as a 50:50 combination of the exam mark and the school-based assessment mark.
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.