HSC Modern History: Course, Assessment and Exam Guides (NESA)
HSC Modern History is assessed through school tasks and a 3 hour, 100 mark exam in four sections: a core study and three topics.
About the course
HSC Modern History is assessed in two halves: your school's assessment mark and a single 3-hour written exam worth 100 marks. The exam has four 25-mark sections, and a core study on Power and Authority in the Modern World sits alongside questions on the three topics your class chose.
Which syllabus applies in 2027?
If you sit the HSC in 2027, you are on the Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus (2017). NESA has published a Modern History 11-12 Syllabus (2024), which starts with Year 11 in Term 1, 2027 and with Year 12 in Term 4, 2027. Its first HSC exam is in 2028, so it does not apply to you.
How is HSC Modern History assessed?
Your HSC mark averages your school-based assessment mark with your exam mark, as for most HSC courses (see how the HSC works). Schools set the number, type and weighting of tasks, but NESA fixes four components that every school must weight the same way.
| Component | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding of course content | 40% |
| Historical skills in the analysis and evaluation of sources and interpretations | 20% |
| Historical inquiry and research | 20% |
| Communication of historical understanding in appropriate forms | 20% |
NESA's limits on take-home tasks and task weightings are in how the HSC works.
What does the Year 12 course cover?
Year 12 has four parts. Everyone studies the core, Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919 to 1946. Your school then picks one topic from each of three groups: National Studies, Peace and Conflict, and Change in the Modern World.
The groups differ in size. The exam offers eight National Studies topics, six Peace and Conflict topics and six Change in the Modern World topics. Which topics your class studies is a school decision, so check your school's program before you plan revision.
What is in the HSC exam?
One written paper, 100 marks, 3 hours plus 5 minutes of reading time. Check the NESA exam timetable for your date.
| Section | Marks | What you answer |
|---|---|---|
| I: Core | 25 | Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919 to 1946. Three or four questions, all compulsory. One question is worth 10 to 15 marks. |
| II: National Studies | 25 | One extended response, chosen from two alternatives on your topic. |
| III: Peace and Conflict | 25 | One extended response, chosen from two alternatives on your topic. |
| IV: Change in the Modern World | 25 | The question for your topic, in three or four parts. One part is worth 10 to 15 marks. |
NESA expects each extended response in Sections II and III to run to about 1000 words. Those two answers, plus the long part in Sections I and IV, make up a large share of the paper, so extended writing is where much of the exam is decided.
In 2025, the median HSC mark in Modern History was 76 out of 100, which UAC scaled to 51.6. Scaling changes every year. See how any result scales in the HSC ATAR calculator.
Common questions
Do I choose my own Modern History topics?
Your school does. Everyone studies the core, and your class then studies one topic from each of National Studies, Peace and Conflict, and Change in the Modern World.
Sources
- Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Syllabus version, Year 12 course structure and the implementation timeline for the 2024 syllabus.
- Assessment and reporting in Modern History, NESA. School-based assessment components and weightings, and the HSC exam specifications.
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.