All NSW teachers and students now have access to a new rigorous and explicit English and Mathematics curriculum, as the State Government completes the rollout of mandatory high school content with the release of Year 11 and 12 syllabuses today.
The release of the new English syllabus marks a major milestone in the current NSW curriculum overhaul, with all mandatory content from K-12 now in the hands of teachers.
The new Year 11 and 12 syllabuses are aligned with and build on the mandatory content in the K–10 syllabuses.
While the mathematics paths in Years 9–10 empower more students to pursue mathematics in Year 11 and 12 and are designed to support those aspiring to study the highest levels of mathematics in the HSC.
“We are taking advice from the experts that numeracy and mathematics skills must be well developed through the mandatory Mathematics syllabus from Kindergarten through to Year 10.” said Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car.
“We need NSW students developing foundational understanding and skills in maths in primary school and building on these strong foundations in Years 7 to 10 to equip them to pursue maths in Years 11 and 12 and beyond.”
Duplicated content in the Advanced and Extension HSC courses has been removed and Mathematics Standard and Advanced HSC exams will no longer include common questions.
The new Year 11–12 English syllabuses feature a renewed focus on literature as the parent discipline of English. In English Extension 2, students will continue to submit a major work along with the introduction of a new focus area, ‘Author and Authority’.
The focus area is designed to provide guidance to students for their major work through engagement with literature and will be subject to examination. Both English Extension 1 and 2 will be examined online from 2027.
New support materials and resources will be provided to assist schools and teachers to implement the new syllabuses.
Schools will have more than a year to get to know the new English and Mathematics syllabuses under the revised timeline announced by the State Government. They will be taught from 2026 and examined from the 2027 HSC.
“By design, each stage of learning is now connected so teachers can best support their students to progress their understanding and build deep knowledge through to senior high school.” said NSW Education Standards Authority CEO Paul Martin.
“It means by Year 11 and 12, students will have the opportunity to pursue the highest level of learning, in line with their future goals and aspirations.”
In addition to the new English and Mathematics syllabuses, new History syllabuses for Years 11 and 12 have also been released to schools today and will be taught from 2027. History Extension will be taught in NSW schools from 2026 and examined in the 2027 HSC.
The rollout of new syllabuses for further HSC elective subjects will continue in 2025.
Visit the NSW Curriculum website to view the new syllabuses and support materials for teachers, students and families: curriculum.nsw.edu.au/
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