NSW HSC — curriculum reference
The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is taken by students completing Years 11 and 12 in NSW. Year 12 HSC examination marks contribute to the ATAR via UAC scaling.
Syllabus authority
NESA — NSW Education Standards Authority publishes the official syllabuses for NSW HSC. We do not republish syllabus content — for the formal syllabus documentation, go to the authority directly: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12.
Scaling for NSW HSC is calculated annually by UAC. See our NSW HSC ATAR scaling page for the full 2024 data.
Subjects with 2024 ATAR scaling data
44 subjects are listed below. Each links to its dedicated scaling page where you can see the verbatim 2024 percentile distribution, scaled mean, and standard deviation.
| Subject | 2024 students | Scaling page |
|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Studies NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 759 | Scaling → |
| Agriculture NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,586 | Scaling → |
| Ancient History Year 12: Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East. Focus on source interpretation. Less popular than Modern History but with similar essay-writing demands. | 7,755 | Scaling → |
| Biology Year 11: cells, organisms, ecosystems, genetics. Year 12: heredity, inheritance, infectious disease, non-infectious disease, immunity, biotechnology. Heavier on memorisation than other sciences. | 19,044 | Scaling → |
| Business Studies Year 12: business operations, marketing, finance, human resources. Case-study heavy. The most popular HSC subject by candidature. | 19,570 | Scaling → |
| Chemistry Year 11: chemical reactions, stoichiometry, periodic table, organic chemistry intro. Year 12: equilibrium, acid-base reactions, organic chemistry depth, analytical techniques. Calculation-heavy. | 9,722 | Scaling → |
| Community & Family Studies NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 9,772 | Scaling → |
| Dance NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 849 | Scaling → |
| Design & Technology NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 4,078 | Scaling → |
| Drama NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 3,481 | Scaling → |
| Earth & Environmental Science NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 2,571 | Scaling → |
| Economics Year 11: introduction to economics, micro and macro foundations. Year 12: Australian economy in detail, economic issues, policies, global economy. Numerical, analytical, current-affairs heavy. | 5,598 | Scaling → |
| Engineering Studies NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 2,508 | Scaling → |
| English Advanced Module-based study of complex texts (modules A, B, C). Higher-level analytical writing. The Year-12 English that universities prefer. | 25,397 | Scaling → |
| English EALD NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,246 | Scaling → |
| English Extension 1 Year 11–12 deep-dive on a worlds-of-upheaval theme. Adds a research-driven analytical task to standard module work. Companion to English Advanced. | 3,782 | Scaling → |
| English Extension 2 A major work — students produce extended original creative or critical writing under supervision. Year 12 only. | 1,479 | Scaling → |
| English Standard Modules A, B, and C — texts, language and the human experience. Required course for an HSC; satisfies most universities' English prerequisite. | 32,992 | Scaling → |
| English Studies Exam NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,491 | Scaling → |
| Food Technology NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 4,262 | Scaling → |
| Geography NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 4,661 | Scaling → |
| History Extension NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,761 | Scaling → |
| Industrial Technology NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 5,959 | Scaling → |
| Information Processes & Technology NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,715 | Scaling → |
| Investigating Science NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 3,240 | Scaling → |
| Legal Studies Year 12: crime, human rights, family law, workplace, world order. Heavy on case-citing essays. Aligns well with future Law or Politics study. | 10,209 | Scaling → |
| Mathematics Advanced Calculus-based mathematics. Functions, differentiation, integration, statistical analysis, financial mathematics. Standard prerequisite for most STEM and Business university courses. | 16,559 | Scaling → |
| Mathematics Extension 1 Sits alongside Mathematics Advanced. Adds proof, combinatorics, vectors, more advanced calculus. The 1-unit extension is the upper-level Year 12 mathematics for students considering quantitative degrees. | 8,846 | Scaling → |
| Mathematics Extension 2 Year 12 only. Complex numbers, mechanics, advanced integration, mathematical induction. The hardest senior maths course in NSW and one of the highest-scaling subjects in any state. | 3,544 | Scaling → |
| Mathematics Standard 1 Exam NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 2,139 | Scaling → |
| Mathematics Standard 2 Applied mathematics — financial maths, statistical analysis, networks, measurement. The mathematics that university non-STEM courses accept as a prerequisite. | 31,140 | Scaling → |
| Modern History Year 12: power and authority, national studies (Russia/USSR, Indonesia, USA etc.), peace and conflict (WWI, Cold War etc.), change in the modern world. Strong essay-writing required. | 10,590 | Scaling → |
| Music 1 NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 4,554 | Scaling → |
| Music 2 NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 659 | Scaling → |
| Music Extension NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 390 | Scaling → |
| PDH&PE NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 17,258 | Scaling → |
| Physics Year 11: kinematics, dynamics, waves, thermodynamics. Year 12: advanced mechanics, electromagnetism, the nature of light, quantum and special relativity. Heavy on calculation, light on memorisation. | 8,215 | Scaling → |
| Science Extension NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 753 | Scaling → |
| Society & Culture NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 5,181 | Scaling → |
| Software Design & Development NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,708 | Scaling → |
| Studies of Religion I NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 8,475 | Scaling → |
| Studies of Religion II NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 6,169 | Scaling → |
| Textiles & Design NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 1,694 | Scaling → |
| Visual Arts NSW HSC course with full 2024 scaling data published by UAC. | 8,832 | Scaling → |
If your subject is not listed
Subjects with fewer than 40 students per year are omitted from the published scaling tables (this is the threshold the tertiary admissions centres themselves use — small-cohort statistics are not reliable). These subjects are still part of the qualification; they simply do not have the same published-scaling reference data. See the syllabus authority's own page for details.