NEW English, mathematics and history syllabuses have been rolled out for year 11 and 12 students as part of an overhaul of the state's curriculum due to the uptake of explicit teaching.
The NSW government made the announcement on Wednesday, with all mandatory content from K-12 now in the hands of teachers.
Teachers will have time to get to know the new syllabuses, which are aligned and built on the existing mandatory content in the K-10 syllabuses. They will be implemented from 2026 and examined from the 2027 HSC onwards.
Duplicated content in the advanced and extension HSC mathematics courses have been removed and mathematics standard and advanced HSC exams will no longer include common questions.
For English, there will be a renewed focus on literature and extension two students will continue to submit a major work along with a new focus area on 'Author and Authority'. Both extension one and two will be examined online from 2027.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said the new syllabus came from taking expert advice.
"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," she said.
A rollout of new syllabuses for more HSC elective subjects will continue next year, accompanied by support materials for teachers to implement them.
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESSA) CEO Paul Martin said the new content meant senior students would have the opportunity to pursue the highest level of learning in line with their future goals.
"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," he said.
