HSC Questions by Topic: what actually gets examined
Past HSC papers coded question by question against the syllabus — module, topic, marks, format and key word — so you can see where the marks actually sit before deciding what to revise.
13 subjects · 2299 questions · 5600 marks · 56 official papers
Subjects covered
Every figure is counted from the real papers. Nothing is estimated.
HSC Ancient History
384 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
28 of its 42 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Everyday life: housing, leisure activities, food and dining, clothing, health, baths, water supply, sanitation alone carried 22 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Modern History
249 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
20 of its 30 topics were examined in every paper on file, and The impact of the Nazi regime on life in Germany alone carried 41 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Mathematics Advanced
245 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
12 of its 14 subtopics were examined in every paper on file, and MA-C3 Applications of Differentiation alone carried 81 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Physics
219 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
14 of its 16 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Motion in Gravitational Fields alone carried 61 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Investigating Science
213 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
10 of its 15 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Scientific Investigation and Technology alone carried 80 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Legal Studies
193 questions · 500 marks · 5 NESA papers, 2021–2025
14 of its 16 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Promoting and enforcing human rights alone carried 64 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Biology
176 questions · 400 marks · 4 NESA papers, 2022–2025
12 of its 17 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Mutation alone carried 48 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Chemistry
174 questions · 400 marks · 4 NESA papers, 2022–2025
See what’s actually tested →HSC Economics
147 questions · 400 marks · 4 NESA papers, 2022–2025
See what’s actually tested →HSC Community and Family Studies
116 questions · 300 marks · 3 NESA papers, 2022–2024
11 of its 59 topics were examined in every paper on file, and Access to services alone carried 24 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC Business Studies
106 questions · 300 marks · 3 NESA papers, 2023–2025
See what’s actually tested →HSC English Advanced
39 questions · 400 marks · 4 NESA papers, 2022–2025
7 of its 10 question types were examined in every paper on file, and Extended response on your prescribed text (Paper 1 Section II) alone carried 80 marks.
See what’s actually tested →HSC English Standard
38 questions · 400 marks · 4 NESA papers, 2022–2025
7 of its 10 question types were examined in every paper on file, and Extended response on your prescribed text (Paper 1 Section II) alone carried 80 marks.
See what’s actually tested →How the coding works
Each question is placed in the syllabus area it assesses, with its mark value, its format and its key word recorded. Marks are then reconciled against the paper’s own stated total, so nothing is double-counted and nothing is missed — where a section offers a choice of questions, the alternatives share that section’s marks rather than each claiming them.
What we do not have: the authorities publish no per-question statistics for these papers, so nothing here says how students actually performed. It describes what was asked and what it was worth.
Then practise it
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this?
Every question in 56 official NESA papers counted against the syllabus — what it was worth, what format it took and which key word it used, and which module and topic it assesses. The placement is coded by hand, never estimated. The pages show where the marks actually sat, so you can decide what to revise on evidence rather than on a feeling.
Are the exam questions reproduced here?
No. The authorities own the papers. These pages publish counts and link to the authority's own copy of each paper, so you read the real thing at the source. The analysis is ours; the papers stay with them.
Why are only some subjects here?
Because each subject has to be coded question by question against its syllabus, and that is manual work. A subject appears once its papers are coded and the marks reconcile against each paper's own stated total — not before.
Does this predict what will be in my exam?
No, and it is not meant to. It describes what has been set. Examiners write each paper fresh and can weight a neglected topic heavily, which is why every topic is listed on the subject pages, including the ones examined least.
Exam papers © NSW Education Standards Authority, linked at source on each subject page. The coding and the counts are ours.