Students sitting HSC Economics in 2027 will study the Economics Stage 6 Syllabus (2009). The new Economics 11-12 Syllabus (2025) begins with Year 11 in 2027, and its first HSC exam is in 2028. Find more info at: NESA's implementation advice
Which Economics syllabus applies?
| Your child's pathway | Syllabus to use |
|---|---|
| Sitting the HSC in 2026 or 2027 | Economics Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) |
| Starting Year 11 in 2027, normally sitting the HSC in 2028 | Economics 11-12 Syllabus (2025) |
Schools begin teaching the new Year 12 course in Term 4, 2027. Students finishing their HSC that year remain on the current course, so the two syllabuses will briefly be taught alongside each other. The 2025 syllabus therefore has its first HSC exam in 2028. NESA's course implementation timetable
If your children share textbooks or notes, label them with the HSC year they cover. Then compare their contents with the relevant syllabus and the school's assessment schedule.
What do 2027 HSC Economics students study?
The current HSC course has four topics:
- The Global Economy
- Australia's Place in the Global Economy
- Economic Issues
- Economic Policies and Management
Students study the international economy and Australia's trade and financial relationships, then examine economic problems and the policies used to address them. The course places a strong emphasis on contemporary Australian economic issues. Current Economics course description
When your child revises a topic, ask them to explain one economic relationship. They should be able to describe what caused a change, what followed and how the evidence supports their explanation. You can follow that reasoning without knowing every technical term. If a step is unclear, ask them to explain it more slowly; they can take any remaining question to their next lesson.
What changes for the 2028 HSC?
The new Year 12 course has three focus areas:
| Focus area | Indicative teaching hours |
|---|---|
| Economic issues in the Australian economy | 45 |
| Economic management of the Australian economy | 45 |
| Australia and the global economy | 30 |
NESA allocates these hours for teaching. They do not indicate how much each area will be worth in the final exam. NESA's new course structure
The new course combines parts of the two existing global-economy topics. It removes the required Year 12 case study of globalisation in a non-Australian economy, and external stability is no longer a topic within the economic issues focus area. In Year 11, material from Consumers and Business and Labour Markets moves into the Household and business sector focus area. The Department of Education's summary of changes explains how the content has been reorganised.
These changes apply to the 2028 HSC cohort. Students sitting the HSC in 2027 still need to study the topics in the current syllabus. Those preparing for 2028 can use older resources, but should ask a teacher or tutor to check which parts still apply.
How does the Economics HSC exam work?
The 2027 written exam is worth 100 marks and allows three hours of writing after five minutes of reading time.
| Section | Marks | Response format |
|---|---|---|
| I | 20 | Objective-response questions |
| II | 40 | Four short-answer questions, which may have parts |
| III | 20 | Choose one of two stimulus-based extended-response questions |
| IV | 20 | Choose one of two extended-response questions |
Use this structure when planning a full practice exam for the current course. NESA's current examination specifications
In 2028, writing time remains three hours, while reading time increases to ten minutes. The four sections retain their allocations of 20, 40, 20 and 20 marks. Section II has 10 to 12 items, including one worth 6 to 8 marks. In Section III, students choose one of two stimulus-based questions, which may have two parts or ask for a single extended response. Section IV remains a choice of one of two extended-response questions. NESA's new examination specifications
How to use past papers and feedback
Download the paper and its marking guidelines from NESA's Economics exam archive, keeping the exam year in the filename. For the current course, the 2025 exam pack and feedback explain what markers looked for. NESA asks students to answer the question set, plan extended responses and maintain a judgement when the task calls for one. Its sample answers are not necessarily complete or exemplary responses, so read them alongside the marking criteria.
Preparing for the next assessment
Read the school's assessment schedule and next task notification with your child. The topic, response format and due date will help you decide what to practise first. Then look at a recent marked response and ask which comment they will address. Keeping the original beside the revision lets a teacher or tutor see what changed and where your child still needs help.
Our HSC Economics tutoring page explains how Plume teaches economic reasoning and the use of data, and how we give essay feedback. Include your child's HSC year when enquiring so we can discuss the right course.