Unpacking the New HSC English Syllabus 2027

1Our third syllabus change — and we're ready

Syllabus changes are a constant in the HSC landscape, with the last English syllabus change happening in 2019 and the previous one happening in 2015. Since JP English was first started, we have seen through 2 syllabus changes and updated all our resources and courses accordingly each time. This will be the third syllabus change for us, starting in 2026 Term 4, and we've already started including these changes throughout our Y7-11 content, and have completely rewritten our Year 12 content to adapt to the new demands of the course. Let's explore exactly what the new syllabus change means for you.

2What stays the same

The good news is that all the key modules for Year 11 and 12 remain the same, meaning that for Year 11, Term 1 is still on Common Module: Reading to Write, Term 2 is on Mod A: Narratives that Shape our World, Term 3 is still Mod B: Critical Study of Literature (some schools may choose to do Mod B in Term 2 and Mod A in Term 3). For Year 12, Term 4 is on Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences, Term 1 is on Mod A: Textual Conversations, Term 2 is on Mod B: Critical Study of Literature (some schools may choose to do Mod B in Term 1 and Mod A in Term 2). Mod C: Craft of Writing will be done throughout most terms but mostly in Term 1 and the first half of Term 2.

3What's changing: the texts

The main difference for the new syllabus is the texts that are taught. For Year 11, since some commonly studied Year 11 texts in previous years are now included in the new HSC syllabus eg William Shakespeare's Othello and W.B. Yeats' poetry, these texts are no longer taught in Year 11. Likewise, previously commonly studied texts in Year 12 eg T.S. Eliot's poetry are now out of the new Year 12 syllabus so many schoolteachers are opting to teach them in Year 11.

For the texts chosen in the Year 12 English Advanced syllabus, approximately one third are taken from the previous 2019-2026 syllabus, being a mix of English Standard, English Advanced and Extension 1 texts from the previous syllabus. The other third are texts taken from older syllabuses eg the 2009-2014 and 2015-2019 and are now recycled to suit the topics tested in the new syllabus. The final third are completely new texts.

4The Common Module shift: Australian voices

The most distinct change is the texts chosen for Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences. While previously, texts were mostly from the British or American literary canon, the texts in the new syllabus are written by Australian authors with strong Australian themes eg cultural displacement, early outback settlers, the female experience in the 20th century etc. Some of the texts are simpler compared to previous syllabus texts which can be both a good and bad thing. The good is that the language isn't as complex so it's easier to comprehend, the bad is that you still need to maintain sophistication in your own analysis despite the subject matter being simpler — one of the newly included Common Module texts is Gwen Harwood's "Beyond Metaphor", which we've broken down in a dedicated guide.

5Don't panic

In conclusion, do not panic with the new syllabus change, we have already adapted to it and are excited to welcome the new cohort of Year 12s in 2026 Term 4 who will embark on this HSC journey together!

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