11–12English Extension 11–12 Syllabus (2024)

English Extension 2 students must complete and sign a Student Declaration Form for the Major work. The Student Declaration Form can be downloaded from Schools Online and states that the planning, development, content and presentation of the Major work is the student’s own work. Supervising teachers must certify the student’s Major work and sign each student’s Student Declaration Form.

The Major work must be conceived and executed by the student under the supervision of the supervising teacher from the commencement of the Major work. It is essential that aspects of the process of development of the Major work take place in school time. While it is expected that students will also work on their Major work away from school, this must be monitored and documented by the supervising teacher. If a student uses a mentor in the development of the Major work, the mentor must be aware that their role is limited to offering critical advice, posing open-ended questions and supporting the exploration of ideas.

For the purpose of certification, supervising teachers must keep documented evidence to validate the authenticity and integrity of a student’s work. Supervising teachers may draw on the student’s Major work journal, as well as observations and discussions, to maintain the documented evidence of the student’s work throughout the HSC year. Documented evidence is not submitted to NESA, however it must be retained by the school, as it may be requested in exceptional circumstances.

Judgements about students’ ownership of work should not be impacted by the provision of adjustments for students with disability during the development of the Major work.

For further information about certification and practical examination rules, see:

• ACE 2.5.2 Certifying and submitting HSC projects, submitted works and performances
• Certifying HSC practical components
• Practical exam rules.

Schools are responsible for supervising and certifying student work presented for HSC practical exams. The certification process involves the school’s ongoing supervision of student progress to confirm the authenticity and academic integrity of student work.

Monitoring student progress

Supervision requires ongoing monitoring of student work. Effective and ongoing monitoring of student work for HSC practical examinations can be done in a range of ways. The strategies used may vary depending on the course, the nature of the project, and the learning context. Effective monitoring generally involves one or more practices that enable teachers to see student progress, understand the development of the work overtime, and verify its authenticity.

Examples of monitoring strategies include but are not limited to:

• maintaining written and/or visual observation records of observations about student progress and development, e.g. online discussion boards
• engaging in regular teacher-student discussions throughout the development of the work
• observing practical work carried out during class time
• providing one-on-one opportunities for students to explain and discuss their work as it develops, e.g. written reflections, interviews, informal progress conversations or feedback on practical work
• including the progress of project development in both formative and summative assessments
• facilitating class discussions or forums to share students’ planning, decision-making and development processes
• reviewing logbooks or other forms of documentation that record the development and progress of work.

NESA publishes the completion and hand-in date and the submission date on the NESA website.

Teachers supervising the English Extension 2 course should have a Schools Online profile with appropriate access. They are also required to supply their email address to receive communications directly from NESA. Teachers should see their principal to ensure they have been provided with the appropriate access to their school’s Schools Online account.

Students must not submit or resubmit a Major work, either in part or in full, that has been previously submitted in a previous year or in another Preliminary and/or HSC course. See ACE 2.5 HSC practical exams.

Students are advised to ensure they retain a copy of their Major work after submission.

NESA must be notified of each student’s Major work form via Schools Online by the date published in the Timetable of actions. Students may change their Major work form after this time via written request signed by the student, supervising teacher and principal. Email the request to:

English Coordinator
Marking and Quality NESA
Email: hscpracticals@nesa.nsw.edu.au

Students should use Arial or Times New Roman in font size 12 for the Major work. Any variation in the size and/or type of font should only be used to strengthen the overall intention of the Major work. Such variations should be used strategically and should not be a substitute for the effective use and control of language.

The use of visual images in print forms of the Major work should be minimal and strategic and needs to contribute to the integrity and purpose of the work. Visual images (original or non-original) in the Major work that do not adhere to the specifications of the chosen medium will not be assessed as part of the work.

Students are required to adhere to word or time limits for their form and should make decisions judiciously to ensure that the Major work falls within these limits. Major works that exceed word and time limits will be in breach of examination rules.

There is no requirement to include a bibliography, footnotes or appendices in the Major work. If these are used, they are not included in the word limit and there is no requirement to use any particular system of referencing for bibliographies and footnotes. If students choose to include a bibliography, footnotes or appendices in their Major work, these need to be used judiciously and not as a means of expanding the exploration of the concept central to the work.

Schools should refer to ACE 2.5.1 Developing HSC practical exams (Health and safety requirements) to ensure students’ Major works comply with these requirements.

Students are advised to avoid identifying themselves (except by student number and centre number), their school, other students and teachers in their Major work.

All written aspects of the Major work submission must:

• be submitted on A4 pages using 1.5 spacing
• use Arial or Times New Roman in font size 12
• have each page numbered.

All Major works, other than those in the podcast or multimedia form, must be submitted as a PDF and submitted via Schools Online. These Major works must:

• conform to presentation requirements, as outlined above
• be submitted as a PDF file(s)
• have a completed Coversheet.

Major works in the podcast or multimedia form must be submitted as a PDF and a digital file. These Major works must:

• conform to presentation requirements, as outlined above
• be submitted as a digital file as well as a PDF file(s)
• have a completed Coversheet.

The student and the supervising teacher must ensure that any portable storage devices used to submit digital files are operable and conform to the specifications for the category.

The NESA Coversheet and further information about project uploads, including upload instructions and a checklist for teachers, can be found via Schools Online > Downloads > NESA Guides, Forms and Resources > HSC Project Uploads.

For more information about practical HSC examinations see Understanding HSC practical exams.