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NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

11–12English Studies 11–12 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2026
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Rationale

Rationale for English in Stage 6 Curriculum

In acknowledgement of its role as the national language, English is a mandatory subject from Kindergarten to Year 12 in the NSW curriculum. Knowledge, understanding and skills acquired in English are central to students’ learning and development.

Language and text shapes understanding of individuals and the world. Language allows students to relate to others, and contributes to their intellectual, social and emotional development. In English K–12, students study language in its various textual forms, with increasing complexity, to understand how meaning is shaped, conveyed, interpreted and reflected.

Students engage with literature from Australia and across the world. They develop an understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the interconnections of Country/Place, Culture and Community. Texts communicate in distinctive ways and are shaped by experiences, knowledge and cultures. By exploring past and contemporary texts, with a range of cultural and social perspectives, students broaden their experiences and become empowered in their identities, values and ethics.

Through interrelated practices and experiences in understanding and creating texts, students explore the power, purpose, value and art of English. These support students to become literate and confident communicators, critical and imaginative thinkers, and informed and active participants in society.

The study of English in this syllabus is founded on the belief that language learning is recursive and develops through ever-widening contexts. Students learn English through explicit teaching of language and literacy, and through their engagement with a range of purposeful and increasingly demanding textual experiences.

Rationale for English Studies

The English Studies 11–12 Syllabus supports students to refine their knowledge, understanding and skills in English and consolidate their literacy skills to enhance their personal, educational, social and vocational lives.

The syllabus is focused on the development of students’ language, literacy and literary skills. It centres on empowering students to comprehend and interpret the ideas, values, language forms, features and structures of texts. They explore texts from a range of everyday, social, cultural, academic, community and workplace contexts. Students can refine their language skills through comprehensive and contemporary language experiences.

The English Studies 11–12 Syllabus provides students with opportunities to develop and appreciate critical and creative texts and to recognise how texts convey, interpret and reflect ways of thinking about themselves and the world. Students also strengthen their ability to access and comprehend information, to assess its reliability and to synthesise knowledge from a variety of sources.

The English Studies 11–12 Syllabus provides diverse approaches to texts so that students become flexible and critical thinkers. Students have opportunities to develop their abilities to engage with, understand and appreciate the variety of cultural heritages and differences that make up Australian and global societies. It also encourages the continued development of skills in literacy, individual and collaborative processes and reflective learning. These skills form the basis of the investigative and analytical skills required for the world of work, as well as post-school training and education.