11–12Society and Culture 11–12 Syllabus (2026)

The Sociocultural research project must contain the following components:

• an introduction that outlines the research topic or question, hypothesis, cross-cultural perspective(s), relevance to continuity and/or change, research methods applied and relevant concepts (approximately 350 words)
• central material (between 2500 and 3500 words) that:
  • presents an analysis of the topic
  • synthesises information from primary and secondary research to draw conclusions
  • communicates research findings using course terminology and Social and cultural concepts
  • addresses continuity and/or change
  • integrates cross-cultural perspective(s)
• a conclusion that summarises findings (approximately 350 words)
• a critical reflection on the strengths and limitations of the research undertaken, challenges faced, and adjustments made to process (approximately 350 words)
• a resource list that includes:
  • bibliographic details for all sources cited in the project
  • annotations for all primary research methods conducted
  • annotations for five secondary sources that were significant to the project.
    Annotations must evaluate the usefulness, validity and bias of the information used from the selected sources. The resource list and annotations are not included in the maximum word count.

A consistent referencing approach should be used throughout the Sociocultural research project to ensure that all sources are appropriately cited and acknowledged as part of the requirements for academic honesty in the HSC. Referencing may be in-text (Harvard) or footnotes.

Students may use clearly labelled photographs, tables, graphs and/or diagrams where appropriate to support the analysis of the topic. If these are used, any text is included in the overall word count.

Students must not include an appendix in the Sociocultural research project.

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

The Sociocultural research project must be a maximum of 4500 words in total, excluding in-text referencing or footnotes and the resource list. Word counts indicated for each of the components above are advisory only. Students are required to adhere to the overall word limit of 4500 words and should make decisions judiciously to ensure that the Sociocultural research project falls within this limit. Sociocultural research projects that exceed the overall word limit will be in breach of examination rules.

Although the resource list is not included in the overall word count, it is advised that each annotation does not exceed 200 words.

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

Marking guidelines for the Sociocultural research project will be made available to download when the Sample HSC examination materials are published.

Society and Culture students must complete and sign a Student Declaration Form for the Sociocultural research project. The Student Declaration Form can be downloaded from Schools Online and states that the planning, development, content and presentation of the Sociocultural research project is the student’s own work. Supervising teachers must certify the student’s practical examinations and sign each student’s Student Declaration Form.

The Sociocultural research project must be developed by the student under the supervision of the supervising teacher from the commencement of the project. It is essential that aspects of the process of development of the Sociocultural research project take place in school time. While it is expected that students will also work on their Sociocultural research project away from school, this must be monitored and documented by the supervising teacher.

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 documentation of the research process, as well as observations and discussions, to maintain the documented evidence of 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. A Society and Culture 11–12 Sociocultural research project progress proforma will be available to download from the Loading .

During the development of the Sociocultural research project, judgements about students’ ownership of work should not be impacted by the provision of Loading  for students with disability.

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 over time, 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.

Some students with disability may require adjustments in the development of the Sociocultural research project. Decisions about adjustments can be made by the school in collaboration with the student and parents/carers. More information about adjustments can be found on the NESA website:

• Students with disability
• Adjustments.

Where a student’s disability impacts their functioning in the development of the Sociocultural research project, schools will need to apply through NESA’s HSC exam provisions program. More information about HSC exam provisions can be found on the NESA website:

• HSC exam provisions
• ACE 6.1 HSC exam provisions program.

Students undertaking Society and Culture Life Skills 11–12 are not required to undertake the Sociocultural research project for Society and Culture 11–12.

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

HSC Society and Culture teachers 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.

The Sociocultural research project must be submitted as a PDF and submitted via Schools Online. The Sociocultural research project must:

• be submitted on A4 pages using 1.5 line spacing
• use Arial or Times New Roman in font size 12
• use standard margins and have each page numbered
• have a completed NESA Coversheet.

The NESA Coversheet and further information about project uploads, including upload instructions, 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.