11–12Textiles and Design 11–12 Syllabus (2026)

Students will submit a textile item(s).

The textile item(s) may consist of one or more related items from any area of creative textiles application. The design of the textile item(s) needs to be carefully considered. Teachers and students should be mindful of:

• the cost of materials
• the complexity and size of item(s).

High marks are regularly achieved by students who have projects that are of modest cost, use minimal materials and do not require an excessive student time commitment.

The supporting documentation must relate to the textile item(s) and contain the following components:

• Design inspiration consisting of:
  • explanation of inspiration
  • justification of design ideas
  • analysis of relationship between textile item(s) and historical, cultural and contemporary influences.
• Design development consisting of:
  • development and evaluation of design ideas, including drawings or sketches linking inspiration to the elements and principles of design
  • evaluation of the aesthetic and functional design features.
• Experimentation consisting of:
  • experimentation with and justification of the use of materials
  • experimentation with and justification of use of equipment and application of manufacturing processes and modifications to the textile item(s).
• Evaluation consisting of:
  • evaluation of the properties and performance of fibres, yarns and fabrics in relation to the end purpose of the textile item(s).

The supporting documentation must:

• include a NESA coversheet (schools can download this via Schools Online > Downloads > NESA Guides, Forms and Resources > HSC Practical Examinations Advice)
• use Arial or Times New Roman in font size 12 for any text
• not exceed 18 single-sided A4 pages or equivalent OR 9 single-sided A3 pages or equivalent.

Page limits

Students are required to adhere to the page limit for the supporting documentation and should make decisions judiciously to ensure the supporting documentation falls within this limit. Supporting documentation that exceeds this page limit will be in breach of examination rules.

Outsourcing

On occasion, it may be necessary for some minor aspect of the Major project to be outsourced to another person or agency (e.g. specialised equipment, components or processes). In such cases, the work undertaken by the person or agency must be documented in the supporting documentation and acknowledged on the NESA Coversheet. Students will not be given credit for the work completed by others. However, the students’ skills in justifying the reason for such work in their supporting documentation may be recognised in the marking process.

Health and safety

Schools should refer to ACE 2.5.1 Developing HSC practical exams to ensure students’ major projects comply with health and safety requirements.

Marking guidelines

Marking guidelines for the textile item(s) and supporting documentation will be made available to download when the Sample HSC examination materials are published.

Textiles and Design students must complete and sign a Student Declaration Form for the Major project. The Student Declaration Form can be downloaded from Schools Online and states that the planning, development, content and presentation of the Major 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 Major 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 Major project take place in school time. While some students may also work on their Major 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 supporting documentation, 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.

During the development of the Major 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 Major 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.

Adjustments in response to a disability are not considered outside assistance and do not need to be recorded on supporting documentation that is submitted to NESA. Where a student with disability has accessed outside assistance undertaken by some other person or agency in addition to an adjustment, the outside assistance must be recorded in the student’s supporting documentation.

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

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

Students undertaking the Textiles and Design Life Skills 11–12 course are not required to submit the Major project for Textiles and Design 11–12.

The Textiles and Design major project is submitted to NESA for marking at a corporate centre. NESA publishes the completion and hand-in date, and the submission date on the NESA website.

HSC Textiles and Design 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 Schools Online account.

The textile item(s) and supporting documentation are to be submitted together.

Each student’s textile item(s) and supporting documentation must:

• have a Textiles and Design ID Tag attached to each item of the project (schools can download this via Schools Online > Downloads > NESA Guides, Forms and Resources > HSC Practical Examinations Advice)
• have a Textiles and Design Return Address Label attached to each packaging container of the project (schools can download this via Schools Online > Downloads > NESA Guides, Forms and Resources > HSC Practical Examinations Advice)
• be suitably wrapped with appropriate padding.

A schedule of Submitted Projects form must also be completed by the school. This schedule can be downloaded from Schools Online > Downloads > NESA Guides, Forms and Resources > HSC Practical Examinations Advice.

In addition to the ACE 2.5.1 Developing HSC practical exams requirements, the requirements below must be strictly adhered to:

• The Major project needs to fit into a packaging container that must not exceed 0.2m³. The maximum length of any side of the container must not exceed 1.2m.
• The packaging container should be of a lightweight material.
• The textile item(s) must not be framed under glass or rigid sheeting.
• Item(s) must be able to be safely handled by one person.
• If a submission contains materials considered dangerous, including materials with sharp or jagged edges, it may not be unpacked or marked and may be returned to schools.

Schools are responsible for ensuring that all projects are delivered safely to NESA and must meet any costs involved.

NESA will return projects to schools during Term 4.

Further information about the submission requirements for the Textiles and Design major project can be found via Schools Online.

If a student’s Major project is damaged prior to submission, the school should contact NESA for advice at studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

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