NESA Stage 6 Biology · the syllabus currently examined
The HSC Biology syllabus, module by module
Everything NESA expects you to know for HSC Biology, laid out as a working checklist: all eight modules, the inquiry question behind every section, which modules the exam actually draws on, and a free lesson series for each module. Use it to find the gaps before the paper does.
- Modules
- 84 in Year 11 · 4 in Year 12
- Examined in the HSC
- Year 12Modules 5–8; Year 11 is assumed knowledge
- Written exam
- 100 marks20 multiple choice + 80 written
- Free lessons here
- 158covering all 8 modules
Which syllabus is this?
This page describes the current NESA Biology Stage 6 syllabus, the one being taught and examined right now. If you are sitting the HSC in 2026 or 2027, this is your course.
NESA has published a new Biology 11–12 syllabus (2025), first taught to Year 11 from 2027. It reorganises the course into focus areas instead of the eight modules below. Until your cohort moves across, the new syllabus does not change what you are examined on — revise against this page, not against the new document.
Year 11: Modules 1–4
The Year 11 course builds the foundations — cells, body systems, evolution and ecosystems. It is assessed by your school, and while the HSC written exam is set against Year 12 modules, examiners assume you still know this material; Module 5 genetics makes little sense without Module 1 cell division, and Module 7 immunity leans on Module 2 transport systems.
Cell structure, membranes and transport, enzymes, photosynthesis and respiration. Can you answer both inquiry questions from memory?
- What distinguishes one cell from another?
- How do cells coordinate activities within their internal environment and the external environment?
From single cells to organ systems: tissue organisation, nutrient and gas exchange, and transport in plants and animals.
- How are cells arranged in a multicellular organism?
- What is the difference in nutrient and gas requirements between autotrophs and heterotrophs?
- How does the composition of the transport medium change as it moves around an organism?
Selection pressures, adaptations, and the evidence for evolution by natural selection.
- How do environmental pressures promote a change in species diversity and abundance?
- How do adaptations increase the organism’s ability to survive?
- What is the relationship between evolution and biodiversity?
- What is the evidence that supports the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
Population interactions, selection within ecosystems, past ecosystems, and human impact.
- What effect can one species have on the other species in a community?
- How do selection pressures within an ecosystem influence evolutionary change?
- How can human activity impact on an ecosystem?
Year 12: Modules 5–8 — the examined course
These four modules are what the written HSC examination is set against. If revision time is short, it belongs here — and not evenly: our analysis of the 2019–2025 papers shows which topics inside these modules the exam keeps returning to.
Reproduction, DNA replication, polypeptide synthesis, genetic variation and population genetics. Consistently the heaviest-weighted content area in recent papers.
- How does reproduction ensure the continuity of a species?
- How important is it for genetic material to be replicated exactly?
- Why is polypeptide synthesis important?
- How can the genetic similarities and differences within and between species be compared?
- Can population genetic patterns be predicted with any accuracy?
Mutation, biotechnology and genetic technologies, and their effect on populations and biodiversity.
- How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
- How do genetic techniques affect Earth’s biodiversity?
- Does artificial manipulation of DNA have the potential to change populations forever?
Pathogens and transmission, plant and animal responses to infection, the human immune system, and controlling the spread of disease.
- How are diseases transmitted?
- How does a plant or animal respond to infection?
- How does the human immune system respond to exposure to a pathogen?
- How can the spread of infectious diseases be controlled?
Homeostasis, causes of non-infectious disease, epidemiology, prevention, and the technologies used to manage disorders.
- How is an organism’s internal environment maintained in response to a changing external environment?
- Do non-infectious diseases cause more deaths than infectious diseases?
- Why are epidemiological studies used?
- How can non-infectious diseases be prevented?
- How can technologies be used to assist people who experience disorders?
How the syllabus maps to the exam
| Component | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Section I — multiple choice | 20 | 20 questions, 1 mark each |
| Section II — written response | 80 | Short answers through to extended responses of 7–9 marks |
| Total (three-hour paper) | 100 | Every paper from 2019 to 2025 followed exactly this shape |
The other half of your HSC mark is school-based assessment across Year 12, which includes a depth study — a required investigation of at least 15 hours of course time in each of Year 11 and Year 12. Working Scientifically skills (questioning, conducting investigations, analysing data, communicating) run through every module and are examined inside content questions rather than separately.
How to actually use this page
- Treat every inquiry question as a self-test. They are the spine of the syllabus: if you can answer one out loud, with named examples, that section is in good shape. If you cannot, that is your next revision session — open the module’s lessons and work through them.
- Weight Year 12 modules by what the papers reward. The high-yield breakdown sorts every question from the 2019–2025 papers by topic, so you can see which topics are near-certain to appear and which ones decide a Band 6.
- Finish each module with paper practice. The practice papers hub has exam-style questions to test whether revision actually stuck, and the condensed Heredity, Genetic Change and Infectious Disease notes are built for the final pass.
Common questions
Is this the current HSC Biology syllabus?
Yes. This page describes the NESA Biology Stage 6 syllabus currently being taught and examined, with its eight modules across Years 11 and 12. NESA has released a new Biology 11–12 syllabus for first teaching in 2027, so students sitting the HSC before then are examined on the syllabus described here.
Which modules are examined in the HSC Biology exam?
The written HSC examination assesses the Year 12 course: Module 5 Heredity, Module 6 Genetic Change, Module 7 Infectious Disease and Module 8 Non-infectious Disease and Disorders. Year 11 content is assumed knowledge that Year 12 modules build on, so it still matters, but exam questions are set against the Year 12 modules.
How is the HSC Biology exam structured?
A three-hour written paper worth 100 marks: 20 multiple-choice questions worth 20 marks, then written-response questions worth 80 marks. Across the 2019 to 2025 papers every exam totalled exactly 100 marks with that 20/80 split.
What is a depth study?
A required investigation of at least 15 hours of course time in each of Year 11 and Year 12, where you pursue one area of the course in depth. It is assessed by your school, not in the written HSC exam.
When does the new Biology syllabus start?
NESA’s new Biology 11–12 syllabus (published 2025) is first taught to Year 11 from 2027, and restructures the course into focus areas rather than the eight modules on this page. If you sit the HSC before the new syllabus reaches Year 12, the current syllabus is the one that applies to you.
Where to next
Working through this list and something still is not landing? One-on-one HSC Biology tutoring is available online across NSW, from the teacher who maintains these pages.