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HSC · HSC Year 12 · official past papers

HSC Biology past exams 2016–2025, by year and topic

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ATARMAxxing indexes 20 official NESA Biology papers from 2016 to 2025, with 35 questions mapped to 4 topics. Every paper opens on the NESA website.

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Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2013) · 2013–2018Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) · 2019–2026Biology 11–12 Syllabus (2025) — new syllabus, not yet examined · 2027–TBC

HSC Biology exams by year: official papers & marking guidance

Past exams indexed: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. Open the official NESA papers.

YearStudy designOfficial paper(s)Marking guidance
2025 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2024 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2023 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2022 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2021 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2020 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2019 HSC Biology examSD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017)) — first year examined under this syllabusExam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2018 HSC Biology examSD 2013–2018 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2013)) — final year of the old syllabusExam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2017 HSC Biology examSD 2013–2018 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2013))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—
2016 HSC Biology examSD 2013–2018 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2013))Exam ↗ · Marking guidelines ↗—

20 official papers across 10 years (2016–2025), published by NESA. These span more than one study design; the most recent is Biology 11–12 Syllabus (2025) — new syllabus, not yet examined. Earlier papers may cover material that has since changed.

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Module 5: Heredity · 11 mapped questions

Reproduction

Genetic Variation

  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q31 markRead a Punnett square to identify which offspring cells are heterozygous.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →
  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q171 markUse ABO blood-group genotype rules and a parent-child phenotype pair to determine all possible father genotypes.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →
  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q259 marksMulti-part pedigree/genetics question on Huntington's disease: justify a genotype from a pedigree, use a codon chart to find a repeated amino acid, explain the CAG-repeat vs age-of-onset relationship, and predict affected status/age of onset for two individuals using gel electrophoresis data.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →

Cell Replication

DNA and Polypeptide Synthesis

Also in this topic: Reproduction (sexual/asexual mechanisms across animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, protists; fertilisation, implantation, hormonal control of pregnancy) · Cell Replication (mitosis, meiosis, DNA replication — Watson & Crick model) · DNA and Polypeptide Synthesis (transcription, translation, mRNA/tRNA, gene-environment interaction on phenotype) · Genetic Variation (meiosis modelling, crossing over, autosomal/sex-linkage/co-dominance/incomplete dominance/multiple alleles, pedigrees, Punnett squares, SNP analysis) · Inheritance Patterns in a Population (DNA sequencing/profiling, population genetics in conservation, disease inheritance, human evolution) — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

Module 6: Genetic Change · 9 mapped questions

Genetic Technologies

Biotechnology

Mutation

  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q201 markCompare a normal vs cancerous karyotype (Tasmanian devil facial tumour) to deduce the correct chromosomal abnormality type.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →
  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q327 marksEvaluate how bushfire events and a genetic-rescue male introduction affected the population size and gene pool of an isolated endangered marsupial population, using distribution map and time-series population data.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →
  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q355 marksIdentify the mutation type caused by a base-analogue mutagen (5-Bromouracil) and describe its possible downstream effects on protein structure/function.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →

Also in this topic: Mutation (mutagens, point vs chromosomal mutation, somatic vs germ-line, coding/non-coding DNA, gene flow and genetic drift) · Biotechnology (past/present/future applications, social and ethical implications, effect on Earth's biodiversity) · Genetic Technologies (artificial insemination/pollination, whole organism and gene cloning, recombinant DNA technology, transgenic organisms, agricultural/medical/industrial applications) — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

Module 7: Infectious Disease · 7 mapped questions

Prevention, Treatment and Control

Immunity

Responses to Pathogens

Causes of Infectious Disease

  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q265 marksIdentify variables in a mosquito-behaviour malaria-transmission experiment and justify a conclusion from the resulting landing-frequency data.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →
  • 2023SD 2017–2026 (Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (2017))Exam Q284 marksDescribe a distinguishing feature of viral vs bacterial pathogens and outline an experimental procedure to classify a waterborne outbreak pathogen as one or the other.Official paper ↗Check tutors for this question →

Also in this topic: Causes of Infectious Disease (pathogen classification, modes of transmission, Koch's postulates, Pasteur's experiments, agricultural impacts) · Responses to Pathogens (plant responses to fungal/viral pathogens, animal cellular/tissue responses) · Immunity (innate and adaptive immune systems, primary exposure response, acquired immunity) · Prevention, Treatment and Control (hygiene, quarantine, vaccination, antivirals/antibiotics, epidemic/pandemic management, Indigenous medicine protocols) — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

Module 8: Non-infectious Disease and Disorders · 8 mapped questions

Technologies and Disorders

Homeostasis

Causes and Effects

Epidemiology

Also in this topic: Homeostasis (negative feedback loops, endotherm adaptations, hormonal/neural coordination, plant water balance) · Causes and Effects (genetic, environmental, nutritional diseases; cancer; incidence/prevalence/mortality data) · Epidemiology (patterns of non-infectious disease, epidemiological study design and evaluation) · Prevention (disease-prevention methods, educational campaigns, genetic engineering) · Technologies and Disorders (hearing loss, visual disorders, kidney function — assistive technologies and their effectiveness) — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

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