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HSC · HSC Year 12 · official past papers

Community & Family Studies — past papers by topic

Every official NESA exam and examiner report we index, organised by topic and subtopic and labelled with the study design it was written under. Open the official paper, work the question in your own workspace, or bring a tutor into it live.

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Original syllabus era (current from 2003) · 2003–2023SD 2003– (2022 republication) — pre-2024 group rotation · 2015–2023SD 2003– (2022 republication) — 2024 Category A/B group rotation + LGBTQIA+ naming update · 2024–2026

Official papers & examiner reports, year by year

YearStudy designOfficial paper(s)Examiner report
2025SD 2003– (2024 group rotation era)Exam ↗Report ↗
2024SD 2003– (2024 group rotation era)Exam ↗Report ↗
2023SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2022SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2021SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2020SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2019SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2018SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2017SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗
2016SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗ · Sample writing booklet - Section II ↗Report ↗
2015SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam ↗Report ↗

All URLs above were copied directly from official NESA pages fetched under nsw.gov.au (educationstandards.nsw.edu.au 301-redirects there as part of NESA's 2025 site migration). Coverage: 11 consecutive years (2015-2025) confirmed via the current nsw.gov.au URL pattern for this subject -- exceeds the requested ~10-year window, included in full since all were independently verified. Years before 2015 exist in a separate, older NESA resources archive (arc.nesa.nsw.edu.au / boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au legacy hosts going back to at least 2003-2004) but their exact current-host URLs were not confirmed in this pass, so they are omitted rather than guessed. Two full exam papers (2024, 2023) were directly opened and read via the Read tool (not just WebFetch-summarised) to build genuinely verified questions[]; other years' papers were not opened, so no question-level entries are given for them, per instructions. The 'reportUrl' field is populated with the official marking-guidelines PDF for each year (NESA's actual label is 'Marking guidelines', not a separate 'examination report' -- CAFS does not appear to publish a distinct subject/examination report document beyond the marking guidelines plus in-page marker feedback text). Marking feedback / 'feedback on written exam' commentary is published as expandable webpage text on each year's official exam-pack page rather than a downloadable file, so it is not captured as a separate paper URL. A confirmed, precisely-dated syllabus-content change was found: the Groups in Context Category A/B group rotation (Rural and remote families in, People with disability out of Category A) plus LGBTQIA+ naming-convention update, per NESA's official amendment notice -- group rotation effective Term 4 2023 with Year 12 for the 2024 HSC exam; naming update effective 2023 with Year 11. This was independently cross-verified by directly reading the Category B group lists printed in the 2023 vs 2024 exam papers, which differ exactly as the amendment notice describes -- this is the basis for the second/third sdEras split. The topics[] focus-area dot points beyond the 7 stable groups/mandatory-module names are synthesised from the syllabus quick-reference guide (module names/percentages, directly read from official PDF) plus patterns evident across the two fully-read exam papers and search-confirmed group lists -- not copied from a single authoritative dot-point list, since the full syllabus PDF's detailed content pages were not opened in this pass (only the quick-reference guide was). Treat subtopic wording as a reasonable topic-mapping aid rather than verbatim syllabus text.

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Research Methodology (HSC core, 25%) · 20 mapped questions

Research skills and processes: identifying a research focus, developing a hypothesis/research question

Project planning: timelines, resources, feasibility

Primary and secondary/print and digital sources of data

Research methods: interview, observation, questionnaire, case study, literature review

Sampling and sample groups

Ethical research practice: consent, confidentiality, privacy, bias, integrity

Recording, analysing and presenting data (qualitative and quantitative)

Validity and reliability

Independent Research Project (IRP): project plan, diary, product

Referencing and bibliography

Groups in Context (HSC core, 25%) · 19 mapped questions

Concepts of prevalence, needs and access to services for community groups

Satisfaction of needs: safety and security, health, education, sense of identity, employment, adequate standard of living

Category A groups (mandatory) — currently: Youth, Ageing, and Rural and remote families (rotated in from 2024 HSC)

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Category B groups (elective, study ONE) — currently: Aged, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTQIA+ communities, Sole parents, Homeless people, People with disability (rotated in from 2024 HSC)

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Factors affecting access to services: formal and informal support

Community attitudes and advocacy for specific groups

Strategies to enhance equity for groups

Parenting and Caring (HSC core, 25%) · 19 mapped questions

Roles and responsibilities of parents and carers

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Preparation for parenthood: health, resources, antenatal care

Parenting styles: democratic, authoritarian/strict, permissive, negligent

Types of social parents (e.g. step, foster, adoptive, grandparent, same-sex)

Factors affecting parenting and caring: personal (culture, education, socioeconomic status, gender expectations) and societal (legislation, community attitudes)

Managing multiple roles and commitments as a parent/carer

Formal and informal support for parents and carers, including respite care

Duty of care and legal rights of children/dependants

Effects of caring responsibilities on carer and dependant wellbeing

Family and Societal Interactions (HSC elective option, 25%) · 2 mapped questions

Government and community structures supporting families across the lifespan

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Legislation protecting the welfare and rights of children and young people

  • 2024SD 2003– (2024 group rotation era)Exam Q30 (Section II option a)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on legislation and social cohesion, child-protection legislation effectiveness, and societal expectations on young people's rights/responsibilities (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →

Role of schools and community organisations in supporting young people

  • 2023SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam Q30 (Section II option a)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on schools protecting child welfare, a community organisation supporting young people, and government effectiveness in regulating young people's rights via driver licensing, school attendance, and tobacco/alcohol access (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →

Regulation of young people's rights and responsibilities (e.g. driver licensing, school attendance, access to tobacco/alcohol)

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Societal expectations as young people gain rights and responsibilities

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Social Impact of Technology (HSC elective option, 25%) · 2 mapped questions

Complex technologies and the organisation of knowledge

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Effects of entertainment and communication technologies on interpersonal relationships within families

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Geographical and socioeconomic access to technology

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Effects of technology on individual lifestyle (access and acceptance)

  • 2024SD 2003– (2024 group rotation era)Exam Q31 (Section II option b)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on complex technology and knowledge organisation, communication-technology effectiveness, and how access/acceptance of a chosen technology affects lifestyle (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →

Effects of technology on community health: food, health and medicine, transport and travel

  • 2023SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam Q31 (Section II option b)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on entertainment technology's effect on family relationships, geographic access to technology, and technology's community-health effects across food, health/medicine, and transport/travel (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →
Individuals and Work (HSC elective option, 25%) · 2 mapped questions

Reasons individuals enter the workforce

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Patterns of work across the lifespan and following changes in family circumstances

  • 2023SD 2003– (pre-2024 group list)Exam Q32 (Section II option c)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on reasons for entering the workforce, leave entitlements and workplace equality, and suitability of work patterns for a youth, a mid-career parent, and a near-retirement individual (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →

Managing multiple role expectations (family and work) using technology

  • 2024SD 2003– (2024 group rotation era)Exam Q32 (Section II option c)25 marksExtended-response option: three-part question on technology managing role expectations, effectiveness of changing work patterns after family change, and workplace structures' influence on employee efficiency (15-mark extended part).Official paper ↗Examiner report ↗Work through it with a tutor →

Leave entitlements and workplace equality

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

Workplace structures and their influence on employee efficiency

Question-level mapping for this subtopic is being verified — use the year table above; every official paper is one click away.

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