HSC Drama is examined three ways. The written paper is worth 40 marks; the Group Performance you devise with two to five classmates is worth 30; and your Individual Project, in critical analysis, design, performance, scriptwriting or video drama, is worth the other 30. The written paper has two 20-mark essays: a mandatory core question on the Australian topic you studied and one question on your Studies in Drama and Theatre topic. Both reward the same thing: a clear argument about how plays work on stage for an audience, backed by specific moments from the plays and by what you discovered staging them yourself. This hub is original ATARMAxxing study material built from NESA's published syllabus, course prescriptions, exam specifications, past papers and marking guidelines; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by NESA or UAC, and its practice questions are not NESA questions.
NESA Drama Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) with the Course prescriptions for Drama 2025–2027, examined in the 2026 and 2027 HSC · guide last reviewed . Always check the current syllabus on the NESA site ↗.
NESA Drama Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) with the Course prescriptions for Drama 2025–2027, examined in the 2026 and 2027 HSC
The written paper allows 5 minutes reading time and 1 hour 30 minutes working time for 40 marks, with no multiple choice. Section I (20 marks) is Question 1, one mandatory extended response that applies to both Australian topics, Dramatic Traditions in Australia and Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice; you answer it from the two plays you studied and your own experiential learning. Section II (20 marks) prints seven questions, Questions 2–8, one for each Studies in Drama and Theatre topic; you answer the one on the topic you studied. NESA suggests about 45 minutes and about six booklet pages (around 800 words) for each. Both questions are marked holistically in five bands (17–20 down to 1–4) on knowledge and understanding relevant to the question, a point of view backed by supporting evidence, and a sustained, logical and cohesive response. The Group Performance (8–12 minutes, three to six students, three criteria each out of 10) and the Individual Project are practical components marked separately and are covered here in notes only.
Past papers on this subject span more than one syllabus. Papers written under an older one still work as practice, but the modules they test have changed — the index labels every paper with the syllabus it was set under.
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) with the 2025–2027 course prescriptions · 2025–presentDrama Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) with the 2019–2024 course prescriptions · 2019–2024
The modules, one by one
Each area below lists the concepts named in the syllabus, what the NESA exam asks of them, and the mistake that most often costs marks.
Australian Drama and Theatre (Core Study)
Studies in Drama and Theatre
Elements, styles and essay craft
Group Performance
Individual Project
Area 1 of 5
Australian Drama and Theatre (Core Study)
You study ONE of two topics and at least two of its plays. Topic 1, Dramatic Traditions in Australia, sets Norm and Ahmed, The 7 Stages of Grieving, The Cake Man and The Removalists: New Wave realism alongside First Nations theatre. Topic 2, Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice, sets Fangirls, The Visitors, Single Asian Female and Neighbourhood Watch. The Section I question is written to suit both topics, so prepare to argue about staging, space, character, image and audience response from either list.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 4 points
Topic 1: Dramatic Traditions in Australia (Norm and Ahmed, The 7 Stages of Grieving, The Cake Man, The Removalists)
Topic 2: Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice (Fangirls, The Visitors, Single Asian Female, Neighbourhood Watch)
Staging, space, stage image, character and setting
Audience response and Australian social, political and personal concerns
You study ONE of seven topics: The Voice of Women in Theatre (one List 1 and one List 2 play), Approaches to Acting (two of Viewpoints, Lecoq, Meyerhold and Grotowski), Verbatim Theatre (two plays plus your own verbatim piece), Black Comedy (two plays from different countries), Multi-Discipline Theatre (Lepage and Ex Machina or McBurney and Complicité, plus your own piece), Significant Plays of the 20th Century (two of Brecht, Ionesco, Kaufman and Hansberry) or Japanese Traditional and Contemporary Theatre (Noh, Kabuki or Bunraku with Tadashi Suzuki). The Section II question tests the topic's rubric through your experiential learning.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 3 of 5
Elements, styles and essay craft
Markers reward precise drama vocabulary (the elements of drama, the elements of production, forms, styles and conventions) used to explain how a staging choice produces an audience response. Experiential learning counts as evidence when you write a workshop as a live theatrical moment rather than describing a warm-up.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 4 of 5
Group Performance
A piece of original theatre, 8–12 minutes long, devised and performed by three to six students from one topic on the 2025–2027 list. Each student is marked individually out of 10 on performance skills, sustaining and developing role or character, and structure and dramatic coherence.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 5 of 5
Individual Project
One project in critical analysis, design, performance, scriptwriting or video drama, negotiated with your teacher at the start of the HSC course and submitted with a 300-word rationale. Critical analysis (director's folio) and design projects must use a play from the Individual Project text list. Logbooks for both practical components are kept at school and do not count towards the external mark.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Common questions
How long is the HSC Drama written exam and how many marks is it worth?
40 marks, with 5 minutes reading time and 1 hour 30 minutes working time. It has two 20-mark extended responses: Section I (Australian Drama and Theatre) and one Section II question on your Studies in Drama and Theatre topic. NESA suggests about 45 minutes for each.
Is there multiple choice in the Drama exam?
No. Both questions are extended responses of about six writing-booklet pages, around 800 words. The quick-check multiple-choice items in this hub are revision drills only.
Do I answer a different Section I question for Topic 1 and Topic 2?
No. Question 1 is mandatory and written so that it applies to both topics. The set plays for both topics are printed underneath it, and you answer from the two plays you studied plus your own experiential learning.
What counts as supporting evidence?
NESA's marking guidelines say evidence may include examples, quotations, evidence from the text, real or imagined productions and practical experiences. Strong responses describe specific staged moments, name the techniques used and explain the audience response, rather than retelling the plot.
What does 'experiential learning' mean in an HSC Drama essay?
The syllabus defines it as learning that focuses on the experience rather than on theory alone. In the exam, it means writing about what you discovered by staging, performing, directing or designing moments from the plays, and showing how that changed your understanding.
Which texts are set for the 2026 HSC?
The Course prescriptions for Drama 2025–2027, first examined in the 2025 HSC. Past papers from 2021 to 2024 printed the earlier 2019–2024 lists, so some texts named on those papers are no longer set.
Is the Drama syllabus changing?
Yes, but not for the 2026 or 2027 HSC. NESA released a new Drama 11–12 syllabus in December 2025; it is taught from 2027 and first examined in the 2028 HSC.
Are the Group Performance and Individual Project part of the written exam?
No. They are separate practical and submitted components worth 30 marks each. This hub covers their requirements and criteria in notes; its practice papers model only the 40-mark written paper.
Practise it against the real thing
Knowing the syllabus is the first half. The other half is seeing how NESA actually asks it — every official paper for Drama is indexed by the same areas above.