Earth and Environmental Science Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) — HSC Year 12 course (Modules 5–8)
The HSC exam is one written paper worth 100 marks: 5 minutes reading time and 3 hours working time. Section I has 20 marks of objective-response (multiple-choice) questions, about 35 minutes. Section II is worth 80 marks: questions may contain parts, with 20 to 25 items in total and at least two items worth 7 to 9 marks; allow about 2 hours 25 minutes. Modules 5 to 8 carry approximately equal weighting and Working Scientifically skills are integrated throughout. A Geological Time Scale is provided; NESA-approved calculators, a pair of compasses, a protractor and set squares may be used. Your HSC mark is the average of your exam mark and your moderated school assessment mark; the Year 12 school-based components are Skills in working scientifically (60%) and Knowledge and understanding of course content (40%).
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.
Earth and Environmental Science Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) — first examined in the 2019 HSC; also governs the 2026–2028 exams · 2019–2028
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.
- Module 5: Earth’s Processes
- Module 6: Hazards
- Module 7: Climate Science
- Module 8: Resource Management
- Working Scientifically skills and depth studies
Area 1 of 5
Module 5: Earth’s Processes
How today’s biosphere began and developed: evidence for the origin of organic molecules (Urey and Miller’s experiments, communities around black smokers, meteorites and panspermia), cyanobacteria and stromatolites, the Ediacaran and Cambrian fauna and the conquest of land. How life changed the geosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere, including oxygen and banded iron formations. Modelling the plate tectonic supercycle and its effects on climate and evolution. Mould, cast and trace fossils, index fossils, uniformitarianism, superposition and absolute dating used to date events such as the Cambrian radiation and mass extinctions.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 4 points
- Development of the Biosphere
- Changes in the Geosphere, Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
- Plate Tectonic Supercycle
- Fossil Formation and Stratigraphy
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
11 real NESA questions indexed on this area →
Area 2 of 5
Module 6: Hazards
Predicting where earthquakes and effusive or explosive eruptions occur from plate boundaries, and why earthquake focus depth changes across convergent and divergent boundaries. Earthquake hazards (ground motion, tsunamis) and volcanic hazards (ash, lava flows, lahars, gases), magma type and explosivity, and the point at which a hazard becomes a disaster. Impacts of eruptions on the biosphere and atmosphere, including a case study such as Mount Pinatubo; hailstorms, east coast lows, droughts, floods and bushfires and how human activity can make some disasters more frequent or severe. Evaluating prediction technologies, building codes, warning systems, education and meteorological forecasting.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 3 points
- Geological Natural Disasters
- Impact of Natural Disasters on the Biosphere
- Prediction and Prevention of Natural Disasters
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
8 real NESA questions indexed on this area →
Area 3 of 5
Module 7: Climate Science
The natural greenhouse effect and natural causes of climate variation on different timescales: the plate tectonic supercycle, the Deccan and Siberian Traps, changes in Earth’s orbit, and ocean circulation. Ancient evidence (pollen, rock types, fossils and microfossils, isotope ratios in rocks and deep-sea sediments) and recent evidence (ice cores, dendrochronology, Aboriginal art sites, instrumental records, isotopes in speleothems and corals). The anthropogenic greenhouse effect, ocean acidification and flow-on effects on weather, ice and species ranges. Evaluating mitigation and adaptation strategies, including urban design, geo-engineering, alternative energy and agricultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other cultural groups.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 4 points
- Natural Processes of Variations in Climate
- Evidence for Climate Variation
- Influence of Human Activities on Changes to Climate
- Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
10 real NESA questions indexed on this area →
Area 4 of 5
Module 8: Resource Management
Australia’s renewable resources and where they are; the environmental and cultural-site impacts of open-pit, underground and drilling operations and how mined land is reclaimed. Case studies of traditional owners’ involvement in planning, mining and restoration, and of an important Australian resource (how it is found, extracted, used and managed sustainably, and its past, present and future importance). Investigating waste composition, solid-waste management options and the sustainability of a named option. Definitions of sustainability, overharvesting, water pollution and habitat destruction, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as sustainable resource managers.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 3 points
- Using Australia’s Natural Resources
- Waste Management
- Sustainability
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
13 real NESA questions indexed on this area →
Area 5 of 5
Working Scientifically skills and depth studies
Seven skill outcomes run through the course: questioning and predicting, planning and conducting investigations, processing data, analysing data, problem solving and communicating. In the exam these appear as identifying variables, writing valid methods with safety measures, constructing tables, graphs and flow charts, calculating percentage change or periodicity, judging validity and reliability, reading the Geological Time Scale and building evidence-based arguments. Depth studies (at least 15 hours in Year 12), practical investigations (at least 35 hours) and one Year 12 fieldwork exercise are school-assessed.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Common questions
How is the Earth and Environmental Science HSC exam structured?
One 100-mark written paper: 5 minutes reading time and 3 hours working time. Section I is 20 one-mark multiple-choice questions (about 35 minutes). Section II is 80 marks of compulsory short-answer and extended-response questions (about 2 hours 25 minutes), with 20 to 25 items and at least two items worth 7 to 9 marks.
Is the Year 11 course examined?
The HSC exam measures the Year 12 outcomes in Modules 5 to 8, but NESA states that the Year 11 course is assumed knowledge. Plate boundaries, rock types and Earth’s spheres from Modules 1 to 4 often underpin Year 12 questions.
What do I get in the exam room?
A Geological Time Scale is printed at the back of the paper. You may use a NESA-approved calculator, a pair of compasses, a protractor and set squares. Practise reading the time scale’s eons, eras, periods and epochs in Ma BP before the exam.
Are there questions that combine several modules?
Yes. Recent papers have included an 8-mark question drawing on two or more modules — for example evaluating native tree planting (2025), relationships between Earth’s spheres and humans (2024) and analysing satellite images of Earth (2023). Plan these answers around criteria and specific examples.
How much of the exam tests practical skills?
Working Scientifically skills are integrated throughout. Expect to write methods, justify safety measures, identify variables, complete tables or graphs from data, carry out calculations with units and justify conclusions — 2025 included a school waste-audit method and a data table from a tsunami graph.
Which syllabus should I study from?
The Earth and Environmental Science Stage 6 Syllabus (2017). NESA has released a new 11–12 syllabus (2025), but it is first examined in the 2029 HSC, so the 2026, 2027 and 2028 exams follow the 2017 syllabus.
When is the 2026 exam?
NESA’s 2026 HSC written exam timetable lists Earth and Environmental Science on Thursday 15 October 2026 from 9.25 am to 12.30 pm. Check NESA’s timetable for any late changes.