All VCE, HSC & QCE past papers by subject →
HSC · HSC Year 12 · official past papers
HSC Engineering Studies past exams 2021–2025, by year and topic
The official NESA exams, marking guides and examiner reports 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.
Index last synced .
Papers, marking guides and examiner reports open on the official NESA website — they stay official and up to date. Question descriptions below are our own; we never republish exam content. Prefer to be walked through it? See the tutor directory →
Not sure what a topic below is actually meant to cover? Read the syllabus for Engineering Studies, area by area →
ATARMAxxing indexes 5 official NESA Engineering Studies papers from 2021 to 2025, with 77 questions mapped to 4 topics. Every paper opens on the NESA website.
Try a worked Engineering Studies question
The hub has an original model-exam question with its worked answer and a sample revision note, free to preview. The official papers below remain free on the exam authority's website.
Preview the worked question →HSC Engineering Studies exams by year: official papers & marking guidance
Past exams indexed: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021. Open the official NESA papers, with marking guidance where available.
| Year | Study design | Official paper(s) | Marking guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 HSC Engineering Studies exam | Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended) | 2025 HSC Engineering Studies examination ↗ | Marking guidance ↗ |
| 2024 HSC Engineering Studies exam | Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended) | 2024 HSC Engineering Studies examination ↗ | Marking guidance ↗ |
| 2023 HSC Engineering Studies exam | Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended) | 2023 HSC Engineering Studies examination ↗ | Marking guidance ↗ |
| 2022 HSC Engineering Studies exam | Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended) | 2022 HSC Engineering Studies examination ↗ | Marking guidance ↗ |
| 2021 HSC Engineering Studies exam | Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended) | 2021 HSC Engineering Studies examination ↗ | Marking guidance ↗ |
5 official papers across 5 years (2021–2025), 5 with marking guidance, published by NESA.
Browse by topic
Pick a topic, open the exact question in the official paper, then work it in your own workspace — or hand the question straight to a live tutor session.
Civil structures · 20 mapped questions
Historical and societal influences
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(b)3 marksExplain how steel beams in bridge construction changed people’s lives.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(a)2 marksComparing piers from two eras, outline how material innovations improved their in-service properties.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering mechanics: truss analysis
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(c)6 marksFind the magnitude and nature of the force in a nominated member of a loaded pin-jointed truss.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(c)6 marksFor a pin-jointed truss, find an external reaction mathematically, one member force by the method of sections and another graphically.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(c)6 marksFind magnitudes and natures of two member forces in a loaded truss with a wind load.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering mechanics: bending, SF and BM
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(b)(i)3 marksCalculate the support reactions of a beam carrying a child and an adult at given positions.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(b)(ii)3 marksComplete the shear force and bending moment diagrams for that beam.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering mechanics: stress and strain
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(c)(i)3 marksCalculate the shear stress in each of three bolts sharing a tensile load in a steel connection.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(c)(ii)3 marksUse the bolts’ shear strength and a required factor of safety to decide whether the connection is safe.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(c)3 marksFrom shear strength and punching force, find the maximum thickness of steel strap bracing that can be punched.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(a)3 marksCalculate the punching force for a shaped component cut from steel plate given the shear stress.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering materials
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(a)2 marksBuilding partly demolished: outline a way to recycle one of its materials.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(b)3 marksDescribe a test to find surface cracks in a retained steel component.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(b)3 marksFor railway bridge beams, describe the manufacturing features of pre-tensioned and post-tensioned concrete an engineer should weigh up.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(b)3 marksExplain why geotextiles are used in retaining-wall construction.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(a)2 marksOutline a corrosion-protection method for an exposed towbar hitch.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(a)(i)2 marksOutline why new materials are replacing CCA-treated logs in playgrounds.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(a)(ii)3 marksJustify a material for a playground structure permanently exposed to weather.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Communication
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(a)2 marksOutline why collaboration between engineers matters on a construction project.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(d)3 marksRead an orthogonal drawing and title block of a tensioner to answer AS 1100 interpretation questions (threads, tolerances, projection, line types).Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Personal and public transport · 20 mapped questions
Historical and societal influences
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(a)2 marksCompare timber and steel as roller-coaster support materials.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering mechanics: machines, friction, work, energy and power
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(a)2 marksOutline what the gears in a boat winch do.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(c)(i)5 marksFind the minimum cable force to haul a boat up an inclined slipway with friction, the cable pulling at an angle below horizontal.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(c)(ii)3 marksGiven the winch’s velocity ratio, calculate its efficiency.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(c)3 marksCalculate the power an escalator needs to lift a group of people one floor in a minute.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(c)3 marksUse conservation of energy to find the height of a roller coaster at a point where its speed is given.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(d)4 marksFind the minimum coefficient of static friction for a uniform ladder against a smooth wall.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering materials: ferrous metals
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(b)2 marksOutline a heat treatment used when making mild steel gears.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(a)2 marksDescribe the powder forming process.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(a)2 marksExplain how impact testing is used in developing a motorcycle helmet.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(d)4 marksExplain why fully hardened steel is tempered, with a labelled sketch of the tempered microstructure.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(b)3 marksExplain why a shear pin would be hot forged.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(b)2 marksComplete the grain structure in a weld’s heat-affected zone (chill, columnar and equi-axed grains).Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering electricity/electronics
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(c)4 marksComplete a table for three rectifier circuits: name the process, sketch the output waveform and outline the capacitor’s role.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(b)3 marksExplain why brushless DC motors suit electric bicycles.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(b)3 marksUse Ohm’s law to find the current in a resistor circuit.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(a)3 marksDraw the circuit symbols for listed electronic components.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(d)(ii)3 marksComplete the truth table for the ride-safety logic schematic.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Communication
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(c)6 marksFrom an exploded pictorial, draw an assembled front sectional view of a towbar hitch assembly (no dimensions).Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(b)6 marksDraw an assembled sectioned front view of a wheel sub-assembly at a reduced scale to AS 1100, without dimensions.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Also in this topic: Engineering materials: non-ferrous, ceramics, polymers — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.
Aeronautical engineering · 20 mapped questions
Scope of the profession
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(a)2 marksOutline an aeronautical engineer’s environmental responsibilities.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(b)3 marksDescribe the implications for an engineer and company when a design is used without permission.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Historical and societal influences
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(a)2 marksOutline how flight data recorders have improved aviation safety.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering mechanics and hydraulics
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(b)2 marksDescribe what can cause an aircraft to stall.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(c)4 marksDescribe, with a labelled diagram, how a mechanical altimeter works.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(b)3 marksUse the lift to drag ratio and cruise thrust to find the maximum mass of pilot and passengers.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(c)(i)1 markDraw the free body diagram of a model aircraft in level flight.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(c)(ii)5 marksDraw shear force and bending moment diagrams across the model aircraft’s wingspan.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering materials
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(a)2 marksOutline the properties that make Kevlar suitable for aircraft.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(b)3 marksDescribe artificial age hardening of aluminium alloys.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(d)3 marksExplain how fibre metal laminate improves aircraft structural performance.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(d)3 marksDraw, label and describe the structure of a thermosetting polymer.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(a)3 marksDescribe compression moulding of aircraft components.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(a)4 marksDiscuss composite materials in aircraft construction with examples.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Communication
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(d)4 marksDraw the front view of a bracket from a pictorial at a reduced scale with two overall dimensions and hidden detail to AS 1100.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(c)6 marksConstruct a half-pattern development of a sheet-metal camera cover from its orthogonal views.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 22(c)3 marksDiscuss the use of CAD in aeronautical engineering.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(a)2 marksExplain how computer graphics are used as a tool in aeronautical engineering.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(b)3 marksExplain the benefits of collaboration when a team completes an engineering report on a new aircraft.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(c)3 marksMake a freehand isometric sketch of a wing rib from an orthogonal view.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Telecommunications engineering · 17 mapped questions
Scope of the profession
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 27(a)3 marksDescribe ethical concerns in designing telecommunications projects such as security cameras.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(b)3 marksDescribe strategies to reduce one WHS risk faced by telecommunications engineers.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(b)3 marksDescribe an engineer’s responsibilities for the security of telecommunications devices.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Historical and societal influences
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(d)4 marksDiscuss how one telecommunications innovation has affected people’s lives.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(a)2 marksOutline how satellite services benefit rural people.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering materials
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(a)2 marksDescribe a device an engineer could use to test signal strength in communications cabling over time.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(b)3 marksExplain why aluminium alloy wire is used for transmission lines spanning between towers.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(a)3 marksOutline a use of semiconductors in telecommunications with an example.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(d)4 marksComplete a table of materials, justifications and manufacturing methods for parts of a public phone booth.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(c)3 marksExplain how insulating materials are used in telecommunications, with an example.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(b)3 marksExplain the functions of a transistor in a circuit.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Engineering electricity/electronics
- 2025Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 21(c)4 marksExplain, with a labelled sketch, how a voice call passes between two phones on a cellular network.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 26(b)3 marksBuild a truth table for a signal-booster condition and identify the logic gate.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(d)3 marksUsing a spectrum diagram, explain why 5G needs more, closer-spaced antennae than 4G.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 24(d)(i)2 marksState the purpose of a NAND gate in a ride-safety logic schematic.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
- 2023Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 25(c)2 marksOutline how GPS satellites fix a position.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Communication
- 2024Engineering Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2011, amended)Section II 23(c)3 marksMake a freehand pictorial sketch of a wi-fi router from its orthogonal views.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →
Work a question with a tutor
If a HSC tutor is listed for Engineering Studies, the question you pick is attached when you book and loads into a shared live workspace — the tutor sees your working as you type, on a video call beside the official paper.
See Engineering Studies tutors →Keep going
- HSC Engineering Studies Mastery Pack — free preview
- Get the HSC Engineering Studies Mastery Pack
- HSC Engineering Studies practice exams with worked solutions
- HSC Engineering Studies Year 12 revision notes
- HSC Engineering Studies practice questions with worked solutions
- HSC Engineering Studies syllabus explained
- Does HSC Engineering Studies scale up or down?
- HSC Engineering Studies flashcards
- HSC exam timetable 2026
- All HSC subjects