Hospitality Stage 6 Curriculum Framework — SIT version 3, 2026
80 marks, 5 minutes reading and 2 hours working. Sections I–IV carry 15, 35, 15 and 15 marks. The candidate answers one stream: Food and Beverage OR Kitchen Operations and Cookery. Common content contributes 35 marks; the selected stream contributes 45. The optional written HSC examination is separate from competency-based vocational assessment and work placement.
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.
SITv3 current syllabus · 2026–2026 onwardsSITv2/2.1 HSC content · 2024–2025Legacy framework · Earlier framework–2023
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.
- HSC — Hygiene
- HSC — Safety
- HSC — Working with colleagues and customers
- HSC — Food and Beverage
- HSC — Kitchen Operations and Cookery
Area 1 of 5
HSC — Hygiene
Food safety legislation, food handlers and supervisors; biological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards; Personal hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, temperature control and food safety programs; Cleaning and sanitising, pest prevention, safe storage, transport and waste.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 5 points
- Food hazards, allergens and foodborne illness
- Personal hygiene, health and handwashing
- Receiving, storage and time–temperature control
- HACCP: monitoring, corrective action and verification
- Cleaning, sanitising, pest control and waste
What the exam asks
The three common mandatory focus areas together contribute 5 marks in Section I, 15 in Section II and 15 in Section IV; these are not separate allocations to each focus area.
Where marks go missing
Do not confuse cleaning with sanitising or treat a food safety observation as a verified control.
Area 2 of 5
HSC — Safety
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) as amended; PCBU, officer and worker duties; consultation; identifying hazards and applying the hierarchy of control; Safe equipment and chemical use, manual tasks, emergencies, reporting and security.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 3 points
- WHS duties, consultation and risk controls
- Manual tasks, equipment and hazardous chemicals
- Emergency procedures, security and incident reporting
What the exam asks
The three common mandatory focus areas together contribute 5 marks in Section I, 15 in Section II and 15 in Section IV; these are not separate allocations to each focus area.
Where marks go missing
Use the current NSW WHS legislation and apply the hierarchy of control to the specific hazard.
Area 3 of 5
HSC — Working with colleagues and customers
Customer needs, preferences and expectations; communication methods and feedback; Team roles, cooperation, conflict resolution, complaints and service improvement; Respect for diversity; equitable and culturally responsive service; professional conduct.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 2 points
- Customer needs and inclusive communication
- Complaints, teamwork, diversity and professional conduct
What the exam asks
The three common mandatory focus areas together contribute 5 marks in Section I, 15 in Section II and 15 in Section IV; these are not separate allocations to each focus area.
Where marks go missing
Explain a practical response to the particular customer or team problem rather than listing communication skills.
Area 4 of 5
HSC — Food and Beverage
Menus and service styles; preparing, delivering and closing food and beverage service; Non-alcoholic beverages, espresso coffee, milk texturing, equipment and recipes; Orders, special dietary requests, customer accounts, quality checks and troubleshooting.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 5 points
- Menus, service styles and preparing the service area
- Taking orders and coordinating food and beverage service
- Non-alcoholic beverages, recipes and customer accounts
- Espresso extraction and milk texturing
- Beverage equipment, closing procedures and quality improvement
What the exam asks
Selected stream content: 10 marks in Section I, 20 in Section II and 15 in Section III. Choose only the stream studied.
Where marks go missing
Answer the Food and Beverage stream only if that is your enrolled stream, and explain service sequence and quality checks.
Area 5 of 5
HSC — Kitchen Operations and Cookery
Commercial equipment, knives, precision cuts, ingredient quality and mise en place; Recipe calculations, yields, portions, heat transfer and methods of cookery; Dietary needs, cooking faults, presentation, cleaning and resource efficiency.
What the syllabus lists under this area · 5 points
- Kitchen knives, precision cuts and ingredient quality
- Mise en place, recipe scaling, yield and portion control
- Heat transfer and commercial cookery methods
- Cooking faults, dietary needs and quality control
- Plating, kitchen close-down and sustainable operations
What the exam asks
Selected stream content: 10 marks in Section I, 20 in Section II and 15 in Section III. Choose only the stream studied.
Where marks go missing
Answer the Kitchen Operations and Cookery stream only if that is your enrolled stream, and show units and steps in yield or recipe calculations.