Matter and chemical quantities
- Properties and Structure of Matter
- Introduction to Quantitative Chemistry
About this topic group
Connect the structure of matter with quantitative chemical relationships.
Course at a glance
What you'll study
Reactions and their drivers
- Reactive Chemistry
- Drivers of Reactions
About this topic group
Investigate how reactions occur and what makes change favourable.
Official resources
Use NESA's current syllabus first; the 2025 syllabus is for 2028 starters.
For the 2026 course
Next syllabus1 files
Assessment
Year 11 assessment is school-based; NESA receives a final grade rather than an external examination mark.
Assessment details
School-designed assessment program
Your school uses formal and informal evidence to award a Common Grade Scale result at the end of the course.
No external NESA examHSC Chemistry scaling
Review Year 12 scaling benchmarks for Chemistry, where a cohort of 10,369 recorded a scaled mean of 32.0 out of 50.
Year 11 marks are not scaled. The 2025 Year 12 scaled profile is provided as historical context only.
32.0 Scaled mean out of 50
33.9 Scaled median 2025 cohort
39.8 Upper quartile 2025 cohort
UAC calculates scaling from unreleased raw exam and assessment marks, meaning NESA-reported HSC marks cannot be uniquely converted into scaled marks. Estimate your overall ATAR using five years of historical scaling data from UAC.
UAC ATAR CompassSyllabus updates and paper advice
Current · 2026
The 2017 syllabus remains
No content amendments were logged in 2024–2026. The latest recorded change was performance-band descriptor wording in 2023.
Caution · HSC papers
HSC papers assess Year 12
Use full HSC papers only when your teacher selects questions that match Year 11 knowledge and skills.
Ahead · 2028
New Year 11 syllabus starts in 2028
Year 11 changes in Term 1 2028. Year 12 follows in Term 4 2028, with the first new HSC in 2029.
Common questions
Does Year 11 Chemistry scale?
No. Year 11 marks are not scaled and do not count towards your ATAR.
Which syllabus and past papers should I use?
Follow the 2017 Chemistry syllabus in 2026. HSC papers assess Year 12, so use only teacher-selected questions relevant to your course.
When does the new Chemistry syllabus begin?
Year 11 teaching begins in Term 1 2028. Year 12 follows in Term 4 2028, with the first new HSC in 2029.
Related courses
HSC · Year 11
Practise Chemistry
Strengthen your understanding with targeted questions, sample answers, and detailed marking criteria for Chemistry on ATARIS.
Start practising Chemistry →