what is afterhour study?
an independent study app for NSW high school English, Years 7 to 12.
Afterhour Study, at afterhour.study and often just called Afterhour, helps NSW students get better at English. It marks essays against NESA's published marking guidelines, sets practice exams pitched to your year, trains techniques and writing, and gives you a quiet room to study in with friends. It's made in Sydney and is not affiliated with NESA.
who it's for
- Year 12, and Year 11 from Term 4: the full HSC, with a mark out of 20 and a band, for English Advanced, Standard, EAL/D and Extension 1.
- Year 11: marking against the Year 11 focus areas for Advanced, Standard and EAL/D.
- Years 7 to 10: A–E grades and a mark out of 20, judged at your year's standard, with school-style practice exams.
what it does
HSC essay marking against the NESA guidelines
Paste an essay and the question. Three independent marking passes read it against NESA's published marking guidelines for that task, a senior pass moderates them, and you get a mark out of 20, your band, a mark for each criterion, inline comments on your own sentences, and the three changes that would lift you to the next band. Usually about a minute.
Practice papers in the real HSC shape
Paper 1 and Paper 2 for English Advanced, Standard and EAL/D, or a single section: unseen texts with short-answer questions, and essay questions on your prescribed texts. Sit them with HSC timing, custom timing or untimed, then get every answer marked.
Technique trainer
Learn to name, spot and explain language techniques in short rounds, with spaced review so the ones you miss come back. Free-text answers are checked the way a marker would.
Paragraph checks, prepared essays and handwritten pages
Check a single body paragraph in seconds. Test a prepared essay against a question you haven't seen, paragraph by paragraph. Photograph handwritten practice essays and they're typed up exactly as written, then marked. Every past HSC essay question is there to write to.
The daily unseen and the study type quiz
One unseen text and a 3-mark question a day, the same for everyone in NSW, marked in seconds with a streak to keep. And a free quiz that finds which of 16 study types you are. Both work without an account.
A quote bank on spaced repeat
File your quotes by text with their technique and effect, then drill them: recall, fill the gap, explain the effect. Each comes back just before you'd forget it.
Study rooms with friends
A lofi room, a Pomodoro timer and companions to keep you company. Start a room, send the invite link, and see who's studying right now.
Journey and insights
Every focused session, marked essay and trainer round earns XP on a neon city map. Insights show your study hours, streaks and how your marks are moving, criterion by criterion.
how far to trust the marks
Afterhour's marks are a strong practice signal, not an official result: your teacher's and NESA's marks are the ones that count. Your essays stay yours. They're never published or sold, and you can delete your account and everything in it from settings.
what it costs
It's free to start: 1 essay mark a week (the mark, the grade or band and the top 3 comments, with your first essay marked in full), 1 practice paper a month and 15 trainer sessions a week, plus study rooms, journey and this week's insights. Afterhour Pro is A$25 a month or A$200 a year. See all pricing.
free english guides
Questions go to hello@afterhour.study, and a person answers.