the full list
HSC English prescribed texts, 2027–2030 and 2019–2026
These are the prescribed texts for NSW HSC English, by course and module. Students who started Year 11 in 2026 (first HSC in 2027) choose from the 2027–2030 list; students sitting the HSC in 2026 use the 2019–2026 list. English Advanced and English Standard share one Common Module list, English EAL/D has its own lists, and English Advanced Module A texts are studied in pairs.
Last updated . An independent guide by Afterhour, not affiliated with NESA. Quoted syllabus text, exam specifications, marking guidelines and marker feedback are © NSW Education Standards Authority.
HSC 2027–2030 (started Year 11 in 2026 or later)
English Advanced and English Standard
Texts and human experiences (Common Module) (9)
How Common Module worksThe Common Module list is shared by Advanced and Standard.
- Cold Enough for SnowJessica AuProse fiction
- An Imaginary LifeDavid MaloufProse fiction
- The Penguin Henry Lawson Short StoriesHenry LawsonProse fiction
- Selected poems of Rosemary DobsonRosemary DobsonPoetry
- Selected PoemsGwen HarwoodPoetry
- Love Poems and Death ThreatsSamuel Wagan WatsonPoetry
- Question 7Richard FlanaganNonfiction
- AwayMichael GowDrama
- One Night the MoonRachel PerkinsFilm
English Advanced
Textual conversations (Module A) (6)
How Module A works- Bush StudiesBarbara BayntonProse fiction paired with Inside My MotherAli Cobby EckermannPoetry
- The Complete PoemsWilliam BlakePoetry paired with Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the DeadOlga TokarczukProse fiction
- The Complete PoemsJohn KeatsPoetry paired with Bright StarJane CampionFilm
- HamletWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama paired with The Complete PoemsEmily DickinsonPoetry
- Julius CaesarWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama paired with The PrinceNiccolò MachiavelliNonfiction
- Mrs DallowayVirginia WoolfProse fiction paired with The HoursStephen DaldryFilm
Critical study of literature (Module B) (6)
How Module B works- Pride and PrejudiceJane AustenProse fiction
- WarlightMichael OndaatjeProse fiction
- PoemsLouise GlückPoetry
- WB Yeats: Poems selected by Seamus HeaneyW.B. YeatsPoetry
- OthelloWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama
- King Henry IV, Part 1William ShakespeareShakespearean drama
English Standard
Language, identity and culture (Module A) (6)
How Module A works- The NamesakeJhumpa LahiriProse fiction
- Swallow the AirTara June WinchProse fiction
- The PerseveranceRaymond AntrobusPoetry
- Contemporary Asian Australian Poetseds. Adam Aitken, Kim Cheng Boey, Michelle CahillPoetry
- The Quiet GirlColm BairéadFilm
- Shafana and Aunt SarrinahAlana ValentineDrama
Close study of literature (Module B) (6)
How Module B works- FeedM.T. AndersonProse fiction
- LimberlostRobbie ArnottProse fiction
- Collected PoemsCarol Ann DuffyPoetry
- My PeopleOodgeroo NoonuccalPoetry
- Much Ado About NothingWilliam ShakespeareDrama
- ArrivalDenis VilleneuveFilm
English EAL/D
Texts and human experiences (6)
How Common Module works- Past the ShallowsFavel ParrettProse fiction
- Flock: First Nations Stories Then and Nowed. Ellen van NeervenProse fiction
- Coast Road: Selected PoemsRobert GrayPoetry
- My PeopleOodgeroo NoonuccalPoetry
- Stories of MeIan DarlingMedia
- The Boy Behind the CurtainTim WintonNonfiction
Language, identity and culture (6)
How Module A works- The NamesakeJhumpa LahiriProse fiction
- Swallow the AirTara June WinchProse fiction
- The PerseveranceRaymond AntrobusPoetry
- The Collected Poems of Langston HughesLangston HughesPoetry
- Miss PeonyMichelle LawDrama
- Unpolished GemAlice PungNonfiction
Close study of text (6)
How Module B works- Small Things Like TheseClaire KeeganProse fiction
- Fahrenheit 451Ray BradburyProse fiction
- The Collected Poems of Robert FrostRobert FrostPoetry
- Judith Wright: Collected PoemsJudith WrightPoetry
- Rainbow's EndJane HarrisonDrama
- ArrivalDenis VilleneuveFilm
English Extension 1
Elective 1: Confessional worlds (6)
How Extension 1 works- The Tenant of Wildfell HallAnne BrontëProse fiction
- The White AlbumJoan DidionNonfiction
- Birthday LettersTed HughesPoetry
- The Collected StoriesKatherine MansfieldProse fiction (short stories)
- The Glass MenagerieTennessee WilliamsDrama
- The Darjeeling LimitedWes AndersonFilm
Elective 2: Historical worlds (6)
How Extension 1 works- Selected PoemsW.H. AudenPoetry
- PossessionA.S. ByattProse fiction
- The Hare with Amber EyesEdmund de WaalNonfiction
- North and SouthElizabeth GaskellProse fiction
- An Artist of the Floating WorldKazuo IshiguroProse fiction
- Marie AntoinetteSofia CoppolaFilm
Elective 3: Hybrid worlds (6)
How Extension 1 works- DropbearEvelyn AraluenPoetry
- Northanger AbbeyJane AustenProse fiction
- As I Lay DyingWilliam FaulknerProse fiction
- Life on MarsTracy K. SmithPoetry
- Consider the LobsterDavid Foster WallaceNonfiction
- MementoChristopher NolanFilm
Elective 4: Natural worlds (6)
How Extension 1 works- Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Complete PoemsSamuel Taylor ColeridgePoetry
- IslandAlistair MacLeodProse fiction (short stories)
- New and Selected Poems, Volume OneMary OliverPoetry
- As You Like ItWilliam ShakespeareDrama
- AutumnAli SmithProse fiction
- Sand TalkTyson YunkaportaNonfiction
Elective 5: Shakespearean worlds (6)
How Extension 1 works- The Arab Shakespeare TrilogySulayman Al BassamDrama
- Hag-SeedMargaret AtwoodProse fiction
- The Merchant of VeniceWilliam ShakespeareDrama
- 1599: A Year in the Life of William ShakespeareJames ShapiroNonfiction
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are DeadTom StoppardDrama
- The Big ShortAdam McKayFilm
HSC 2019–2026 (Year 12 in 2026)
English Advanced and English Standard
Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences (14)
How Common Module worksThe Common Module list is shared by Advanced and Standard.
- All the Light We Cannot SeeAnthony DoerrProse fiction
- VertigoAmanda LohreyProse fiction
- Nineteen Eighty-FourGeorge OrwellProse fiction
- Past the ShallowsFavel ParrettProse fiction
- Rosemary Dobson CollectedRosemary DobsonPoetry
- Selected PoemsKenneth SlessorPoetry
- Rainbow's EndJane HarrisonDrama
- The CrucibleArthur MillerDrama
- The Merchant of VeniceWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama
- The Boy Behind the CurtainTim WintonNonfiction
- I am MalalaMalala Yousafzai and Christina LambNonfiction
- Billy ElliotStephen DaldryFilm
- Go Back to Where You Came From (Series 1)Ivan O'MahoneyMedia
- Waste LandLucy WalkerMedia
English Advanced
Module A: Textual Conversations (7)
How Module A works- King Richard IIIWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama paired with Looking for RichardAl PacinoFilm
- Mrs DallowayVirginia WoolfProse fiction paired with The HoursStephen DaldryFilm
- The StrangerAlbert CamusProse fiction paired with The Meursault InvestigationKamel DaoudProse fiction
- John Donne: A Selection of His PoetryJohn DonnePoetry paired with W;tMargaret EdsonDrama
- The Complete PoemsJohn KeatsPoetry paired with Bright StarJane CampionFilm
- ArielSylvia PlathPoetry paired with Birthday LettersTed HughesPoetry
- The TempestWilliam ShakespeareShakespearean drama paired with Hag-SeedMargaret AtwoodProse fiction
Module B: Critical Study of Literature (12)
How Module B works- EmmaJane AustenProse fiction
- Great ExpectationsCharles DickensProse fiction
- An Artist of the Floating WorldKazuo IshiguroProse fiction
- TS Eliot: Selected PoemsTS EliotPoetry
- Earth HourDavid MaloufPoetry
- A Doll's HouseHenrik IbsenDrama
- Under Milk WoodDylan ThomasDrama
- The Hare with Amber EyesEdmund de WaalNonfiction
- Speak, MemoryVladimir NabokovNonfiction
- Good Night, and Good LuckGeorge ClooneyFilm
- Unfolding FlorenceGillian ArmstrongMedia
- King Henry IV, Part 1William ShakespeareShakespearean drama
English Standard
Module A: Language, Identity and Culture (11)
How Module A works- The Penguin Henry Lawson Short StoriesHenry LawsonProse fiction
- Small IslandAndrea LevyProse fiction
- Contemporary Asian Australian Poetseds. Adam Aitken, Kim Cheng Boey, Michelle CahillPoetry
- Inside My MotherAli Cobby EckermannPoetry
- Summer of the Seventeenth DollRay LawlerDrama
- PygmalionBernard ShawDrama
- Shafana and Aunt SarrinahAlana ValentineDrama
- Unpolished GemAlice PungNonfiction
- One Night the MoonRachel PerkinsFilm
- The CastleRob SitchFilm
- Reindeer in my Saami HeartJanet MerewetherMedia
Module B: Close Study of Literature (9)
How Module B works- FeedM.T. AndersonProse fiction
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeMark HaddonProse fiction
- Coast RoadRobert GrayPoetry
- My PeopleOodgeroo NoonuccalPoetry
- NamatjiraScott RankinDrama
- A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam ShakespeareDrama
- StasilandAnna FunderNonfiction
- The Truman ShowPeter WeirFilm
- Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made HistorySimon NashtMedia
English EAL/D
Module A: Texts and Human Experiences (10)
How Common Module works- Past the ShallowsFavel ParrettProse fiction
- The China CoinAllan BaillieProse fiction
- My PeopleOodgeroo NoonuccalPoetry
- The Round Earth's Imagined Cornersed. Ken WatsonPoetry
- Rainbow's EndJane HarrisonDrama
- The Motorcycle DiariesErnesto 'Che' GuevaraNonfiction
- Unpolished GemAlice PungNonfiction
- I am MalalaMalala Yousafzai and Christina LambNonfiction
- One Night the MoonRachel PerkinsFilm
- Go Back to Where You Came From (Series 1)Ivan O'MahoneyMedia
Module B: Language, Identity and Culture (8)
How Module A works- Swallow the AirTara June WinchProse fiction
- Contemporary Asian Australian Poetseds. Adam Aitken, Kim Cheng Boey, Michelle CahillPoetry
- Selected PoemsLangston HughesPoetry
- Summer of the Seventeenth DollRay LawlerDrama
- Shafana and Aunt SarrinahAlana ValentineDrama
- ToyoLily ChanNonfiction
- Ten CanoesRolf de HeerFilm
- Reindeer in my Saami HeartJanet MerewetherMedia
Module C: Close Study of Text (8)
How Module B works- Fahrenheit 451Ray BradburyProse fiction
- The NamesakeJhumpa LahiriProse fiction
- The Striped WorldEmma JonesPoetry
- AwayMichael GowDrama
- NamatjiraScott RankinDrama
- Romulus, My FatherRaimond GaitaNonfiction
- The Truman ShowPeter WeirFilm
- Waste LandLucy WalkerMedia
Notes on the list
- The Common Module list is shared by English Advanced and English Standard. English EAL/D has a separate list for each of its modules.
- English EAL/D's modules are named differently. Under the 2017 syllabus (HSC 2019–2026) EAL/D's Module A is Texts and Human Experiences, Module B is Language, Identity and Culture and Module C is Close Study of Text. This page files each list under the module it matches for Advanced and Standard, with NESA's own name.
- Module C (The Craft of Writing) has no list here. Its short prescribed texts are in NESA's prescriptions (HSC English Prescriptions 2019–2026: Modules, Electives and Texts (updated May 2024)).
- The Extension 1 lists are for HSC 2027–2030. The 2019–2026 Extension 1 electives are named in the Extension 1 guide, without their texts.
- For film and media texts, the name given is the director's.
- Texts and prescriptions can change. Before you buy books, check the list with your teacher or on NESA's site. Afterhour is independent of NESA. Spot an error? Email hello@afterhour.study.
Questions
What are the HSC English prescribed texts for 2027–2030?
The 2027–2030 list is for students who started Year 11 in 2026 (first HSC in 2027). This page has 81 entries across English Advanced, Standard, EAL/D and the Extension 1 electives. The Common Module list for Advanced and Standard is: Cold Enough for Snow (Jessica Au), An Imaginary Life (David Malouf), The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories (Henry Lawson), Selected poems of Rosemary Dobson (Rosemary Dobson), Selected Poems (Gwen Harwood), Love Poems and Death Threats (Samuel Wagan Watson), Question 7 (Richard Flanagan), Away (Michael Gow), One Night the Moon (Rachel Perkins).
Do English Advanced and English Standard share prescribed texts?
Only in the Common Module, where NESA publishes one list for both courses. Module A and Module B have separate lists for each course, and English EAL/D has its own lists for every module.
Are the 2019–2026 texts still used?
Yes, by students sitting the HSC in 2026, the last year of that list. Students who started Year 11 in 2026 study the 2027–2030 list. Some texts appear on both lists, often in a different module or course.
Which Shakespeare plays are prescribed for HSC 2027–2030?
Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Othello, King Henry IV, Part 1, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, across the courses and modules on this page.
Is there a prescribed text list for Module C?
Not on this page. For HSC 2019–2026, the syllabus says students study at least two short prescribed texts in Module C, which NESA lists in its prescriptions document. The Module C exam question doesn't name a text.