As more than 60,000 students sat down for the first HSC exams of 2026, English Paper 1, many were braced for the ultimate curveball: an essay question based on an extract from the student’s prescribed text.
asserted
many → sit → text
“We were all expecting a trick … they were freaking out a little bit,” said Yvonne Spiers, an English teacher at Strathfield Girls High School.
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Spiers → expect → School
She, too, had a bad case of pre-exam jitters, admitting she did not sleep the night before.
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she → have → jitters
Instead, Spiers said students across the state received a “gift” in the form of an easily adaptable question that could be moulded to prepared essays.
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that → say → essays
“It was a really good exam,” Spiers said.
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Spiers → say → ?
I think our girls will do it really well.”
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girls → think → it
The relief began in section one, where students were asked to answer short questions based on unseen text.
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students → begin → text
In the first question, students were provided an extract from Lang Leav’s collection of poetry and micro-essays Soon It Will Be Sunday, a work discussing a storm battering a manuka tree.
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It → provide → tree
Students were asked how Leav invites readers to consider the human quality of resilience.
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Leav → ask → resilience
Serina Surti, a student at Strathfield Girls High, thought the question was fitting: “I thought it was very right for this exam.
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it → think → exam
It’s the very beginning [of the HSC] but I am going to get through all of this.
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I → ’ → this
I could draw on my own feelings and experiences to answer the question.”
In another question based on an unseen text, students were asked to compare attitudes towards success.
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students → draw → success
Stephani Chow, 17, said she wrote about how success is not defined by titles or accumulations of objects.
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success → say → objects
“It’s defined by your character and how you end up feeling after being successful,” she said.
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she → define → character
In section two of the exam – a 20-mark essay – students were asked how the author of their prescribed text “offered opportunities to examine assumptions about human strength and vulnerability”.
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author → ask → strength
Her students having studied Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Spiers said they were primed for success.
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they → study → success
“The good answer will be that basically The Crucible explores the complexity between the two – there is no such thing as showing strength without having shown vulnerability first.”
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Crucible → explore → vulnerability
Spiers said the question was “definitely easier than the short text but even the short text was accessible.
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text → say → text
I think they will be OK.”
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they → think → ?
For Surti, the question was easily adaptable to her prepared essay.
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question → prepare → essay
“I liked looking at the essay question and going, ‘You know what? I can do that.
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I → look → that
Let’s go’.”
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’s → let → ?
She said most of the questions related to “pretty standard human experiences”.
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most → say → experiences
Laila Graham, 18, agreed.
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Graham → agree → ?
It’s just new text, new questions.
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It → ’ → ?
You’re just applying the techniques, your pre-memorised quotes, and you just go,” she said.
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she → apply → techniques
The NSW Education Standards Authority said there was only one significant disruption to exams in the state.
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Authority → say → state
Rosebank College in Five Dock was evacuated about a minute into the exam.
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College → evacuate → exam
Students left the exam room for about 20 minutes before returning.
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Students → leave → minutes
They received the full time to finish their exam and have the option to apply for illness or misadventure.
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They → receive → illness
HSC exams will continue until November 5.
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exams → continue → November
The Aporia
