English life skills
Resources to help you plan, program and assess the Stage 6 English life skills course.
The department is supporting teachers to engage with and enact the new senior English syllabuses developed by NESA as part of the NSW Curriculum Reform.
This page includes support resources for teachers and leaders planning for engagement and 2026 enactment of the new English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024). This syllabus will be taught to Year 11 from Term 1, 2026. Further resources are currently in development and will be released progressively through 2025 and 2026.
English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024)
The new English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2026, with planning beginning in 2025. The syllabus will be taught to Year 11 from Term 1, 2026. Schools are to begin teaching year 12 in Term 4, 2026.
Planning templates and sample documents
These documents identify key requirements for planning and enacting the English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) and text considerations.
Planning templates
These templates can be used to support teachers in their planning, programming and formative assessment practices.
- Syllabus requirements planner template – English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.2 MB)
- Scope and sequence template – English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.1 MB)
- Formative assessment schedule template – English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.1 MB)
Sample documents
These sample documents demonstrate how to use the planning templates. They can be adapted for planning and programming in a specific school context.
- Sample syllabus requirements planner – English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.2 MB)
- Sample scope and sequence –English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.3 MB)
- Sample formative assessment schedule – English life skills Year 11–12 (DOCX 3.1 MB)
Sample programs and resources
Sample programs and resources for the English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) are currently in development.
The first sample program is ‘Connection to place’ – 11.1, linked to the focus areas 'Understanding and responding to texts' and 'Expressing ideas and composing texts'. All samples will include a teaching and learning program, resources, sample formative assessment and annotated student work samples.
English Life Skills Stage 6 Syllabus (2017)
The English Life Skills Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) is to be taught until implementation of the new English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2024) from 2026.
This 2025 English Life Skills Stage 6 Quick Reference Guide (94.2 KB) provides an overview of support available to implement the English Life Skills Stage 6 Syllabus (2017).