Menu
Education
Global Search

HSIE K–12

Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) – information for school leaders

Learn about the Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) – what has changed and where to get further support.

The Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) replaces content in the Economics Stage 6 Syllabus (2009). Planning and preparation will commence from 2026 with implementation in 2027.

The syllabus provides students with opportunities to develop critical economic literacy through the learning of foundational economic theory. It includes opportunities to apply theoretical understanding to the major economic issues confronting Australians in the context of a dynamic global environment. The Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) builds on the foundational learning developed from the content in the Commerce 7–10 Syllabus (2024).

The NESA Statement of Equity Principles underpin the Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025), ensuring inclusivity of every student, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, students with disability, students learning English as an additional language or dialect, and high potential and gifted students.

What you need to know

  • The Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) will be taught in all NSW high schools from 2027
    • 2026 – engage, plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
    • 2027 – implementation commences in schools for Year 11 (Continue teaching Economics Stage 6 Syllabus (2009) to Year 12)
    • 2027 Term 4 – implementation commences for Year 12
    • 2028 – first HSC examination will be held.
  • The Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) is a live document available via NESA’s digital platform. NESA will continue to add teaching advice and support materials throughout the implementation process.
  • Focus areas are similar but there are important changes to outcomes and content, particularly in Year 12 focus areas.
  • Students with intellectual disability may access the Business and Economics Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (due for release in 2026). Planning and decisions about curriculum options for these students should be made through the Collaborative curriculum planning process. Suitability of Life Skills pattern of study for students is to be considered.
  • The NSW Department of Education will be providing support materials to schools to assist and guide the implementation process.

The Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) includes:

  • a reorganised and streamlined structure, a design that builds on familiar syllabus features and a more logical and sequenced progression of learning
  • clarification of complex conceptual relationships between different parts of the course
  • clearer identification of the essential knowledge, skills, and understandings students will develop through the course
  • strengthened representation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander perspectives to deepen understanding and appreciation of their cultural relevance and richness
  • a reduction in the number of outcomes from 12 to 10 across Years 11 and 12
  • refined outcomes that demonstrate an increased progression of complexity of instructional verbs from Year 11 and Year 12
  • an overarching emphasis on microeconomic study and the foundation principles and models of the discipline in the Year 11 course with six focus areas, including four that reflect the circular flow of income
  • a Household and business sector focus area that includes content from the Consumers and Business topic and Labour Markets topic from the 2009 syllabus
  • a Year 12 course with an overarching macroeconomic focus, building on the knowledge of economic principles developed in the Year 11 course
  • a reduction in Year 12 focus areas from 4 to 3
  • integration of aspects of HSC Topic One – The Global Economy and Topic Two – Australia’s Place in the Global Economy from the 2009 syllabus into the Australia and the global economy focus area
  • removal of the requirement for a case study on the influence of globalisation on a non-Australian economy in Year 12
  • removal of the external stability topic from the Year 12 economic issues in the Australian economy focus area
  • increased opportunity for in-depth study of remaining Year 12 content due to this removal.
Organisational diagram of Economics 11 12. There are 9 rectangular boxes labelled with text to represent 6 focus areas for Year 11 and 3 focus areas for Year 12. The focus areas for Year 11 are Introduction to economics Markets Household and business sector Financial sector Government sector and International sector. The focus areas for Year 12 are Economic issues in the Australian economy Economic management of the Australian economy and Australia and the global economy. A line wraps around all the boxes with text stating that the Year 11 course has a Microeconomic focus and the Year 12 course has a Macroeconomic focus. Organisational diagram of Economics 11 12. There are 9 rectangular boxes labelled with text to represent 6 focus areas for Year 11 and 3 focus areas for Year 12. The focus areas for Year 11 are Introduction to economics Markets Household and business sector Financial sector Government sector and International sector. The focus areas for Year 12 are Economic issues in the Australian economy Economic management of the Australian economy and Australia and the global economy. A line wraps around all the boxes with text stating that the Year 11 course has a Microeconomic focus and the Year 12 course has a Macroeconomic focus.
Image: Figure 1: The organisation of Economics 11–12

The organisation of Economics 11–12 Syllabus image is from the Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) @ NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.

Prior to implementing the Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025), leaders will need to consider the following:

  • Complexities for staff required to teach Economics 11–12 across two syllabuses during the staggered implementation, with key differences in structure, language and pedagogy impacting planning, teaching and assessment.
  • Supporting staff implementing multiple new HSIE syllabuses from 2027, including the mandatory History 7–10 Syllabus (2024) and the Geography 7–10 Syllabus (2024).
  • Supporting teachers’ knowledge and understanding of appropriate protocols for collaborating with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Communities and engaging with Cultural works.
  • Planning, resource and budget implications, such as
    • providing time for staff to engage with syllabus and develop their skills and understanding to plan and effectively implement the syllabus from 2027
    • supporting staff to engage with subject-specific teacher support networks
    • determining what resources are currently available to address the new framework
    • accessing resources which enable all students to access the curriculum, including accessing and composing multimodal and digital texts, such as audio books, screen readers, and mini whiteboards with whiteboard markers for each student
    • acquiring texts for teacher professional learning and texts to support student engagement in wide reading.
  • Collaboration with staff and learning support teams to ensure appropriate curriculum planning
  • Exploring ways to adopt and adapt the sample materials provided by the department and curriculum materials developed in school to deliver the course in an engaging way that is appropriate for your school context.

The syllabus for Economics 11–12 (2025) is based on evidence summarised in the bibliography published by NESA. The ebvidence base highlights that:

  • curriculum has become overcrowded and conceptually fragmented
  • the need for a clearer prioritisation of core economic ideas
  • economics learning depends on building strong, explicit disciplinary knowledge
  • guided instruction is more effective than unguided discovery for novice learners
  • certain economic ideas function as threshold concepts that require deliberate teaching
  • curriculum relevance and real-world application matter and must rest on solid foundations
  • equity, access and participation are central challenges for economics education.

Economics 11–12 Syllabus (2025) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, (2025).

  • To what extent do staff understand the syllabus and the evidence underpinning the new syllabus? How has this been fostered and understanding evaluated?
  • How will the new syllabus affect classroom practice? What is in place to support and evaluate the impact of these changes in practice to maximise support for teachers and the impact on student outcomes?
  • What school practices and systems are in place to support teacher professional learning?
  • Do staff have the skills and understanding to collaboratively undertake syllabus implementation? What explicit systems are in place to foster collaboration?
  • What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?

Further support

Syllabus information for school leaders

An overview of the pedagogical changes and whole school considerations to support school leaders’ understanding of what has changed for each new syllabus.

Leading curriculum K–12

Advice and resources supporting leaders to facilitate effective curriculum implementation in schools.

Category:

  • Teaching and learning

Business Unit:

  • Curriculum
Return to top of page Back to top