The high-scaling HSC subjects students are abandoning – and the ones they are flocking to

The number of HSC students taking extension English courses has plummeted in the past two decades, with more pupils now studying the hardest maths course than English at any extension level.

Teachers say the decline is being driven by multiple factors, including a decades-long push towards STEM subjects, concerns about subjectivity in marking essays, and teenagers reading less.

A snapshot of HSC figures shows 3723 students are taking extension 1 English this year, down from 6286 enrolled in the course two decades ago. Enrolments in the English extension 2 course, which involves a major work, tumbled over the same time from 2609 to 1426.

A record number of school-leavers are taking biology and business studies, with both courses eclipsing 20,000 students for the first time. About 5700 students are studying economics – down 40 per cent since the mid-1990s – but stagnant over the decade.

Enrolments in personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) have surged to a high of 18,069, while chemistry and physics numbers are up slightly after slumping to historic lows in recent years.

There are 3862 students taking the toughest extension 2 mathematics course, and almost 9500 enrolled in maths extension 1.

Robin Nagy, an educational consultant who examines data for private schools, said the enrolment drop in the hardest English courses may be due to “subjectivity in marking major creative works”, an issue the education regulator is trying to address by adding an exam component to the extension 2 course.

“Extension subjects are mostly one unit and require huge dedication from students. But they can have a major boosting effect on a student’s ATAR and the two-unit course associated with it,” he said.

At Sydney Girls High, enrolments in higher-level English courses have remained steady despite the broader downward trend. The selective school has more than 100 students taking English extension 1 this year.

“We traditionally have a large cohort, although this year we’ve had a slight dip in extension 2,” said Michael Cinquetti, relieving head of English at the school.

Students at the school gravitate to the English courses, he said, for the ability to “voice their opinions and express themselves, both analytically and creatively.” This year, students in extension 1 are studying Hamlet, Emily Dickinson’s poetry and the film Lost in Translation.

Cinquetti says the long-term drop in students opting for the hardest English courses has come with greater focus on STEM subjects, with a view to job readiness.

“When it comes to young women in STEM it is no longer viewed as a male domain, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “But with the skyrocketing costs of arts degrees there could be a trepidation about studying humanities subjects at school. It means students could make overly pragmatic decisions at the expense of their learning. I think we need to bring back focus on what learning is … it’s not monochromatic or two-dimensional.”

One English teacher from a public regional school said it was not uncommon to have no students taking English extension classes. He also said a drop in children reading quality literature and shorter attention spans means “students are less likely to sit down to read – and finish – weighty novels.”

There are 84,000 pupils taking one or more courses for this year’s HSC, for which students sit the first English exam on Thursday.

Cinquetti said students who pick the subjects they are strongest in and the courses they enjoy often get higher results, and that confidence in a subject breeds success.

Newington College English teacher and deputy head of academics, Amy Van Arkkels, said when she started at the boys’ private school in 2022, less than 10 per cent of the HSC cohort were enrolled in English extension 1. This year, that has risen to 50 per cent.

“We’ve talked to the students about the benefits of studying English for an additional two hours per week; it helps not only with their advanced English course, but also across all of their subjects,” she said. “We see huge value add for our students who traditionally may have been achieving a B or even a C in English.”

Last year, the NSW Education Standards Authority announced that exams for the extension English courses would take place online from 2027. The English standard and advanced courses will remain pen and paper.

“We want to be clear that handwriting is still a vital skill, while continuing to modernise the HSC exam experience for students,” NESA head Paul Martin said.

Other major changes for the extension 1 course include a shift away from postmodernist literary theory to focus on the contents of the texts. Extension 2 students, who need to complete a 6000-word major work, will have that cut back in scale, and it will include an online exam.

A NESA spokesperson said students are encouraged to choose HSC subjects that they are interested in and passionate about and that align with post-school goals.

“There is strong evidence to suggest that passion, interest and ability drives engagement and positive academic outcomes for students in the courses they choose to study,” the spokesperson said.

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