Term BreakSchool holidays and term dates across Australia

HSC dates 2026 and 2027: written exams

HSC key dates 2026 and 2027 and the NSW school calendarNESA's published key dates for the written exams; the term and week are counted from the first day for students in the NSW Department of Education term dates (eastern division)
HSC yearWritten exams startFinish no later thanResults releasedTerm and week of the first examHolidays before the exams
2026Term 4, week 1
NSW term dates 2026
Spring school holidays: Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026
2027Term 4, week 1
NSW term dates 2027
Spring school holidays: Monday 27 September to Friday 8 October 2027

HSC 2026 in the NSW school year

Weekdays in the exam periodderived
Up to 18 weekdays between the first exam and latest finish, covering 24 days overall
Term and week of the first examderived
Term 4 2026, week 1
School break before exams
Spring school holidays, from 28 September 2026 to 9 October 2026
Results release timingderived
Wednesday 16 December 2026, 5 weeks and 6 days after the latest possible exam finish
Final school day
Thursday 17 December 2026
Public holidays within exam datesderived
No public holidays during the exam period

HSC 2027 in the NSW school year

Weekdays in the exam periodderived
Up to 18 weekdays between the first exam and latest finish, covering 24 days overall
Term and week of the first examderived
Term 4 2027, week 1
School break before exams
Spring school holidays, from 27 September 2027 to 8 October 2027
Results release timingderived
Wednesday 15 December 2027, 5 weeks and 5 days after the latest possible exam finish
Final school day
Friday 17 December 2027
Public holidays within exam datesderived
No public holidays during the exam period

A derived label marks a figure calculated here from official dates; the official source does not publish the figure itself.

Full HSC key dates

For each HSC year, the tables include the full list of key dates published by the NSW Education Standards Authority, from the practical exam timetable to results day. Details are quoted directly from the authority's table.

HSC key dates 2026all rows from the official key dates table, in their original order, with details quoted from the authority
DateWhat happens
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20252026 HSC practical exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 1, 2026Last date to apply for HSC exam provisions for the 2026 HSC exams (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 20262026 HSC written exam elective surveys open. Go to Schools Online under Examination Options and Scheduling to complete the survey.
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 20262026 HSC languages oral exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 2026Personalised 2026 HSC written exam timetable released (via Students Online and Schools Online). 2026 HSC written exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 3, 2026Submissions due (via Schools Online) for:
  • work samples for English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy due
  • HSC school assessment marks
  • estimated examination marks for students doing optional exams
  • assessment grades for English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy due (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 3, 2026HSC Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20262026 HSC written exams start.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 2026Year 11 grades and Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20262027 HSC student entries open.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20262026 HSC written exams will finish no later than this date.
After last HSC written examinationTerm 4, 20262026 HSC assessment ranks released to students via Students Online for 4 weeks.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 2026Year 10 grades and Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20262026 HSC results released.
HSC key dates 2027all rows from the official key dates table, in their original order, with details quoted from the authority
DateWhat happens
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20262027 HSC practical exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 1, 2027Last date to apply for HSC exam provisions for the 2027 HSC exams (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 20272027 HSC written exam elective surveys open. Go to Schools Online under Examination Options and Scheduling to complete the survey.
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 20272027 HSC languages oral exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 2, 2027Personalised 2027 HSC written exam timetable released (via Students Online and Schools Online). 2027 HSC written exam timetable released.
Download calendar entryTerm 3, 2027Submissions due (via Schools Online) for:
  • work samples for English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy due
  • HSC school assessment marks
  • estimated examination marks for students doing optional exams
  • assessment grades for English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy due (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 3, 2027HSC Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20272027 HSC written exams start.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 2027Year 11 grades and Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20272028 HSC student entries open.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20272027 HSC written exams will finish no later than this date.
After last HSC written examinationTerm 4, 20272027 HSC assessment ranks released to students via Students Online for 4 weeks.
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 2027Year 10 grades and Life Skills outcomes to be submitted (via Schools Online).
Download calendar entryTerm 4, 20272027 HSC results released.

Check NESA's published HSC key dates for 2026 and 2027, including the start of written exams, the latest possible finish and the release of results. The page places these milestones alongside NSW government-school term dates and public holidays. It shows the term and week of the first exam, the spring school holidays beforehand, any public holidays during the exam period and the year's last school day. The interval between the latest possible exam finish and results is calculated from those published dates; nothing is estimated. Students receive their personalised written exam timetable from NESA, with the dates for their own subjects.

Reading the HSC key dates

These are NESA's published key dates for written exams. Practical, oral and performance exams have separate timetables. NESA provides each student's personalised written exam timetable, which lists the dates for their subjects. Term weeks shown here are counted from the first day for students in the NSW Department of Education's published term dates.

Related

Questions and answers

When do HSC written exams start in 2026 and 2027?

2026 HSC written exams start on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and finish no later than Thursday 5 November 2026; 2027 HSC written exams start on Wednesday 13 October 2027 and finish no later than Friday 5 November 2027. The table shows the term and week in which written exams begin. Each student's first exam depends on their subjects; the personalised NESA timetable lists their exam dates.

When are HSC results released in 2026 and 2027?

2026 HSC results: Wednesday 16 December 2026; 2027 HSC results: Wednesday 15 December 2027. The results entry also shows the time between the latest possible written exam day and the published release date. Your own exams may finish before that final day.

Are HSC written exams during term or school holidays?

In 2026, written exams take place during Term 4, starting on Tuesday 13 October 2026 (week 1) and finishing no later than Thursday 5 November 2026; the term ends on Thursday 17 December 2026. In 2027, written exams take place during Term 4, starting on Wednesday 13 October 2027 (week 1) and finishing no later than Friday 5 November 2027; the term ends on Friday 17 December 2027. The table names the term and week when written exams begin and shows the school holiday break before them. Read those entries alongside the exam period to see how it fits the NSW calendar.

Sources

Dates on this page were last checked against the official pages on . If any dates differ, follow the official page.