Frequently asked questions about limits to take-home assessments

For Preliminary and HSC courses, schools can only include one take-home assessment task for each course. 

The task must be worth no more than 15% of a student’s school-based assessment.

Some courses are exempt. See 'Are any courses exempt?' below.

Yes. The following courses are exempt from the limit on take-home assessment tasks:

Preliminary courses

• Aboriginal Studies
• Society and Culture
• Design and Technology
• Industrial Technology
• Textiles and Design
• Visual Arts
• Dance
• Drama
• Music 1
• Music 2

HSC courses

• English Extension 2
• Science Extension
• Aboriginal Studies
• History Extension
• Society and Culture
• Design and Technology
• Industrial Technology
• Textiles and Design
• Visual Arts
• Dance
• Drama
• Music 1
• Music 2
• Music Extension

The limit applies to all other Preliminary and HSC courses. See ACE Rule 2.1 for more information.

Yes. The ACE Rules, along with assessment and reporting requirements in each syllabus, have now been updated. See ACE Rule 2.1.

For HSC courses, the limit to take-home assessments starts from Term 4, 2026. 

For Preliminary courses, the limit starts from Term 1, 2027.

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car asked NESA to examine measures to protect student learning and maintain the integrity of the HSC, in response to the growth of generative artificial intelligence in schools.  

This included considering whether a moratorium on take-home assessments would be an appropriate response.

NESA’s recommendation was to limit schools to one take-home assessment worth no more than 15%. It is just one immediate step we are asking schools to take to further safeguard assessing student learning.

This change is about ensuring HSC marks reflect a student’s own thinking and knowledge and protecting the integrity of the HSC.

Schools need to review their 2027 HSC and Preliminary assessment schedules, to ensure there is no more than one take-home assessment task worth a maximum weighting of 15% for each course. 

If already published or provided to students, schools should communicate any changes to their formal assessment schedules as early as possible, once their revised assessment program has been confirmed.

There are no changes to the mandatory components and their weighting.

Assessment guidance will suggest weightings that align with the new rules.

We understand the immediate workload pressures associated with implementing a change like this and appreciate the work you are now doing to implement it. 

Before the end of this term, we will release updated assessment materials for each syllabus.

NESA and the school sectors will also provide additional resources to support teachers as schools continue to navigate the use of AI.

If you have any questions or need specific support from our curriculum or assessment teams, please reach out to either curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au or qc@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Take-home assessments are tasks completed outside a classroom, formal examination setting or teacher-approved monitoring conditions.

Teacher monitored conditions may include, but are not limited to, observation, conferencing or other arrangements determined by the teacher to monitor student learning and support the authentication of student work.

Class activities conducted outside the physical school environment but under the direct supervision of a teacher, such as teacher-accompanied fieldwork, count as ‘in-school’ for school-based assessment purposes.

The 15% cap enables schools to lessen the risks posed by AI while still providing students a variety of assessment opportunities to show what they know and what they can do.

Teachers must still certify that any marks awarded reflect what the student knows and can do, not using AI.

No, the restriction is one take-home assessment task worth no more than 15%.

Take-home task

Teachers must ensure only one assessment task worth a maximum of 15% is a take-home assessment. 

One component of learning in the course does not need to be a single assessment task.

Two separate assessment tasks can assess different elements of a course component.

There is still freedom for schools and students to conduct independent work outside of school. 

For example, collecting data and preparing material outside of class may form one take-home assessment task. Delivering a presentation in class could form a second assessment task, assessing different aspects of students' knowledge and skills.  Each task may assess more than one course component.

Other tasks with multiple parts

To give schools greater clarity, we have removed a now outdated rule from the ACE manual.

The rule prevented schools from setting assessment tasks with multiple parts, due on different days.

The rule is no longer relevant because schools have flexibility to set the number, type and weighting of assessments.

Schools must design formal assessment tasks to ensure marks are reflective of a student's own knowledge, skills and understanding, and not the use of generative artificial intelligence.

Schools will continue with good assessment practice by using a variety of assessment methods including presentations and process tasks, that provide students with the opportunity to show what they know and what they can do. 

No, the change to take-home assessments does not mean all assessments will need to be in exam-format. 

Schools should continue to include a diverse range of tasks which may include oral tasks, presentations or documenting process.

This change applies to Preliminary and HSC assessments only. Schools can continue to make decisions about homework that suits their needs.

The change is designed to protect the integrity of school-based assessment and ensure Preliminary and HSC marks reflect what students know, understand and can do. 

It does not mean all assessments need to be conducted in exam-format. Schools will continue to offer students a variety of assessment types that provide students with the opportunity to show what they know and can do.