HSC Industrial Technology: complete 2026 guide to the Major Project, Industry Study and focus areas

Note: confirm the exact focus areas, components and folio requirements for your school against the current NESA Industrial Technology Stage 6 syllabus, as practical and multimedia projects carry different format rules.

HSC Industrial Technology is a practical, project-driven course. Students choose a focus area, study a real industry within it, and design, manage and build a Major Project supported by a management folio. The course rewards students who can combine design thinking, hands-on construction skill and disciplined project management, and who can write about their industry knowledge in the examination.

This page is the index. Below: the focus areas, the two course components, the Major Project and folio, assessment, and links to every focused dot point guide we have for HSC Industrial Technology in 2026.

Focus areas

Students study one focus area across the Preliminary and HSC courses. Common focus areas include:

• Timber Products and Furniture Technologies. Solid timber, manufactured boards, veneers, joinery, machining and finishing, with furniture and cabinetry projects.
• Metal and Engineering. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, fabrication, machining, welding and fastening, with engineered and fabricated projects.
• Graphics Technologies. Technical drawing, presentation graphics and design communication.
• Multimedia Technologies. Digital design, animation, video and interactive media, where the folio may include multimedia material within set time limits.

Other approved focus areas are offered at some schools. The common knowledge of management, safety, materials, design, quality and trends covered in this guide applies across all of them.

The two course components

Industry Study. Students investigate a real industry and a specific business in their focus area, covering organisation and management, work health and safety, materials and processes, design, quality and environmental practice, and current trends. It is grounded in primary research and examined in the written paper.

Major Project. Students identify a need and design, manage and construct a project with a management folio. This is the practical core of the course and a major part of the assessment.

The Major Project and management folio

The Major Project moves through design, management and production:

• Design and development. Identify and justify a need, research, generate and evaluate ideas, set functional and aesthetic requirements, and select materials and processes, confirmed by a feasibility assessment.
• Management. Plan with a time and action plan or Gantt chart, cost and budget, order and manage resources, monitor progress, and manage risk and safety.
• Production. Mark out accurately, fabricate and assemble to a high standard, control quality throughout, and finish appropriately for the materials and use.
• The folio. Document the whole process, from need to evaluation, in a clear, well-structured management folio that is marked alongside the project.

Assessment

Industrial Technology is assessed through the practical Major Project and folio and a written HSC examination. The project and folio carry substantial weight and are marked together against NESA marking guidelines for design, management, construction and communication. The written paper draws on the Industry Study and the knowledge underpinning the project. Students must perform in both the practical and written components.

Syllabus, dot point by dot point

Our focused dot point guides for HSC Industrial Technology in 2026.

Industry Study (common knowledge)

• Organisation and management of a focus area industry
• Work health and safety in a focus area industry
• Materials, tools and processes in a focus area industry
• Quality and environmental impact in a focus area industry
• Design and current trends in a focus area industry

The Major Project and management folio

• Designing and developing the Major Project
• Managing the Major Project
• The management folio
• Production, quality and finishing of the Major Project

Focus area: Timber Products and Furniture Technologies

• Timber characteristics, structure and identification
• Timber conversion, recovery and seasoning
• Manufactured boards and veneers
• Adhesives and fastenings for timber
• Hand tools and portable power tools
• Fixed machines and CNC in furniture production
• Joinery and construction techniques
• Surface preparation and finishing
• The timber and furniture industry

Focus area: Metal and Engineering

• Ferrous metals and their properties
• Non-ferrous metals and alloys
• Heat treatment of metals
• Casting and moulding processes
• Marking out, cutting and machining
• Welding and joining processes
• Sheet metal and fabrication
• Metal finishing and corrosion protection
• The metal and engineering industry

Focus area: Graphics Technologies

• Orthogonal drawing and Australian Standards
• Pictorial drawing techniques
• Computer-aided design (CAD)
• Rendering and presentation techniques
• Architectural drawing and modelling
• Engineering and technical illustration
• Reprographics, printing and output
• The graphics industry

Focus area: Multimedia Technologies

• Design and the multimedia development process
• Digital imaging and graphics
• Audio production for multimedia
• Video production and editing
• Animation
• Web and interactive media authoring
• Hardware, software and file management
• The multimedia industry

Browse the full set at /hsc/industrial-technology/syllabus.

Study strategy

Industrial Technology rewards students who treat the practical and written sides as one connected course:

1. Build the folio as you go. A living time and action plan, dated production photos and running costings produce a far stronger folio than one assembled at the end.
2. Match scope to feasibility. A well-finished, completed project scores better than an over-ambitious one that runs out of time.
3. Ground the Industry Study in a real business. A site visit or interview gives the specific detail that lifts written answers above generic definitions.
4. Schedule finishing properly. The surface is the most visible part of the practical mark, so never leave finishing to the final rushed days.

System context

HSC Industrial Technology sits inside the wider HSC system. Related explainers:

• How the HSC ATAR is calculated
• How HSC subjects are scaled

For the official syllabus

NESA publishes the full Industrial Technology Stage 6 syllabus, marking guidelines and past papers at educationstandards.nsw.edu.au. Confirm the current focus area and folio requirements there, as practical and multimedia projects follow different format rules.