New HSC Mathematics Extension 1: what’s changed?

Previously, we covered the changes to the HSC Mathematics Advanced course. This article should help you work out what the new syllabus means for your extension-focused study.

Starting from 2020, the state moves into the first HSC of the new syllabus for advanced and extension maths after using the old syllabus for more than 20 years. As you are the very first group of students to experience the new syllabus HSC, there is limited practice material that specifically targets the new syllabus. This blog will delineate all of the syllabus changes to help you select appropriate practice questions from past papers as you prepare for the new exam.

WHAT’S OUT?

• Circle geometry
• Angles between two lines
• Internal and external divisions of lines
• Approximating roots

WHAT’S IN?

• Extension of previous syllabus
  • Graphing advanced functions and parametrics
  • Pigeonhole principle (perms and combs)
• Brand new content
  • Binomial distribution
  • Differential equations
  • Vectors

Similar to Advanced Maths, the geometry component of the Ext 1 course has been removed – including circle geometry (which is known to cause many student headaches).

Some of the new content is just an extension of the previous syllabus, but there are also several brand new topics. These topics help to extend the foundations of Calculus, Algebra, and Statistics covered in Advanced Maths.

The changes in the Ext 1 Maths course mean that students won’t be able to get by with simple rote-learning and memorisation – higher-level logical reasoning and justification is required to achieve strong results.

While students are given a more extensive reference sheet in the exam than they were under the previous syllabus, it won’t be able to help you think clearly and apply formulas in a correct and precise manner. That’s the key discriminator between those students who achieve top marks and those who fall behind.

Hope this can help you in your learning!

Get in touch if you’re looking for tailored support for Maths – we’ve got a range of resources that are specially designed for the new syllabus, so that you don’t have to dig around yourself.