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nesa marking facts
What NESA marks in the HSC Textiles and Design Major Textiles Project, how much each part is worth, and the rules every submission must meet. This file records facts only. Anything NESA does not require is listed as such in section 9, and the way this repo goes beyond NESA is in folio-marking-notes.md.
Sources were checked on 22 September 2026 and are listed in section 10. The Textiles and Design Stage 6 syllabus (2013) is the syllabus NESA lists for the course, with no replacement or last-examination notice on its page, so these facts apply to students sitting the HSC in 2026 and 2027. Anyone using this file after that should re-check the syllabus page before relying on it.
The Major Textiles Project is worth 50 marks: 25 for the textile item or items and 25 for the supporting documentation, which this repo calls the folio. The folio marks split across four sections, and this is also the order in which the sections must be presented.
| Order | Section | Marks | A3 pages | A4 pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Design Inspiration | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Visual Design Development | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Manufacturing Specification | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Investigation, Experimentation and Evaluation | 10 | 4 | 8 |
- Maximum 12 A3 pages or 24 A4 pages, printed on one side only. One page means one side.
- A3 or A4 for the whole folio, never a mix.
- Markers do not mark pages beyond the limit for a section. Anything past a limit is invisible to the mark.
- Title and contents pages are not required. If included, they count toward the page limit.
Investigation, Experimentation and Evaluation is worth as much as any two other sections.
- Text in a clear, easily read font equivalent in size to 12 point Times New Roman. This applies to captions, tables, and labels inside drawings, not only body text.
- Font style and colour clear, legible, and distinct from the background.
- The student is identified by NESA student number only. No student name anywhere.
- Nothing that must be unfolded, flipped, opened, or unwrapped. Markers cannot manipulate inserts.
- Samples and swatches mounted flat and labelled.
- The work must be the student's own. All external assistance and source material is acknowledged on the Major Textiles Project Cover Sheet and, where the guidance says so, in the folio itself.
NESA does not mark the folio in performance bands. Each section has mark ranges, each with a descriptor written as dot points. The marker picks the range whose descriptor the evidence on the page matches, then a mark inside it. There is no tariff such as "minus one for a missing caption". The mark is an on-balance judgement of the whole section against its descriptor.
Every range below the top of a section carries the sentence "Candidates may achieve these marks as indicated above OR by satisfying a combination of the criteria for other mark ranges". That sentence is how a section that meets most of one range and one dot point of a lower range is placed.
The ranges below are quoted from NESA's HSC Textiles and Design Marking Guidelines, Major Textiles Project, the 2024 edition linked from the syllabus page in September 2026. Do not copy the PDF into the repo. If the link moves, the supervising teacher has the current copy.
| Range | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | Clear communication: explains the relationship of the design inspiration to the nominated focus area; justifies particular creative and/or innovative design ideas or techniques developed from the design inspiration; critically analyses and explains the relationship of the design inspiration to the historical/cultural or contemporary factors that have contributed to the design and manufacture of the item(s); supports written information through communication techniques such as collages of pictures, samples from various sources or graphical communication techniques, presented in a contemporary manner |
| 2 to 3 | Limited communication: relates some design ideas to the focus area; lists some design ideas or techniques; lists a few historical/cultural or contemporary factors; includes some pictures, samples or sketches |
| 1 | Minimal communication: identifies the focus area; briefly mentions the intention of the item(s) |
| Range | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | Clear communication: includes appropriately labelled high quality sketches/drawings that clearly indicate the link between inspiration and design; explains the inspiration, development and evaluation of design ideas; critically analyses the functional and aesthetic aspects of the design, considering strengths and weaknesses, with reference to the elements and principles of design; provides evidence of creativity throughout concept development; presents the development of ideas and concepts in a logical and sequential way |
| 2 to 3 | Limited communication: labelled medium quality sketches/drawings that show some relationship between inspiration and design; describes the inspiration, development and evaluation; describes the functional and aesthetic aspects; presents some development |
| 1 | Minimal communication: poor sketches/drawings without labelling that show no evidence of the link; lists one or two functional or aesthetic aspects |
The assessment criteria say the sketches are presented as either graphic or free, not to an industry standard, rendered to suggest the fabric, with front and back views, and labelled either on the feature or as notes around the sketch. Digital drawing and monochrome rendering are not faults.
| Range | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | Detailed communication: describes item(s) accurately and in detail; produces drawings that clearly reflect the textile item(s) and which are of professional standard; includes all the required details in the technical production plan; includes a product label that contains all the required aspects appropriate to the selected focus area |
| 2 to 3 | Limited communication: describes item(s) briefly or incompletely; produces drawings of an elementary standard; includes some relevant details in the technical production plan; a product label which may not contain all the required aspects OR contains aspects not appropriate to the focus area |
| 1 | Minimal communication: describes item(s) in a basic way OR lists pattern company and number; produces drawings of limited standard |
NESA names four subheadings for this section and the content of each:
| Subheading | Required content |
|---|---|
| Description | A written description of the item(s) and the pattern details, including whether patterns are commercial or drafted, and every modification made |
| Production drawings | Front and back views of the item(s) with the grain line; pattern shapes with all pattern markings |
| Technical production plans | Fabric swatches; quantity of material; notions; itemised cost and total cost; order of construction |
| Product label | Care instructions, fibre content, size, country of manufacture, and brand name |
"Professional standard" is defined in the criteria: production drawings completed in proportion and, where appropriate for the item, to scale; fully dimensioned (seam size, cuff size, border dimensions, yoke size, number of seams, hanging dimensions); in the most appropriate views; not rendered, because the section is about how the item is reproduced by a manufacturer. The scale of pattern pieces is the student's decision. Commercial labels cannot be used; the student designs and produces the label. Externally sourced pattern making is allowed but must be acknowledged in the supporting documentation.
| Range | Descriptor |
|---|---|
| 9 to 10 | Experiments with materials, equipment and manufacturing processes applicable to the item and modifies design and/or construction as a result of the experimentation; provides thorough details of materials, equipment and manufacturing processes used and justifies their use on the basis of comprehensive investigations; evaluates the properties and performance of the fabric, yarn and fibres used in relation to the end-purpose |
| 7 to 8 | Experiments and modifies design or construction; provides details and justifies their use on the basis of sound investigations; evaluates the properties and performance, though not clearly in relation to the end-purpose |
| 5 to 6 | Carries out some experimentation without indicating how the results have been used in design or construction; justifies use based on limited investigation; describes the properties and/or performance |
| 3 to 4 | Minimal evidence of experimentation or investigation; basic details; briefly describes some properties and performance |
| 1 to 2 | No evidence of experimentation or investigation; lists materials, equipment and manufacturing processes; lists the properties |
The criteria open with "Experiments extensively with materials, equipment and manufacturing processes applicable to the item(s). As a result of experimentation modifies design and/or construction." The words that separate 9 to 10 from 7 to 8 are "comprehensive" against "sound", and "in relation to the end-purpose" against "not clearly in relation to". Experiments must relate to the Major Textiles Project itself, not to earlier coursework. There is no fixed number of experiments in the guidelines.
The item's 25 marks sit in ranges of 21 to 25, 16 to 20, 11 to 15, 6 to 10, and 1 to 5, judged on:
- appropriateness of the design, aesthetic and functional, for the focus area and end use
- level of creativity and/or innovation resulting from the relationship to the decision-making process in the folio
- degree of difficulty of the item
- proficiency and quality of manufacture
- evidence of management of the project to completion
The folio is the evidence that makes the item's difficulty and decision making visible to a marker who was not in the room. The technical description in the folio must match the item exactly.
- The Major Textiles Project Cover Sheet is completed and placed at the front of the folio. It records any outsourcing or external assistance, for example pattern making, digital fabric printing, pleating, or professional machine quilting.
- The student certifies that the work is their own original work and that all sources are acknowledged.
- Folio and item are submitted together in one package: maximum volume 0.2 cubic metres, no side longer than 1.2 m, lightweight material. Items are not framed under glass or rigid plastic. The box is not taped or wrapped, because tags and NESA paperwork are packed in class.
NESA's rules for HSC submitted works say all work presented for assessment must be the student's own. Students must acknowledge all source material, including AI output, and unapproved AI use is a breach of academic integrity handled under the malpractice rules. NESA's All My Own Work program has covered ethical AI use since Term 3 2024.
For a major project this means:
- AI may help a student check their work against the published criteria. The marks still reflect the student's own knowledge and capability.
- Prose, drawings, samples, experiment results, and photographs presented as evidence must be the student's own work. Acknowledging that an AI produced them does not turn them into evidence of the student's capability.
- Any AI assistance that shaped the submission is acknowledged the way NESA and the school require.
From Term 4 2026 schools may set no more than one take-home assessment task per course, weighted at most 15 per cent. This limits school-based assessment and does not change the Major Textiles Project rules above.
The 2025 exam pack's practical feedback stresses labelled design sketches, accurate production drawings, actual experiment samples, equipment trials relevant to the item, and accurate care labels at the required text size. Decoration is expected to be attached by textile techniques, not glue or paint. Final assembly commonly takes more than two days.
Care instructions on the product label must agree with the fibre evaluation in the folio. Australian care labelling for clothing and textiles is a mandatory standard administered by the ACCC; the label fields NESA requires are listed in section 3.
Earlier versions of the repo's checklist stated local habits as rules. They are not in the published criteria. The repo may keep them as local standards, and folio-marking-notes.md says which ones it keeps, but a review must not mark a folio down for missing them.
| Not a NESA rule | What the criteria actually say |
|---|---|
| Two experiments per area | "Experiments extensively" across materials, equipment, and manufacturing processes. No count. |
| Hand-drawn development sketches only | Graphic or free illustration is allowed. Digital drawing is not a defect. |
| Every feature carries an A or F code | The assessed skill is analysis of functional and aesthetic aspects. |
| Every conclusion starts with a set phrase | No sentence formula is prescribed. |
| Aim, Method, Results, Conclusion headings | Helpful organisation, not a marking formula. |
| Coloured sketches | Rendering must suggest the fabric. Monochrome can do that. |
| A ban on borders and ornamental headings | The rule is legibility and contrast, judged on the page. |
| Every sample about 5 x 5 cm | A sensible swatch size. Not imposed on experiment samples. |
| A finished-item photograph as a free extra page | Every page counts toward the limits. |
| A separate bibliography page | Sources must be acknowledged; the form is not prescribed. |
| A true-size tag exempt from the text-size rule | No exemption exists. Text in the folio is 12 point or larger. |
Checked on 22 September 2026. NESA content has been moving from educationstandards.nsw.edu.au to nsw.gov.au; if a link fails, search the document title from the NESA landing page.
- Textiles and Design Stage 6 Syllabus (2013), the syllabus page: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/textiles-and-design-stage-6-2013
- Major Textiles Project and course advice, NESA's official answers on page counting, A3 and A4, drawing standards, labels, and outsourcing: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/textiles-and-design-stage-6-2013/major-textiles-project
- Assessment and reporting in Textiles and Design Stage 6, the mark weightings, page limits, font rule, Manufacturing Specification subheadings, label fields, and packaging: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/textiles-and-design-stage-6-2013/assessment-and-reporting
- HSC Textiles and Design marking guidelines, major projects, 2024 edition, the mark ranges in section 3: https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-03/textiles-and-design-marking-guidelines-major-projects-2024.pdf
- Performance band descriptions, Textiles and Design (course bands, not used for the folio): https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/textiles-and-design-stage-6-2013/performance-band-descriptions
- HSC standards materials, Major Textiles Project, exemplar folios: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/hsc-standards/textiles-and-design/major-textiles-project
- HSC Textiles and Design exam packs with marker feedback, 2025: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/hsc-exam-papers/textiles-and-design/2025
- NESA rules on artificial intelligence in HSC work: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/hsc/rules-and-procedures/artificial-intelligence
- NESA certification of practical work: https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/hsc/rules-and-procedures/practical-exams/certification
- ACE rules for HSC practical examinations and submitted works: https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace2/hsc-practicals
- ACCC care labelling mandatory standard: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/business/search-mandatory-standards/care-labelling-for-clothing-and-textiles-mandatory-standard
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