Applied and Applied (Essential) syllabuses

Course Overview

Applied and Applied (Essential) syllabuses are developmental four-unit courses of study.

Units 1 and 2 of the courses are designed to allow students to begin their engagement with the course content, i.e. the knowledge, understanding and skills of the subject. Course content, learning experiences and assessment increase in complexity across the four units as students develop greater independence as learners.

Units 3 and 4 consolidate student learning. Results from assessment in Applied subjects contribute to the award of a QCE, and results from Units 3 and 4 may contribute as a single input to ATAR calculation.

A course of study for Applied syllabuses includes core topics and elective areas for study.

Assessment

Applied syllabuses use four summative internal assessments from Units 3 and 4 to determine a student’s exit result.

Schools should develop at least two but no more than four internal assessments for Units 1 and 2, and these assessments should provide students with opportunities to become familiar with the summative internal assessment techniques to be used for Units 3 and 4.

Applied syllabuses do not use external assessment.

Essential English and Essential Mathematics — Common internal assessment

For the two Applied (Essential) syllabuses, students complete a total of four summative internal assessments in Units 3 and 4 that count toward their overall subject result. Schools develop three of the summative internal assessments for each of these subjects and the other summative assessment is a common internal assessment (CIA) developed by the QCAA.

The CIA for Essential English and Essential Mathematics is based on the learning described in Unit 3 of the respective syllabus. The CIA is:

·     developed by the QCAA

·     common to all schools

·     delivered to schools by the QCAA

·     administered flexibly in Unit 3

·     administered under supervised conditions

·     marked by the school according to a common marking scheme developed by the QCAA.

The CIA is not privileged over the other summative internal assessment.

Source: QCAA 2019