Course Overview

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Cells as the Basis of Life (structures and functions, cell environments, biochemical processes, cell division)

• Module 2: Cells to Systems (cell organisation, homeostasis, nutrient movement)

• Module 3: Evolution and Ecosystems (natural selection, adaptations, ecosystem dynamics)

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 4: Heredity (DNA structure and processes, inheritance, genetic variation)

• Module 5: Disease (Infectious and non-infectious diseases, disease management)

• Module 6: Diversity (changes in ecosystems, genetic diversity, sustainable ecosystems)

• Module 7: Biotechnology (genetic engineering, human diseases, agriculture and biodiversity)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1  Depth Study

• Module 1 and 2 Topic Test

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 4 Open-book test 

• Module 5 Topic test 

• Mid Course Exam 

• Module 6 Extended response

• Trial HSC Exam 

HSC Exam

Duration: 3 hours

Typical format: 20 x multi choice, 20-25 x short answer {2-6 marks}, at least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Medical and Health Professional (e.g. Doctor, Nurse, Physiotherapist)

• Environmental Biologist / Ecologist

• Aquaculture or Agricultural Technician

• Environmental Field Technician

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• Agriculture / Veterinary Science / Animal Science pathways

• Environmental Science / Ecology / Conservation Biology degrees

• Medical and Health Science degrees (e.g. Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, Medical Science)

• Biomedical Science / Biotechnology degrees

• Post Student Challenges

• volume and complexity of content

• adapt knowledge to new experiments, diagrams, or case studies

• interpreting data, designing experiments, analysing trends, and critically evaluating reliability and validity

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• Enjoyment in seeing how what students learn applies to medicine, environmental issues, and cutting-edge technologies

• It encourages inquiry-based learning, experiments, and investigations, which allow students to explore their own questions scientifically

Course Overview

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Properties and Structures of Matter (bonding, periodicity, atomic mass)

• Module 2: Introduction to Quantitative Chemistry (stoichiometry, mole concept, concentration)

• Module 3: Reactive Chemistry (reactivity of metals, rates of reaction, collision theory, redox reactions)

• Module 4: Drivers of Reactions (exothermic and endothermic reactions, enthalpy, catalysts, entropy) 

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 5: Equilibrium and Acid Reactions (open and closed systems, factors affecting equilibrium)

• Module 6: Acid Base Reactions (chemical indicators, neutralisation reactions, titrations)

• Module 7: Organic Chemistry (naming organic compounds, reactions of hydrocarbons, polymers)

• Module 8: Applying Chemical Ideas (analysis of inorganic substances, chemical synthesis and design)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 2: Practical task

• Module 1: Depth Study Modelling 

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 7: Topic test 

• Module 5: Practical task 

• Mid Course Exam 

• Module 6: Practical task 

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 3 hours

Typical format: 20 x multi choice, 20-25 x short answer {2-6 marks}, at least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Chemist (Analytical, Industrial or Research)

• Pharmacist or Pharmaceutical Scientist

• Chemical Engineer

• Forensic Scientist

• Laboratory Technician

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• Chemistry / Applied Chemistry degrees

• Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Science

• Chemical Engineering / Materials Engineering

• Forensic Science / Toxicology

Post Student Challenges

• Memorising all the information and understanding how concepts build on each other, not just learning isolated facts

• Adapt knowledge to unfamiliar questions, especially in multi-step problems or experimental analysis

• Designing investigations, process data, and evaluate reliability, validity, and accuracy

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• enjoyment in seeing direct links between what they learn and real-world industries like pharmaceuticals, environmental science, and materials engineering

• finding satisfaction in mastering complex ideas, balancing chemical equations, predicting reactions, and designing investigations

Course Overview

The Physics Stage 6 (Years 11 & 12) Syllabus involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts that include energy and force.

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Fundamentals of Mechanics (velocity, acceleration displacement, forces, momentum)

• Module 2: Waves (electromagnetic spectrum, wave model, heat transfer)

• Module 3: Electricity and Magnetism (electric fields, voltage, current, resistance, magnetic fields)

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 4: Advanced Mechanics (projectile motion, circular motion, motion in gravitational fields)

• Module 5: Electromagnetism (forces on moving charges, induced currents)

• Module 6: Nature of Light (wave model of light, photoelectric effect, relativity)

• Module 7: Matter, Energy and the Cosmos (big bang theory, models of the atom)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Topic test

• Module 2/3: Open-book test

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 4: Practical task

• Mid Course Exam

• Module 6: Practical task

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 3 hours

Typical format: 20 x multi choice, 20-25 x short answer {2-6 marks}, at least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Engineering and Technology

• Science and Research

• Medical and Health

• Finance, Data, and Corporate

• Defence and Technical Trades

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• All streams of engineering (electrical, mechatronic, mechanical, aeronautical etc)

• Science degrees

• Health and medical sciences

• Architecture and urban planning

Post Student Challenges

• Volume of syllabus content

• Visualising abstract concepts

• Challenging and difficult concepts

• Physics relies heavily on mathematics such as algebra and trigonometry

• Relating theoretical physics to everyday life

• Expectation to do a lot of work outside of the classroom/in personal time

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• High achievers are prepared to invest their personal time to complete work

• Highly organised sets of notes. 

• Bring equipment and textbook to class

• Students can work well both independently and as a member of a group in practical lessons.

• Enjoy solving complex problems

Course Overview

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Cause and Effect: Observing (quantitative/qualitative data, collecting and recording data)

• Module 2: Cause and Effect: Inferences and Generalisations (secondary data, observing data)

• Module 3: Scientific Methods (types and construction of different models used in science)

• Module 4: Theories and Laws (complex models and theories and their effects on society and the environment)

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 5: Scientific Investigations (primary data, reliability and validity, reporting of data)

• Module 6: Technologies (independent and dependent variables, developments in research technology)

• Module 7: Fact or Fallacy? (testing claims, evidence-based analysis, science in mainstream media)

• Module 8: Science and Society (case studies of major scientific events, regulation of scientific research)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Topic test

• Module 2/3: Open-book test

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 5: Practical task 

• Mid Course Exam

• Module 7: Practical task

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 3 hours

Typical format: 20 x multi choice, 20-25 x short answer {2-6 marks}, at least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Laboratory Technician / Research Assistant

• Forensic Science Technician

• Environmental Monitoring Officer

• Quality Assurance / Quality Control Officer

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• Science degrees (e.g. Bachelor of Science)

• Environmental Science / Sustainability degrees

• Health Science / Medical Science pathways

• Forensic Science degrees

Post Student Challenges

• Designing fair tests, critically evaluate experimental methods, and interpreting data objectively

• more open-ended inquiry and critical thinking

• learning abstract concepts like the evolving nature of scientific knowledge and bias in experimentation

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• Being able to work with equipment, collect data, and apply their knowledge in practical contexts

• Developing skills that are highly transferable to other areas of study and future careers, particularly in science, engineering, and technology

Course Overview

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1: Earth’s Resources (Earth composition and structure, rock cycle, geological timescale)

• Module 2: Evidence for Plate Tectonics (plate boundaries, geological and topographical features)

• Module 3: Energy Transformations (convection currents, geological transformations)

• Module 4: Human Impacts (water management, salinity and erosion, introduced species)

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 5: Earth’s Processes (Earth spheres, plate tectonic supercycle, fossil formation and stratigraphy)

• Module 6: Hazards (geological natural disasters, natural disaster prediction and prevention)

• Module 7: Climate Science (natural and human processes, evidence for climate variation)

• Module 8: Resource Management (waste management, sustainability)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Module 1 Practical Task, task

• Module 4 Depth Study

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 5: Modelling and Analysis task 

• Module 6: Case Study

• Mid Course Exam

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 3 hours

Typical format: 20 x multi choice, 20-25 x short answer {2-6 marks}, at least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Environmental Scientist

• Geologist

• Urban and Environmental Planner

• Conservation Officer/Park Range

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• Environmental Science / Environmental Management degrees

• Geology / Earth Science / Geoscience degrees

• Geography or Environmental Studies (Arts/Science pathways)

• Marine Science / Climate Science / Sustainability degrees

Post Student Challenges

• Linking ideas like chemical weathering (chemistry) with landscape formation (geology)

• Reading and analysing real-world data, such as climate graphs, geological cross-sections, or water quality data 

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• Appreciate how directly Earth and Environmental Science connects to real-world issues like climate change, natural disasters, resource management, and sustainability

• Seeing the "big picture" across different science disciplines makes this subject especially engaging

Course Overview

• HSC Course (Year 12)

• Module 1: The Foundations of Scientific Thinking (philosophical arguments influence scientific research)

• Module 2: The Scientific Research Proposal (developing a research question and hypothesis, methodology, data collection)

• Module 3: The Data, Evidence and Decisions (patterns and trends, statistics, data modelling)

• Module 4: The Scientific Research Report (reporting findings, communicating technical information)

Typical School-Based Course Assessment

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Research Proposal and Presentation

• Data Analysis

• Research Report and Portfolio

HSC Exam

Duration: 2 hours

Typical format: 

• Online examination

• Section 1: 3-5 short answer questions (20 marks)

• Section 2: A range of longer response questions (30 marks)

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Education and Training

• Electricity, Gas and Water Services

• Health Care and Social Assistance

• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

• Public Administration and Safety

Tertiary Prerequisite Possibilities

• Advanced Science / Bachelor of Science (Honours or Research-focused pathways)

• STEM degrees (e.g. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering)

• Medical Science / Biomedical Science degrees

• Research-based or interdisciplinary degrees

Post Student Challenges

• Students to design and carry out an original research project

• Interpret complex data, identify flaws in studies, or make justified conclusions beyond surface-level analysis.

• Strong time management

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• Developing a greater appreciation for the intricacies of science, whether it’s advanced chemistry, physics, or the broader scientific method

• The intellectual challenge can be very rewarding for students who enjoy solving problems and exploring innovative ideas