Science in Practice learning area contact:

• General

  Science in Practice is a course grounded in the belief that science is multidisciplinary and, in essence, a practical activity. The Science in Practice course encourages students to be questioning, reflective and critical thinkers about scientific issues, enabling them to make informed decisions about questions that directly affect their lives and the lives of others. Students will engage in activities and investigations on science issues in the context of the world around them and are encouraged to collaborate and cooperate with others in the community.

  • Types of science inquiry investigations
  • Also available in  Word Format

  What's changing

  •  General Year 12 What's changing - General capabilities (409.3 KB) Last updated: 20 Oct 2025 11:20am
  •  General Year 12 What's changing - General capabilities (316.4 KB) Last updated: 20 Oct 2025 11:20am
  •  General Year 12 What's changing - Rationale and Aims (388.1 KB) Last updated: 20 Oct 2025 11:20am
  •  General Year 12 What's changing - Rationale and Aims (315.5 KB) Last updated: 20 Oct 2025 11:20am

  Syllabus

  •  General Syllabus Year 11 - For teaching from 2026 (612.5 KB) Last updated: 30 Jan 2026 10:45am
  •  General Syllabus Year 11 - For teaching from 2026 (333.8 KB) Last updated: 30 Jan 2026 10:45am
  •  General Syllabus Year 12 - For teaching from 2025 (612.3 KB) Last updated: 19 Jul 2024 11:43am
  •  General Syllabus Year 12 - For teaching from 2025 (512.5 KB) Last updated: 19 Jul 2024 11:42am

  Grading

  • Grade descriptions in Year 11 syllabus

  • Grade descriptions in Year 12 syllabus

  Authority Approved Units

  • As Authority-approved unit packages are finalised for publication they will be housed within this course page on the Extranet. Teachers can login or register for an Extranet login.

    Year 11

    Unit Code	Unit name	Science content coverage				Duration
    		Biology	Chemistry	Earth Science	Physics
    GE001	Local geology Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE002	Acids and bases Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE003	Wheels in motion Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE004	Sustainability Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE005	Forensic science Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE006	Rocketry and flight Overview Overview					Semester long
    GE007	Local ecosystems					Semester long

    Year 12

    Unit Code	Unit name	Science content coverage				Duration
    		Biology	Chemistry	Earth Science	Physics
    GT001	Local geology Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT002	Acids and bases Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT003	Wheels in motion Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT004	Sustainability Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT005	Forensic science Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT006	Rocketry and flight Overview Overview					Semester long
    GT007	Local ecosystems					Semester long

    Only Authority approved units can be delivered.

    Schools may develop their own units or modify approved units, however, these will need to be approved by the Authority prior to the commencement of teaching.

  Unit Approval Process

  • Science in Practice website approval process

    Schools may develop their own units or make changes to approved units; however, these will need to be approved by the Authority prior to the commencement of teaching.

    School‑developed units

    The following documents are required to be submitted as part of the approval process. All documents should be uploaded as separate PDF documents.

    The following documents are required for unit approval:

    • Unit content (including scientific method, workplace health and safety, scientific literacy and context specific content)
    • Unit/course outline
    • Assessment outline
    • Investigation task and marking key
    • Project task and marking key
    • Practical assessment task and marking key
    • Supervised written assessment task and marking key

    Note: if submitting a year‑long unit, two of each assessment task are required to be submitted.

    Making changes to approved units published on the Authority website

    If the unit content and/or assessment tasks of Authority-approved units have been changed, the changed documents, as well as the unit/course outline and assessment outline, are required to be submitted. All documents should be uploaded as separate PDF documents.

    Submission of documents for approval

    There are two submission windows each year. The submission windows for units being delivered in 2025 and 2026 are:

    2026 Semester two units	Monday, 9 February 2026 – Monday, 16 March 2026
    2027 Semester one units	Monday, 9 September 2026 – Monday, 7 December 2026
    2027 Semester two units	Monday, 8 February 2027 – Monday, 15 March 2027

    Note

    • Schools may submit both semester one and two units for approval in the same window.
    • The approval process may take up to four weeks. Schools will need to ensure they allow enough time for their units to be approved and any adjustments to be made.

    The online submission form is available here.

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  Sample Externally Set Task Materials

  •  Sample one Externally set task (451.8 KB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:07am
  •  Sample one EST marking key (961.2 KB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:07am
  •  Sample one EST marks collection form (179.7 KB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:07am
  •  Sample two Externally set task (590.6 KB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:07am
  •  Sample two EST marking key (1.1 MB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:07am
  •  Sample two EST marks collection form (572.6 KB) Last updated: 17 Mar 2026 8:08am

  Externally Set Task Materials 2026

  •  2026 General EST Unit 3 Content (295.7 KB) Last updated: 25 Sep 2025 2:07pm

  Externally Set Task Materials 2025

  •  2025 General EST Unit 3 content (160.6 KB) Last updated: 18 Sep 2024 9:58am