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

  Syllabus

  •  General Syllabus Year 11 - For teaching from 2024 (509.2 KB)
  •  General Syllabus Year 11 - For teaching from 2024 (597.0 KB) Last updated: 02 Feb 2024 11:09am
  •  General Syllabus Year 12 - For teaching from 2024 (511.7 KB)
  •  General Syllabus Year 12 - For teaching from 2024 (612.3 KB) Last updated: 02 Feb 2024 11:09am

  Grading

  • Grade descriptions in Year 11 syllabus

  • Grade descriptions in Year 12 syllabus

  Sample Externally Set Task Materials

  •  Sample one General EST Unit 3 content (159.6 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample one Externally set task (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (451.8 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample one EST marking key (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (961.2 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample one EST marks collection form (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (179.7 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample two General EST Unit 3 content (160.3 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample two Externally set task (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (590.6 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample two EST marking key (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (1.1 MB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm
  •  Sample two EST marks collection form (for teaching from January 1, 2025) (572.6 KB) Last updated: 16 Dec 2023 1:39pm

  Authority Approved Units

  • The Authority is currently finalising the publication of these units. Once these units are ready for publication they will appear on this page. The first four units that will be available are listed below.

    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

    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 2024 and 2025 are:

    2024 Semester two units	Monday, 12 February 2024–Monday, 15 April 2024
    2025 Semester one units	Monday, 9 September 2024–Monday, 9 December 2024

    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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