Course: Biology
Course No: 15030
2 units for each of Preliminary and HSC
Board Developed Course
Exclusions:Senior Science (Preliminary only)
Course Description
Biology is the study of living organisms, life processes and interactions between organisms and their environment.
The Preliminary course incorporates the study of the mechanisms and systems that living things use to obtain, transport and draw on materials for their own growth and repair; biotic and abiotic features of the environment and the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem; the evolution of life on Earth; and the effects of global changes on the diversity of Australian biota during the formation of the Australian continent.
The HSC course builds upon the Preliminary course. It examines the processes and structures that plants and animals use to maintain a constant internal environment and the way in which characteristics are transmitted from generation to generation. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Topics Covered
Preliminary Course
Biology Skills Module 8.1
Core Modules
- A Local Ecosystem
- Patterns in Nature
- Life on Earth
- Evolution of Australian Biota
HSC Course
Biology Skills Module 9.1
CoreModules
- Maintaining a Balance
- Blueprint of Life
- The Search for Better Health
One Option from the following modules:
- Communication
- Biotechnology
- Genetics: The Code Broken?
- The Human Story
- Biochemistry
Particular Course Requirements
Each module specifies content which provides opportunities for students to achieve the Biology skill outcomes. Biology modules 8.1 (Preliminary) and 9.1 (HSC) provide the skills content that must be addressed within and across each course. Teachers should provide opportunities based on the module content to develop the full range of skills content identified in Biology skills modules 8.1 and 9.1.
The Preliminary course includes a field study related to local terrestrial and aquatic environments. Students will complete a minimum of 80 indicative hours of practical experiences across Preliminary and HSC course time with no less than 35 hours in the HSC course. Practical experiences must include at least one open-ended investigation in both the Preliminary and HSC Courses.
Course: Chemistry
Course No: 15050
2 units for each of Preliminary and HSC
Board Developed Course
Exclusions:Senior Science (Preliminary only)
Course Description
Chemistry is the study of the physical and chemical properties of matter, with a focus on substances and their interactions. Chemistry attempts to provide chemical explanations and to predict events at the atomic and molecular level.
The Preliminary course develops a knowledge of atomic structure, chemical changes, rates of reaction and relationships between substances by focusing on increasing students' understanding of the Earth's resources, the development of increasingly sophisticated methods to extract and use metals, the importance of water on Earth and high energy carbon compounds.
The HSC course builds on the concepts developed in the Preliminary course, expanding on areas such as the search for new sources of traditional materials, the design and production of new materials, the management and monitoring of chemicals that have been developed and/or released as a result of human technological activity and the way in which environmental problems could be reversed or minimised. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Topics Covered
Preliminary Course
Chemistry Skills Module 8.1
Core Modules
- The Chemical Earth
- Metals
- Water
- Energy
HSC Course
Chemistry Skills Module 9.1
Core Modules
- Production of Materials
- The Acidic Environment
- Chemical Monitoring and Management
One Option from the following modules:
- Industrial Chemistry
- Shipwrecks, Corrosion and Conservation
- The Biochemistry of Movement
- The Chemistry of Art
- Forensic Chemistry
Particular Course Requirements
Each module specifies content which provides opportunities for students to achieve the Chemistry skill outcomes. Chemistry modules 8.1 (Preliminary) and 9.1 (HSC) provide the skills content that must be addressed within and across each course. Teachers should provide opportunities based on the module content to develop the full range of skills content identified in Chemistry skills modules 8.1 and 9.1.
Students will complete a minimum of 80 indicative hours of practical experiences across Preliminary and HSC course time with no less than 35 hours in the HSC course. Practical experiences must include at least one open-ended investigation in both the Preliminary and HSC Courses.
Course: Physics
Course No: 15330
2 units for each of Preliminary and HSC
Board Developed Course
Exclusions:Senior Science (Preliminary only)
Course Description
Physics investigates natural phenomena, identifies patterns and applies models, principles and laws to explain their behaviour.
The Preliminary course develops a knowledge of waves, motion, forces, fields, electricity and magnetism by focusing on increasing students' understanding of current communication technologies, the use of electricity in the home, interaction involving vehicles (such as car crashes) and the mechanisms that maintain the physical conditions of planet Earth.
The HSC course builds on the concepts of the Preliminary course by expanding on areas such as relativity, the motor effect and solid state physics, and by focusing on space flight, motors and generators and the scientific advances involved in the development of semi-conductors and electronics. The options cover a variety of interest areas and draw on the increased information and understanding provided by improved technology to examine areas of current research.
Topics Covered
Preliminary Course
Physics Skills Module 8.1
Core Modules
- The World Communicates
- Electrical Energy in the Home
- Moving About
- The Cosmic Engine
HSC Course
Physics Skills Module 9.1
Core Modules
- Space
- Motors and Generators
- From Ideas to Implementation
One Option from the following modules:
- Geophysics
- Medical Physics
- Astrophysics
- From Quanta to Quarks
- The Age of Silicon
Particular Course Requirements
Each module specifies content which provides opportunities for students to achieve the Physics skill outcomes. Physics modules 8.1 (Preliminary) and 9.1 (HSC) provide the skills content that must be addressed within and across each course. Teachers should provide opportunities based on the module content to develop the full range of skills content identified in Physics skills modules 8.1 and 9.1.
Students will complete a minimum of 80 indicative hours of practical experiences across Preliminary and HSC course time with no less than 35 hours in the HSC course. Practical experiences must include at least one open-ended investigation in both the Preliminary and HSC Courses.