A NSW Government website

Navigation Menu

Assessment and reporting in Investigating Science Stage 6

Can't find what you're looking for? Search Resources

Year 12 school-based assessment in 2023

NESA has given principals and system authorities the authority to determine the number, type and weighting of tasks for Year 12 school-based assessment in 2023. These changes affect the published Assessment and Reporting requirements. Please ensure you follow the school-based assessment advice for the 2023 HSC.

Effective from: 2018 Year 11 and Term 4, 2018 Year 12
Last updated: December 2023

Schools are required to develop an assessment program for each Year 11 and Year 12 course. NESA provides information about the responsibilities of schools in developing assessment programs in course-specific assessment and reporting requirements and in Assessment Certification Examination (ACE).

School-based assessment requirements

Year 11

Schools are required to submit to NESA a grade for each student based on their achievement at the end of the course.

Teachers use professional, on-balance judgement to allocate grades based on the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses.

Teachers consider all available assessment information, including formal and informal assessment, to determine the grade that best matches each student’s achievement at the end of the course.

The Year 11 formal school-based assessment program is to reflect the following components, weightings, and requirements.

Component Weighting
Skills in working scientifically 60%
Knowledge and understanding of course content 40%

Requirements:

  • 3 assessment tasks
  • only one task may be a formal written examination
  • one task must focus on a depth study or an aspect of a depth study
  • the depth study task must assess:
    • the Working Scientifically skills outcomes:
      • Questioning and Predicting
      • Communicating
    • a minimum of 2 additional Working Scientifically skills outcomes
    • at least one Knowledge and Understanding outcome.

The recommended weighting for any individual task is 20% to 40%.

Depth study

A depth study may be a single investigation/activity or series of investigations/activities. The depth study may be designed for the course cohort or a single class or be determined by individual students.

While the depth study may be undertaken in a single module of the course or across modules, the formal assessment of a depth study, or aspect of the study, must only occur once. The design of the assessment task must provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills of the outcomes using a common marking criteria and guidelines regardless of their area of investigation.

A range of task types may be used when assessing a depth study or an aspect of a depth study. In many cases, a report that explains the process undertaken throughout the depth study with an analysis of the final product or result will be an appropriate format for an assessment task. Other examples include written reports, oral presentations, digital or multimedia products, data analysis, practical investigations or fieldwork.

The following examples provide two possible approaches for the formal assessment of the depth study.

Example 1: Depth Study – Report

A report after the completion of a depth study assesses a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills at a key point in time. A report may be relevant to an experiment, fieldwork or in-class investigation.

A report may require students to:

  • outline the process of formulating a question or hypothesis for investigation
  • describe and justify methods used, including any modifications made during the investigation
  • analyse data and communicate the results of the investigation.

Example 2: Depth Study – Fieldwork Presentation

Fieldwork involves students undertaking their own research to solve a problem or investigate an issue at a specific location. The collection of site-specific evidence assists students to develop a final presentation.

A presentation may require students to:

  • describe the context of the site
  • explain the relevance of the site to the investigation’s question or hypothesis
  • process and analyse field data
  • communicate the results and conclusions of the fieldwork.

Year 12

NESA requires schools to submit a school-based assessment mark for each Year 12 candidate in a course. Formal school-based assessment tasks are based on course requirements and components and weightings that contribute to the determination of the final mark for a course. The mark submitted by the school provides a summation of each student’s achievement measured at several points throughout the course.

The marks submitted for each course group at a school should reflect the rank order of students, and must be on a scale sufficiently wide to reflect adequately the relative differences in student performances. The actual mark should not be revealed to students as it is subject to moderation and may become confusing for students when they receive their results. Students must be informed that they can obtain their Assessment Rank Order Notice from Students Online after the last HSC examination at their centre and within the period of time for appeals.

The school-based assessment marks submitted to NESA for Year 12 must not include measures that address values and attitudes or reflect student conduct. Schools may decide to report on these separately to students and parents/carers.

The collection of information for the Year 12 school-based assessment mark must not begin before the completion of the Year 11 course.

The components and weightings for Year 12 are mandatory.

Component Weighting
Skills in working scientifically 60%
Knowledge and understanding of course content 40%

The Year 12 formal school-based assessment program is to reflect the following requirements:

  • a maximum of four assessment tasks
  • the minimum weighting for an individual task is 10%
  • the maximum weighting for an individual task is 40%
  • only one task may be a formal written examination with a maximum weighting of 30%
  • one task must focus on a depth study or an aspect of a depth study with a weighting of 30–40%
  • the depth study task must assess:
    • the Working Scientifically skills outcomes:
      • Questioning and Predicting
      • Communicating
    • a minimum of two additional Working Scientifically skills outcomes
    • at least one Knowledge and Understanding outcome.

Formal written examination

This task may assess a broad range of course content and outcomes. Schools may choose to replicate the timing and structure of the HSC examination.

Depth study

A depth study may be a single investigation/activity or series of investigations/activities. The depth study may be designed for the course cohort or a single class or be determined by individual students.

While the depth study may be undertaken in a single module of the course or across modules, the formal assessment of a depth study, or aspect of the study, must only occur once. The design of the assessment task must provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills of the outcomes using a common marking criteria and guidelines regardless of their area of investigation.

A range of task types may be used when assessing a depth study or an aspect of a depth study. In many cases, a report that explains the process undertaken throughout the depth study with an analysis of the final product or result will be an appropriate format for an assessment task. Other examples include written reports, oral presentations, digital or multimedia products, data analysis, practical investigations or fieldwork.

The following examples provide two possible approaches for the formal assessment of the depth study.

Example 1: Depth Study – Report

A report after the completion of a depth study assesses a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills at a key point in time. A report may be relevant to an experiment, fieldwork or in-class investigation.

A report may require students to:

  • outline the process of formulating a question or hypothesis for investigation
  • describe and justify methods used, including any modifications made during the investigation
  • analyse data and communicate the results of the investigation.

Example 2: Depth Study – Fieldwork Presentation

Fieldwork involves students undertaking their own research to solve a problem or investigate an issue at a specific location. The collection of site-specific evidence assists students to develop a final presentation.

A presentation may require students to:

  • describe the context of the site
  • explain the relevance of the site to the investigation’s question or hypothesis
  • process and analyse field data
  • communicate the results and conclusions of the fieldwork.

HSC examination specifications

The external HSC examination measures student achievement in a range of syllabus outcomes.

The external examination and its marking relate to the syllabus by:  

  • providing clear links to syllabus outcomes
  • enabling students to demonstrate the levels of achievement outlined in the performance band descriptions
  • applying marking guidelines based on criteria that relate to the quality of the response
  • aligning performance in the examination each year to the standards established for the course.

Examination questions may require candidates to integrate knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.

The Year 11 course is assumed knowledge for the Year 12 course.

The examination will consist of a written paper worth 100 marks.

The time allowed is 3 hours plus 5 minutes reading time.

NESA-approved calculators may be used.

There will be approximately equal weighting given to Modules 5 to 8. Questions relating to Working Scientifically Skills will be integrated throughout the examination.

The paper will consist of two sections.

Section I (20 marks)

There will be objective-response questions to the value of 20 marks.

Section II (80 marks)

Questions may contain parts.

There will be 20 to 25 items.

At least two items will be worth 7 to 9 marks.

Further information

On this page

Copied
Complementary Content
${loading}