How to Understand the QCE Syllabus for your QCAA ATAR Subject?

The QCAA Senior Subject syllabi are very useful tools when it comes to your studies. Whether you decide to take on applied or general subjects, the syllabus has something to offer.

How to use Syllabus to Select Subjects?

The most important thing you should know before selecting your subjects is what the course covers. The “Course overview” section of a subject’s syllabus will tell you exactly that. You can also find out:

• The subject’s context
• Any assumed knowledge
• What you can expect to take away from the subject
• The pathways that the subject leads into
• The objectives of the subject and how it addresses the underpinning factors (literacy, numeracy, and 21st-century skills)
• Further information regarding assessment, subject matter or reporting standards depending on the type of subject

What to know from Applied Subjects' Syllabi?

Applied subjects are notably less standardised than General subjects, and as such have just two key sections for current senior students:

1. The Subject Matter

• The subject matter section of the syllabus lays out all of the core focuses of the course, as well as the electives that each school may choose to cover.
• The focuses of the course is broken down into further concepts, which are again broken down into specific points of knowledge, understanding and skills that are to be covered throughout the course.
• As the subject matter of the course is broken down so specifically, it makes it easy for you to be able to understand exactly what you will cover and be expected to know for the course.

2. The Assessment

• The assessment section lays out the requirements that all pieces of assessment must follow, giving you the chance to ensure that you understand exactly what will be expected of you in order to score well.
• While it doesn’t give you the assessments early, it gives you the opportunity to hone the abilities required for each task, and get a thorough understanding of the assessment criteria.

What to know from General Subjects' Syllabi?

General subjects are designed to set students up for higher education, so they have highly standardised curriculums with very specific syllabi. Every general syllabus breaks itself into four units, each of which detail the topics covered and the assessments associated.

• Highly detailed topic breakdown provided for each unit. Every unit of each course breaks itself down into a number of topics, which are further broken down into sub-topics, and then further dot points.
  • Use these dot-points to give you a head-start on the content by creating a checklist of the knowledge and skills that you need to excel.
• Take note of the assessment section:
  • The unit 3 and 4 assessment sections outline a description of the task, the objectives of the assessment, assessment specifications, and the instrument-specific marking guide (the marking rubric).
  • While the specific context of any given assessment task will vary by school, they will be of the same format, and assess the same content.

Conclusion

While every school will have some variations to the specifics of how a course is run, the syllabus sets out the standard for all schools across the state. Especially for those studying general subjects, the syllabus is the best resource to understand what is expected of you, and also to consolidate your knowledge when preparing for your exams!

If you need additional support to achieve your academic goals, a private tutor from KIS Academics can help you with that!

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Written by Quinn Horton who pursed a Bachelor's (Honours) and Master of Engineering [Mechatronics] at the University of Queensland.

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