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Marine Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (2012)

Content Endorsed Course

The oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface and influence all forms of life on this planet. Oceans are alternatively viewed as areas rich in minerals and marine life which can supply our needs virtually without limit, or as convenient dumping grounds for agricultural, industrial and domestic waste.

Read the full Marine Studies Stage 6 course description.

Read the version log for Marine Studies Stage 6 syllabus and assessment changes.

Related industries

The knowledge and skills developed in this course can be applied across a range of career pathways.

Industries related to this course include, but are not limited to, the following outlined on the Your Career website:

Year 12 school-based assessment in 2024

In recognition of continuing school disruption, NESA has extended the 2023 flexibility for school-based assessment rules to Year 12 students undertaking the HSC in 2024. These changes affect the published Assessment and Reporting requirements. Please ensure you follow the school-based assessment advice for the 2024 HSC.

Syllabus

DOWNLOAD PDFMarine Studies 11–12 Syllabus

DOWNLOAD WordMarine Studies 11–12 Syllabus

Assessment and reporting

There is no external examination (delivered by NESA) for Content Endorsed Courses. Assessment is school-based and teachers award an assessment mark using the Performance Descriptions for reporting achievement in HSC Board Endorsed Courses.

All Content Endorsed Courses count towards the Higher School Certificate and appear on the student's Record of Achievement. However, Content Endorsed Courses do not count in the calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

Content Endorsed Courses may be studied as 1 or 2 units and as Preliminary and/or HSC courses.

The Common Grade Scale should be used to report student achievement in the Preliminary/Year 11 course in all NSW schools.


Performance descriptions

These performance descriptions provide the standards to be used when submitting assessment marks for students in HSC Board Endorsed Courses (including Content Endorsed Courses):

90 – 100

  • demonstrates extensive knowledge and understanding of content
  • displays comprehensive understanding of content, processes, concepts
  • critically analyses, synthesises and interprets information
  • demonstrates high–level competence in particular skills, processes
  • demonstrates high–level skills in critical judgement, reasoning, prediction, inference, evaluation, problem solving, interpretation
  • demonstrates high–level skills in the use of appropriate technologies
  • demonstrates outstanding performance and technique
  • effectively communicates in a coherent, creative, succinct, logical, sophisticated manner with precision, originality or flair using terminology extensively and appropriately

80 – 89

  • demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of content
  • displays detailed understanding of content, processes, concepts
  • analyses, synthesises and interprets information
  • demonstrates competence in particular skills, processes
  • demonstrates competent skills in critical judgement, reasoning, prediction, inference, evaluation, problem solving, interpretation
  • demonstrates competent skills in the use of appropriate technologies
  • demonstrates accomplished performance and technique
  • competently communicates in a coherent, creative, succinct, logical, sophisticated manner with control or originality using appropriate terminology.

70 – 79

  • demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of content
  • displays clear understanding of content, processes, concepts
  • analyses and interprets information
  • demonstrates ability in particular skills, processes
  • demonstrates skills in critical judgement, reasoning, prediction, inference, evaluation, problem solving, interpretation
  • demonstrates skills in the use of appropriate technologies
  • demonstrates sound performance and technique
  • communicates in a creative, succinct, logical, manner with coherence, control or originality using appropriate terminology.

60 – 69

  • demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of content
  • displays basic understanding of content, processes, concepts
  • interprets information
  • demonstrates basic ability in particular skills, processes
  • demonstrates basic skills in judgement, reasoning, prediction, problem solving, interpretation
  • demonstrates basic skills in the use of appropriate technologies
  • demonstrates basic performance and technique
  • communicates with adequate control or originality using some appropriate terminology.

50 – 59

  • demonstrates elementary knowledge and understanding of content
  • displays simple understanding of content, processes, concepts
  • interprets information
  • demonstrates elementary ability in particular skills, processes
  • demonstrates elementary skills in argument and problem solving
  • demonstrates elementary skills in the use of appropriate technologies
  • demonstrates elementary performance and technique
  • demonstrates limited communication abilities

0 – 49

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