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Summary of subject outline changes for 2021

Introduction

Subject outlines for 2021 are published online progressively throughout Term 4, 2020. These include
subject outlines with no changes, renewed subject outlines, and subject outlines with revisions.

Revisions are made to the subject outlines on the basis of:

 removing ambiguity and improving consistency
 updating information
 removing potential tripwires for students.

Subject outlines with changes for 2021 are listed below. Please refer to the 2021 version of the subject
outlines.

The re-published subject outlines for 2021 must be used for all teaching, learning, and assessment in all
subjects in 2021.

Business Innovation (Stage 2)

Note: The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Business Innovation subject outlines for 2021 will be available as digital
content in Term 4.
 Assessment Type 1: Business Skills – Reduction from ‘four’ tasks to ‘three’ tasks to read: ‘Students
complete three tasks as part of their business skills’.
Change word count to 3000 words if written, 18 minutes if oral, or the equivalent if multimodal.
 Assessment Type 2: Business Model – Reword for clarity to read: ‘Students may work individually or
collaboratively to develop a viable business model and individually evaluate the business model and
their contribution to its development’.
Change word count to 2000 words if written, 12 minutes if oral, or equivalent if multimodal.
 New dot point under ‘Financial literacy and information management’: Use outcomes from break-even
or cost-benefit analyses to assess the viability of solutions.
 Remove last dot point from ‘Transforming business: Innovation’
 Some minor rewording for clarity.

Digital Technologies (Stage 2)

External Assessment – Individual Digital Solution (30%)
- Include the words, ‘with a maximum time limit of 15 minutes’ to read: ‘The digital solution or
prototype should be no more than 1GB, with a maximum time limit of 15 minutes’.

Summary of Subject Changes 2019

Ref: A905908 (v1.3 updated 16 December 2020) Page 1 of 8
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Economics (Stage 1)
Note: The Economics subject outlines for 2021 will be available as digital content in Term 4.

Learning requirements
- LR1 – reword to read, ‘understand economic concepts, principles, and models’.
- LR2 – reword to read, ‘apply economic concepts, principles, and models in a variety of contexts
- LR5 – analyse a range of data and other information using economic concepts, principles, and
models.

Teaching and learning framework

 In the core topic, reword, ‘Thinking like an economist’ students develop knowledge and understanding
of:
- economic concepts
- economic inquiry skills
- data analysis.
Teachers facilitate student learning of these skills and conceptual understandings using problem-based
scenarios from different contexts.
Students are provided with opportunities to demonstrate application of their learning in a variety of
contexts. When developing teaching programs, teachers determine the depth and breadth for each
context.
In a 10-credit subject, teachers propose scenarios from one or more different contexts.
In a 20-credit subject, teachers propose scenarios from two or more different contexts.
Core topic: 2nd paragraph to read: Students develop economic thinking by using economic inquiry skills,
knowledge, and understanding of economic concepts, principles, and models in different contexts.
Students apply economic thinking in the analysis of economic issues evident in a variety of scenarios.

Economic inquiry skills

 Minor editorial changes and re-ordering of points.
 Last dot point – replace ‘constructing’ with ‘communicating’, to read, ‘communicating reasoned
arguments.

Economic scenarios
 Reworded to read, Economic contexts’.
 Some rewording of this section for clarity.
 Elective scenario reworded to read, ‘school-developed context’, and replaced elsewhere in the
document.

Assessment design criteria

 U1 – reword to read, ‘Understanding of economic concepts, principles, and models
 Ap1 – reword to read, ‘Application of economic concepts, principles, and models in a variety of
contexts.
 An1 – reword to read, ‘Analysis of a range of data and other information using economic concepts.

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 2 of 8
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Assessment Type 2: Economic Project

 Some minor rewording and re-ordering for clarity.

Performance standards
 Rewording of specific features to align with the changes to learning requirements and assessment
design criteria.

Locally Assessed Languages at background speakers’ level

P.32 – Change ‘190-minute written examination’ to ‘130-minute written examination’.
Inclusion of Indonesian (background speakers)
Please refer to the subject outline for details.

Locally Assessed Languages at continuers level

p.30 – Change ‘190-minute written examination’ to ‘130-minute written examination’.
P.31 – Section 1: Listening and Responding, and Part A – clarification of marks and time allocations.
insert new paragraph as third to last paragraph under ‘Section 1: Listening and Responding’:
‘In an e-exam, each text will be heard twice. However, there will be no set pause times before or after
listening texts. Students can navigate through the listening texts as they wish and spend as much or as
little time on the answers as needed’.
P.32 – Part B, and Section 3: Writing in [Language] – clarification of marks and time allocations.

Modern History (Stage 2)

Note: The Modern History subject outlines for 2021 will be available as digital content in Term 4.
Changes to topics 2, 3, 4, and 6 for greater clarity and comparability of choice.
 Topic 2: United States of America (1919–45)
- Change ‘1914–1919’ to read, ‘United States of America (1919–45)
- Minor rewording for clarity to the introductory paragraph.
- Focus areas:
- Isolationism and Interventionism
- Depression and the New Deal
- The United States of America as a superpower
- Background study:
- Changes.
- Focus area: Isolation and Interventionism
- Changes.
- Focus area: Depression and the New Deal
- Changes.
- Focus area: The United States as a Superpower
- Changes.

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 3 of 8
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 Topic 3: Germany (1918–48)

- Minor rewording for clarity to the introductory paragraph.
- Focus areas:
- The liberal experiment
- The creation and consolidation of a dictatorship
- Germany in war and defeat
- Background study: Add new dot point to read, ‘The nature, aims and establishment of the Weimar
Republic’.
- Focus area: The liberal experiment
- Changes.
- Focus area: The creation and consolidation of a dictatorship
- Changes.
- Focus area: Germany in war and defeat
- Changes.

 Topic 4: The Soviet Union

- Change the title to read, ‘The Soviet Union (‘1945–1991’).
- Minor rewording for clarity to the introductory paragraph.
- Focus areas:
- the search for a new Communist solution – remove dates (1945–64)
- consolidation and stagnation – remove dates (1964–84)
- collapse of the Soviet Union – remove dates (1985–91)
- Background study:
A nation leads the union
- Changes.
- Focus area: The search for a new Communist solution – remove dates
- Changes.
- Focus area: Consolidation and stagnation – remove dates
- Changes.
- Focus area: Collapse of the Soviet Union – remove dates
- Changes.

 Topic 6: China
- Change ‘1949–c.2012’, to read, ‘China (1949–1999)
- Minor rewording for clarity to the introductory paragraph.
- Focus areas:
- Mao and the consolidation of the revolution – remove dates (1949–66)
- The search for harmony – remove dates (1966–89)
- The road to modern China – remove dates (1989–99)
- Background study:
- Changes.
- Focus area: Mao and the consolidation of the revolution
- Changes.
- Focus area: The search for harmony

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 4 of 8
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- Changes.
- Focus area: The road to modern China
- Changes.

Modified subjects
 Inclusion of the ACARA capabilities, including additional examples.
 Inclusion of new subjects: Physical Education: Modified, and Design, Technology and Engineering:
Modified to accommodate the increase in requests for students to undertake health and business.
 Rename the Health: Modified subject to Health and Wellbeing: Modified to align with the recently
accredited Health and Wellbeing subject.
 Rename the Business and Enterprise: Modified to Business Innovation: Modified to align with the
recently accredited Business Innovation subject.
 A broadening of the Society and Culture: Modified subject to enable a global perspective, by including a
new key area, ‘society and the environment’.
 Inclusion of a new key area of learning, ‘safe workplaces’ in Business Innovation: Modified.
 Inclusion of a new key area of learning, ‘culture’ in Language and Culture: Modified.

A number of editorial changes have also been incorporated for clarity and currency, and to align, wherever
applicable, with changes to renewed subjects.

Nationally Assessed Languages at continuers level

 Remove ‘Maltese’ Grammar List, and all references to ‘Maltese’.
 Add new language, ‘Bengali’, and Grammar List.

Performance Standards (p.20)

 Editorial changes to the ‘B’ and ‘C’ descriptors to better clarify standards.

Physical Education (Stage 2)

Information on these changes will be provided to schools in a separate communication.

Assessment Design Criteria (p.13)

 Application and Communication – AC2: Application of communication and collaborative skills. A
definition of ‘communication’ has been included to clarify that the term is interpreted in the broadest
possible way.
- Communication should be interpreted in the broadest possible way to include the giving, receiving,
or exchanging of ideas, information or signals through appropriate media, including oral, written, and
multimodal forms.

Assessment Type 2: Improvement Analysis (p.15)

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 5 of 8
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 The portfolio of evidence and the evaluation has been combined so students complete one integrated
task – an improvement analysis task.
 The improvement analysis task is a maximum of 4000 words (rather than 15 pages and 1500 words), or
equivalent in multimodal form where 6 minutes is equivalent to 1000 words.

Assessment Type 3: Group Dynamics

 The third paragraph has been reworded to read: ‘Students prepare for and participate in a selected sport
or physical activity, working collaboratively with one or more other people in a group’ (p.16).
 The fourth paragraph has been reworded to read: ‘Students undertake at least one role within the team,
demonstrating their value to the group and their learning in, through, and about the selected sport or
physical activity. They evaluate and analyse the impact their role had on the participation and
performance of other team member(s) (p.17).
 Remove ‘participant’ from the table of roles (p.17).
 The section on the portfolio of evidence has been removed from the subject outline and will be provided
as a support material.
 Remove AC3 – this is assessed elsewhere in the subject.

Further amendments 30 April 2021

p.13 – Definition of the terms ‘communication’ and ‘collaboration’ in relation to the specific feature,
‘Application of communication and collaborative skills’, to read:
* The term(s) communication and collaboration should be interpreted as communication and/or
collaboration skills that occur in physical activity contexts. Communication and collaboration skills
involve working with one or more person(s) in a way that is relevant to the physical activity context
to achieve a purpose.

p.18 – Performance standards (C, D, and E grade bands)

Please turn over

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 6 of 8
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p. 18 – Performance standards – some rewording at the C, D, and E grade bands

Application and Communication
Analysis and Evaluation

C Contextual application of knowledge and understanding to

movement concepts and strategies.
Generally effective application of communication and
collaborative skills.
Competent application of feedback and implementation of
strategies to improve participation and/or performance.
Communication using subject-specific terminology with
some accuracy.
Some analysis and evaluation of evidence relating to
physical activity.
Some reflection on and evaluation of participation and/or
performance improvement.
Description, with some evaluation of implemented
strategies.
Proposal of recommendations for future directions.

D Some contextual application of knowledge and

understanding to movement concepts and strategies.
Some application of communication and collaborative
skills.
Some application of feedback and implementation of
strategies to improve participation and/or performance.
Some communication using subject-specific terminology.
Basic analysis and description of evidence relating to
physical activity.
Some reflection on and description of participation and/or
performance improvement.
Description of implemented strategies.
Proposal of basic recommendations for future directions.

E Attempted application of knowledge and understanding to

movement concepts and strategies.
Attempted application of communication and
collaborative skills.
Attempted application of feedback and implementation of
strategies to improve participation and/or performance.
Attempted communication with subject-specific
terminology.
Attempted description of evidence relating to physical
activity.
Attempted reflection on and description of participation
and/or performance improvement.
Attempted description of implemented strategies.
Acknowledgement of future directions.

Scientific Studies (Stage 1)

Minor editorials for clarity.

Assessment Type 1: Inquiry Folio

Science Inquiry Skills Tasks
 Add new dot point to the list of what science inquiry skills tasks may include to read: ‘identifying trends
and forming hypotheses from ‘big data’ sets’.

Assessment Type 2: Collaborative Inquiry

Collaborative Inquiry Design
 Add the word ‘scientific’ to first sentence to clarify the design and conduct of a scientific investigation.
 Add the words ‘using primary data they have obtained’, to second sentence to read: ‘Students are
encouraged to experiment with and test ideas using primary data they have obtained’.
 Add ‘analysis of primary data’ to the list of elements included in the journal.

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 7 of 8
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Collaborative Inquiry Evaluation

Add ‘recorded’ to first sentence to read: ‘Students individually evaluate the collaborative inquiry, in the style
of a recorded pitch, defence or justification’.

Scientific Studies (Stage 2)

Minor editorials for clarity.

Assessment Type 1: Inquiry Folio

Science Inquiry Skills Tasks
 Add new dot point to the list of what science inquiry skills tasks may include to read: ‘identifying trends
and forming hypotheses from ‘big data’ sets’.

Individual Inquiry Design Proposal

 Add the words ‘a practical scientific’ to read ‘. . .prepare a proposal for a practical scientific investigation
for which . . . ‘
 Add ‘to obtain primary data’ to second sentence to read: ‘Students may use a scientific method or an
engineering design process to obtain primary data.
 Remove dot point ‘a method designed as the most appropriate’.
 Add new dot point ‘an appropriate method designed to obtain primary data’.

Assessment Type 2: Collaborative Inquiry

Collaborative Inquiry Design
 Add the word ‘scientific’ to first sentence to clarify the design and conduct of a scientific investigation.
 Add the words ‘using primary data they have obtained’, to second sentence to read: ‘Students are
encouraged to experiment with and test ideas using primary data they have obtained’.
 Add ‘analysis of primary data’ to the list of elements included in the journal.

Collaborative Inquiry Evaluation

Add ‘recorded’ to first sentence to read: ‘Students individually evaluate the collaborative inquiry, in the style
of a recorded pitch, defence or justification’.

Summary of Subject Changes 2021

Ref: A905908 (v4.0 updated 30 April 2021) Page 8 of 8