Assessment
Course standards
Course standards are comprised of syllabus standards and performance standards. Syllabus outcomes and content form the syllabus standards that describe what students are expected to know, understand and do. Performance standards, including the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses, HSC Performance Band Descriptions and Achievement Level Descriptions (for HSC courses with grades only) describe how well students have achieved in relation to syllabus standards. Performance standards are used to report student achievement on NESA credentials.
Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses
The Loading provides generic, holistic descriptions for performance at each of the 5 grade levels. It is used to report student achievement in Year 11 courses in all NSW schools.
Performance Band Descriptions for Economics
HSC performance band descriptions summarise the knowledge, understanding and skills typically demonstrated by students at each band level in a particular course. NESA uses these holistic descriptions to report a student's overall level of achievement in an HSC course.
Band 6
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates extensive knowledge, understanding and application of economic terms, concepts, principles and relationships in a range of economic contexts
demonstrates highly developed skills in analysing the role of economic participants and markets in a range of economic contexts
demonstrates highly developed skills in analysing the causes and consequences of economic issues
makes well-informed judgements about the impact of economic policies and justifies effective policy measures to address issues in a range of familiar and unfamiliar situations
analyses data comprehensively and applies appropriate mathematical concepts in a variety of economic contexts
communicates economic understanding through highly developed and sustained responses integrating economic terms, ideas, perspectives and information.
Band 5
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates thorough knowledge, understanding and application of economic terms, concepts, principles and relationships in a range of economic contexts
demonstrates well-developed skills in analysing the role of economic participants and markets in a range of economic contexts
demonstrates well-developed skills in analysing the causes and consequences of economic issues
makes informed judgements about the impact of economic policies and justifies effective policy measures to address issues in a range of familiar and unfamiliar situations
analyses data thoroughly and applies appropriate mathematical concepts in economic contexts
communicates economic understanding through well-developed responses integrating economic terms, ideas, perspectives and information.
Band 4
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of economic terms, concepts, principles and relationships in economic contexts
demonstrates sound skills in analysing the role of economic participants and markets in a range of economic contexts
demonstrates sound skills in analysing the causes and consequences of economic issues
makes sound judgements about the impact of economic policies and justifies policy measures to address issues in a range of familiar and unfamiliar situations
explains data and applies appropriate mathematical concepts in economic contexts
communicates economic understanding effectively using economic ideas, perspectives and information.
Band 3
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates basic knowledge of economic terms, concepts, principles and relationships
demonstrates basic skills in describing the role of economic participants and markets
demonstrates basic skills in describing the causes and consequences of economic issues
makes basic judgements about economic policies and describes policy measures
describes data and uses basic mathematical concepts
communicates basic economic ideas.
Band 2
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates limited knowledge of economic terms and/or concepts
demonstrates limited skills in describing the role of economic issues, participants and/or markets
identifies economic policies and policy measures
communicates limited economic ideas.
Band 1
Performance reported as Band 1 indicates that the minimum standard expected was not demonstrated.