7–10Geography Elective 7–10 Syllabus (2025)

The Geography Elective 7–10 Syllabus includes 4 elective courses:

• Geography Elective 200-hour elective
• Geography Elective 100-hour elective
• Geography Elective Life Skills 200-hour elective
• Geography Elective Life Skills 100-hour elective.

In Geography Elective, students investigate physical and human environments, geographical processes and contemporary geographical challenges. They develop knowledge about the interactions between people, places and environments across a range of scales, and respond to real-world challenges in an informed manner. Students apply geographical concepts to guide investigations and propose explanations for patterns, relationships and variations in geographical phenomena. They engage with a range of geographical tools including maps, fieldwork, data and graphs, spatial technologies and other geographical representations, to acquire, process and communicate information.

Students learn about the natural systems that influence Earth’s landscapes, climates and ecosystems by investigating physical geography in the focus areas Planet Earth, Extreme environments, Oceanography and Interactions and patterns across a continent. Additionally, students learn about the social, cultural, political and economic systems that shape the ways people interact with, organise and manage places and environments in the focus areas Global citizenship, Geopolitics, Australia’s neighbours and Primary production.

Students extend their knowledge about environmental and social sustainability, and the vital roles played by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other Indigenous communities in their custodianship of Country and Place. They develop an understanding of contemporary geographical issues and build their capacity to be active, informed and responsible global citizens.

Safety and risk management

Schools are required to ensure they follow Loading  in delivering the Geography Elective 7–10 Syllabus.

Geography Elective 7–10 may be studied as a 100-hour or a 200-hour course. The content available for Stage 4 is identical to that available for Stage 5. When teaching the course in Stage 4, the Stage 5 outcomes may be adjusted as appropriate to the needs of students in Years 7 and 8. Loading .

All outcomes must be programmed for 100-hour and 200-hour courses.

100-hour elective course requirements

Students are required to undertake:

• at least ONE focus area with a focus on physical geography
• at least ONE focus area with a focus on human geography
• at least ONE additional focus area to meet the 100-hour requirement.

200-hour elective course requirements

Students are required to undertake:

• at least ONE focus area with a focus on physical geography
• at least ONE focus area with a focus on human geography
• at least THREE additional focus areas to meet the 200-hour requirement.

Across a 100-hour course or a 200-hour Stage 5 course, students may study only ONE school-developed option.

Geographical concepts, inquiry skills and tools

The geographical concepts, inquiry skills and tools are to be integrated with the content of the Geography Elective 7–10 Syllabus.

Fieldwork: Fieldwork is an essential component of the Geography Elective 7–10 course. All students undertaking Geography Elective 7–10 must complete approximately 10 hours of fieldwork per stage, in addition to the fieldwork requirements outlined in the Geography 7–10 course. Fieldwork could include pre-fieldwork activities and post-fieldwork activities.

Students with disability may require adjustments in order to engage with inquiry skills and tools, including fieldwork.

For Geography Elective Life Skills:

• Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more Geography Elective 7–10 Life Skills outcomes.
• Outcomes and content should be selected to meet the particular needs of individual students.
• The focus areas provide possible frameworks for addressing the Geography Elective 7–10 Life Skills outcomes and content and are suggestions only. Teachers have the flexibility to select, group and sequence outcomes and content to meet the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of their students.
• Fieldwork is essential to the study of Geography Elective 7–10 Life Skills. All students should have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork to develop their understanding and demonstrate achievement of Geography Elective 7–10 Life Skills outcomes.
• Students with disability may require adjustments in order to engage with inquiry skills and tools, including fieldwork.