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

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

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

The History Elective 7–10 Syllabus develops students’ knowledge and understanding of multiple perspectives across various historical contexts. Key features of the History Elective 7–10 Syllabus are the opportunities for students to cultivate historical thinking by developing inquiry skills and exploring how evidence is gathered, how perspectives are formed and how meaning is derived from the past. Students develop and understanding that the past is made up of many stories, with no single uncontested version.

Students learn about different ways that history is constructed and understood through examining past events, people, societies and changing practices through the lens of historical approaches and historical narratives. Through the process of historical inquiry and by applying historical concepts and skills, students learn how historical events and human actions have shaped the world. They learn to construct coherent historical accounts and explanations to deepen their knowledge of history. This process enhances critical thinking and communication skills, which directly aligns with History Elective outcomes.

Through an examination of historical approaches, students learn about the different ways history can be explored, interpreted and understood. Emphasis is placed on how tools, methods and forms of inquiry are used to construct historical meaning. This includes decisions around the selection and use of evidence, the representation of voices and perspectives, and the formation of historical interpretations.

Through an examination of historical narratives students learn how history is told and the different ways the past is organised and explained. Emphasis is placed on who tells the story, how it is structured and why some versions of the past are more widely accepted than others.

Safety and risk management

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

History 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 from Focus on historical approaches
• at least ONE focus area from Focus on historical narratives
• 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 from Focus on historical approaches
• at least ONE focus area from Focus on historical narratives
• at least THREE additional focus areas to meet the 200-hour requirement.

Students are required to study at least ONE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander depth study option and at least ONE non-western depth study option.

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

For History Elective Life Skills:

• Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more History Elective 7–10 Life Skills outcomes.
• Outcomes and content should be selected to meet the particular needs of individual students.
• The focus areas provided possible frameworks for addressing the History 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.