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 Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses 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 Modern History
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 and understanding of a range of forces, ideas, events, individuals and groups, and their significance
demonstrates comprehensive understanding of continuity and change
demonstrates comprehensive understanding of different perspectives of individuals and groups in their historical context
evaluates sources for evidence to support historical accounts and arguments
evaluates differing interpretations and representations of the past
communicates sophisticated understanding through highly developed and sustained arguments and integration of historical concepts and terms.
Band 5
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of forces, ideas, events, individuals and groups, and their significance
demonstrates a well-developed understanding of continuity and change
demonstrates a well-developed understanding of different perspectives of individuals and groups in their historical context
analyses sources for evidence to support historical accounts and arguments
analyses differing interpretations and representations of the past
communicates thorough understanding through sustained arguments and integration of historical concepts and terms.
Band 4
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of a range of forces, ideas, events, individuals and groups, and their significance
demonstrates a sound understanding of continuity and change
demonstrates a sound understanding of different perspectives of individuals and groups in their historical context
uses sources for evidence in historical accounts or arguments
discusses interpretations and representations of the past
communicates understanding through generalised arguments and sound use of historical concepts and terms.
Band 3
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates basic understanding of forces, ideas, events, individuals and groups, and their significance
identifies features of continuity and change
demonstrates basic understanding of different perspectives of individuals and groups in their historical context
makes reference to sources in historical accounts
identifies interpretations and representations of the past
communicates basic information through descriptive texts with basic use of historical concepts and terms.
Band 2
A student who performs at this level typically:
describes historical forces, ideas, events, individuals and groups
recognises aspects of continuity and/or change
demonstrates limited understanding of different perspectives of individuals and/or groups in their historical context
communicates limited information with limited use of historical concepts and terms.
Band 1
Performance reported as Band 1 indicates that the minimum standard expected was not demonstrated.
School-based assessment
Schools are required to develop an assessment program for each Year 11 and Year 12 course. NESA provides information about the responsibilities of schools in developing assessment programs in course-specific assessment requirements and in the Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) rules and requirements.
Year 11 Modern History school-based assessment
Schools are required to submit to NESA a grade for each student based on their achievement at the end of the course.
Teachers use professional, on-balance judgement to allocate grades based on the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary courses.
Teachers consider all available assessment information, including formal and informal assessment, to determine the grade that best matches each student’s achievement at the end of the course.
See Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) rules and requirements for further information.
Assessment programs must reflect course components and weightings
The course components and component weightings for Year 11 are mandatory.
| Course component | Weighting % |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding of course content | 40 |
| Historical skills in the analysis and evaluation of sources and interpretations | 20 |
| Historical inquiry and research | 20 |
| Communication of historical understanding | 20 |
Schools may determine specific elements of their assessment program
Schools have authority to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task. Schools may also follow the sample assessment programs provided by NESA.
Sample assessment program
NESA's sample Year 11 formal school-based assessment program for Modern History is:
- 3 assessment tasks, including:
- a Historical Investigation
- a formal written examination
- a weighting for any individual task of 20% to 40%.
Some students with disability may require adjustments in order to access assessment opportunities and demonstrate achievement of outcomes.
Information about the Historical Investigation
The Historical Investigation may be undertaken as a standalone investigation or integrated into any focus area in the Year 11 course.
The investigation must not overlap with, or duplicate significantly, any option in the Modern History or History Extension courses.
Year 12 Modern History school-based assessment
NESA requires schools to submit a school-based assessment mark for each Year 12 student who completes this course. Formal school-based assessment tasks should reflect the syllabus outcomes and content. The mark submitted by the school provides a summation of each student’s achievement measured at several points throughout the course.
A school’s program of school-based assessment includes both mandatory and non-mandatory elements.
See Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) rules and requirements for further information.
Assessment programs must reflect course components and weightings
The course components and component weightings for Year 12 are mandatory.
| Course component | Weighting % |
|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding of course content | 40 |
| Historical skills in the analysis and evaluation of sources and interpretations | 20 |
| Historical inquiry and research | 20 |
| Communication of historical understanding | 20 |
Schools may determine specific elements of their assessment program
Schools have authority to determine the number, type of task and the weighting allocated to an assessment task. Schools may also follow the sample assessment programs provided by NESA.
Sample assessment program
NESA's sample Year 12 formal school-based assessment program for Modern History is:
- 4 assessment tasks, including:
- a Historical Analysis with a weighting of 20% to 30%
- a formal written examination
- a weighting for any individual task of 10% to 40%.
Some students with disability may require adjustments in order to access assessment opportunities and demonstrate achievement of outcomes.
Historical Analysis
The Historical Analysis provides students with the opportunity to focus on a historical question, issue or controversy of interest, and to develop a reasoned argument, supported by evidence. It may occur in or across any of the Year 12 options selected for study.
The Historical Analysis may be presented in written, oral or multimodal form, and should:
- be completed individually
- be a maximum of 1200 words, 6 minutes duration or equivalent in multimodal form
- address relevant syllabus outcomes
- relate to a Year 12 option(s) studied in the Modern History 11–12 Syllabus.
Sample assessment schedules
HSC examinations
The external HSC examination measures student achievement in a range of syllabus outcomes.
The external examination and its marking relate to the syllabus by:
- providing clear links to syllabus outcomes
- enabling students to demonstrate the levels of achievement outlined in the Performance Band Descriptions
- applying marking guidelines based on criteria that relate to the quality of the response
- aligning performance in the examination each year to the standards established for the course.
Examination questions may require students to integrate knowledge, understanding and skills developed through studying the course.
The Year 11 course is assumed knowledge for the Year 12 course.
Some students with disability may be eligible for disability provisions when completing the HSC examination.
Modern History HSC examination specifications
The examination will consist of a written paper worth 100 marks.
Time allowed: 3 hours plus 10 minutes reading time.
The paper will consist of four sections.
Questions may include sources and/or interpretations.
Context content points in the syllabus will not be examined on their own. However, they may be integrated into examination questions.
Section I – Core Study: Democracy and dictatorship 1919–1939 (25 marks)
- There will be three or four questions.
- Students will be required to answer all questions.
- One question will be worth 10 to 15 marks.
- Students will be required to analyse and interpret sources.
Section II – National studies (25 marks)
- There will be one extended-response question for each of the eight options.
- Each question will have two alternatives.
- Students will be required to answer one alternative on the option they have studied.
Section III – Peace and conflict (25 marks)
- There will be one question for each of the six options.
- Students will be required to answer the question on the option they have studied.
- Each question will contain two or three parts.
- At least one part will be worth 10 to 15 marks.
Section IV – Change in the modern world (25 marks)
- There will be one question for each of the six options.
- Students will be required to answer the question on the option they have studied.
- Each question will contain three or four parts.
- One part will be worth 10 to 15 marks.