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 Society and Culture
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 identity and sociocultural structures, issues and interactions in a wide range of contemporary contexts
makes well-informed judgements about the influences of continuity and change on societies and cultures
demonstrates highly developed skills in planning, conducting and comprehensively evaluating ethical social research
demonstrates comprehensive analysis of information about the sociocultural world using well-informed evaluation of usefulness, validity and bias in sources
skilfully communicates social and cultural information and concepts through consistent integration of appropriate terminology.
Band 5
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding of identity and sociocultural structures, issues and interactions in a wide range of contemporary contexts
makes informed judgements about the influences of continuity and change on societies and cultures
demonstrates well-developed skills in planning, conducting and thoroughly evaluating ethical social research
demonstrates thorough analysis of information about the sociocultural world using informed evaluation of usefulness, validity and bias in sources
effectively communicates social and cultural information and concepts through integration of appropriate terminology.
Band 4
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of identity and sociocultural structures, issues and interactions in a wide range of contemporary contexts
makes sound judgements about the influences of continuity and change on societies and cultures
demonstrates sound skills in planning, conducting and evaluating ethical social research
demonstrates analysis of information about the sociocultural world using sound evaluation of usefulness, validity and bias in sources
clearly communicates social and cultural information and concepts using appropriate terminology.
Band 3
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of identity and sociocultural structures and/or issues and/or interactions in contemporary contexts
describes influences of continuity and change on societies and/or cultures
demonstrates basic skills in planning, conducting and describing ethical social research
describes information about the sociocultural world using an understanding of usefulness and/or validity and/or bias in sources
demonstrates basic communication of social and cultural information and concepts using some appropriate terminology.
Band 2
A student who performs at this level typically:
demonstrates elementary knowledge and understanding of identity and/or sociocultural structures, issues or interactions in contemporary contexts
outlines continuity or change related to societies or cultures
demonstrates limited skills in planning or conducting ethical social research
outlines information about the sociocultural world using a basic understanding of sources
demonstrates limited communication of social and cultural information and/or concepts.
Band 1
Performance reported as Band 1 indicates that the minimum standard expected was not demonstrated.