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NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

7–10Engineering Technology 7–10 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2027
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Stage 4

Structures
Engineering principles
  • Describe the function and purpose of structures, including how they provide access and shelter

  • Identify functional engineering components that provide structural integrity, such as foundations, beams and bracing

  • Outline regulations, codes of practice and standards for an identified structure in Australia

  • Apply scheduling, resource allocation and budgeting to plan and manage a structural engineering project

  • Outline the importance of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples and how it is related to structures

  • Investigate and identify the impact of a range of structures on the physical environment in Australia

  • Identify and apply engineering principles and processes, including types of forces and their effects, structural integrity and safety, to produce a functioning structure

  • Identify and implement safe work practices when producing a functioning structure

  • Discuss technical and enterprise skills used by structural engineers

  • Discuss sustainability and environmental considerations in structural or civil construction

  • Use spreadsheets to calculate material quantities and monitor project costs

  • Investigate engineered structures used by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, such as shelters and fish traps

Materials
  • Apply safe work practices throughout the design, production and testing of models and projects for a structure

  • Classify engineering materials used in structures as pure metals, alloys, polymers and timbers

  • Identify the properties of a material, such as hardness, ductility, malleability, and tensile and compressive strength, that make the materials suitable for use in structures

  • Compare traditional and modern construction materials and describe their properties, such as timber versus laminates and rammed earth versus concrete

  • Identify how materials can be modified to improve properties, such as composite materials, laminates, heat treatment and reinforcement

  • Compare renewable and non-renewable resources and explain their advantages and limitations in the design and construction of structures

  • Test a range of materials to determine the properties of hardness, corrosion resistance and malleability, and record collected data

  • Select and test the suitability of materials by constructing a project

  • Investigate engineering materials used by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, such as timber, resin and fibres

Structural analysis
  • Identify forces that act on structures, including live loads, dead loads and calculate weight force

  • Identify compressive and tensile forces acting on members in an identified structure

  • Construct pin-jointed structures using different shapes to explore basic structural concepts, such as force, load, reactions and equilibrium

  • Contrast destructive and non-destructive testing and how they are used to inform engineering decisions

  • Test and document the effects of identified forces on pin-jointed structures

  • Use the results of testing to modify pin-jointed structures

  • Build and test a working model of a structure for a specific purpose using appropriate tools and processes

  • Evaluate the use of structural elements in projects

Communication
  • Identify key components of an engineering drawing, and the standards from AS 1100 relevant to the engineering profession, when drawing structures

  • Produce a pictorial sketch of an identified structure, such as an isometric or oblique drawing

  • Develop an orthogonal engineering drawing of a structure, including 2 views and dimensions using third-angle projection

  • Produce a parts list to prepare materials for the construction of a structure

  • Document material selection and justification, structural analysis and test results in an engineering report

  • Apply data presentation techniques when presenting structural test results

  • Create written texts to explain and evaluate factors that influence the design and engineering of structures

  • Use subject-specific terminology to communicate concepts of engineering structures

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