Unit 1: Biodiversity and the interconnectedness of life Biology
The current view of the biosphere as a dynamic system composed of Earth’s diverse, interrelated and interacting ecosystems developed from the work of eighteenth and nineteenth century naturalists, who collected, classified, measured and mapped the distribution …
Unit 1 | Biology | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 2: Cells and multicellular organisms Biology
The cell is the basic unit of life. Although cell structure and function are very diverse, all cells possess some common features: all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells need to exchange materials with their immediate external environment in order to maintain …
Unit 2 | Biology | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 4: Maintaining the internal environment Biology
In order to survive, organisms must be able to maintain system structure and function in the face of changes in their external and internal environments. Changes in temperature and water availability, and the incidence and spread of infectious disease, …
Unit 4 | Biology | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 2: Molecular interactions and reactions Chemistry
In this unit, students develop their understanding of the physical and chemical properties of materials including gases, water and aqueous solutions, acids and bases. Students explore the characteristic properties of water that make it essential for physical, …
Unit 2 | Chemistry | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 1: Thermal, nuclear and electrical physics Physics
An understanding of heating processes, nuclear reactions and electricity is essential to appreciate how global energy needs are met. In this unit, students explore the ways physics is used to describe, explain and predict the energy transfers and transformations …
Unit 1 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 2 Specialist Mathematics
Unit 2 of Specialist Mathematics contains three topics – ‘Trigonometry’, ‘Real and complex numbers’ and ‘Matrices’… ‘Trigonometry’ contains techniques that are used in other topics in both this unit and Unit 3. ‘Real and complex numbers’ provides a continuation …
Unit 2 | Specialist Mathematics | Mathematics | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 4: Revolutions in modern physics Physics
The development of quantum theory and the theory of relativity fundamentally changed our understanding of how nature operates and led to the development of a wide range of new technologies, including technologies that revolutionised the storage, processing …
Unit 4 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum
Unit 1 Specialist Mathematics
Unit 1 of Specialist Mathematics contains three topics – ‘Combinatorics’, ‘Vectors in the plane’ and ‘Geometry’ – that complement the content of Mathematical Methods. The proficiency strand, Reasoning, of the F–10 curriculum is continued explicitly in …
Unit 1 | Specialist Mathematics | Mathematics | Senior secondary curriculum