SACE Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science study plan

Construct a labelled systems diagram showing flows of energy and matter between the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, and annotate at least six feedback loops as positive or negative

Distinguish between open, closed and isolated systems and classify four Earth subsystems using evidence from the diagram

Explain how a change in one sphere propagates to at least two others, using two worked examples with cause-and-effect chains of three or more steps

Identify the independent, dependent and controlled variables in three short described investigations, and state one improvement to each design

Describe the rock cycle and the carbon cycle, naming at least two reservoirs and two fluxes for each with approximate relative sizes

Interpret a provided table of carbon reservoir sizes and calculate the percentage of carbon held in each reservoir

Explain how plate tectonic processes link the geosphere to the atmosphere and hydrosphere over geological timescales

Evaluate a simple hypothesis about a sphere interaction by stating what data would confirm or refute it

Classify at least eight Earth resources as renewable or non-renewable and justify each classification with a criterion

Describe the formation processes of three energy resources (for example coal, natural gas and geothermal) and link each to a sphere interaction

Compare the formation timescale of a fossil fuel with its consumption timescale and express the ratio as an order of magnitude

Construct a table comparing three energy resources on availability, extraction impact and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy

Interpret graphs of global or national resource production and consumption and describe two trends with supporting numerical evidence

Calculate a simple reserve-to-production ratio and explain two limitations of that indicator

Evaluate the environmental impacts of one extraction method using at least three criteria and a weighted decision matrix

Identify two sources of uncertainty in resource data and explain how each would affect a conclusion

Distinguish between the greenhouse effect, enhanced greenhouse effect and global warming, and explain each in terms of energy balance

Identify at least four natural and four anthropogenic drivers of climate change and rank them by estimated contribution with justification

Interpret a temperature anomaly graph and describe the trend, variability and a chosen baseline period

Explain two climate feedbacks (for example ice-albedo and water vapour) and state the direction of each

Analyse a described set of regional climate projection data and state two likely impacts on water resources and two on agriculture

Evaluate the reliability of a climate projection by discussing resolution, model agreement and emissions-scenario assumptions

Distinguish between mitigation and adaptation and propose two strategies of each for a named region

Assess a media climate claim against the underlying data description and identify any misrepresentation

Design a full investigation on a resource or climate question, specifying aim, hypothesis, variables, sampling strategy, replication and risk controls

Select appropriate graphing and statistical techniques for three described datasets and justify each choice

Evaluate three described conclusions for validity, identifying confounding variables, sampling bias or overgeneralisation in each

Construct a structured evaluation of your own investigation design listing two strengths and two limitations

Synthesise content from all four domains into three integrated practice responses under timed conditions

Analyse unfamiliar data presented in a table or graph and produce a structured interpretation within ten minutes

Evaluate your own practice responses against mark-style criteria and list three recurring weaknesses

Revise the three weakest concepts identified in earlier weeks and demonstrate improvement with a short re-test