SACE Stage 2 Women's Studies cheat sheet

School assessment in SACE Stage 2 Women's Studies is typically 70% of the final subject grade, with the external assessment contributing 30%; confirm the current weighting against the operative subject outline.

School assessment comprises a set of assessment types: skills and applications tasks, and an inquiry or investigation, often reported as a folio of evidence rather than a single test.

Performance standards use five grades (A to E) with descriptors; A and B descriptors indicate high achievement, C indicates satisfactory achievement, and D and E indicate partial or minimal achievement.

Each assessment type must be assessed against the performance standards using evidence drawn only from tasks students have had the opportunity to complete.

Assessment tasks must be valid (they measure the intended learning), reliable (consistent judgements across students and assessors), and fair (clear criteria, comparable conditions).

Moderation is used to ensure comparability of teacher judgements: school assessors apply the performance standards, and external moderation checks the consistency of those judgements against the standards.

An assessment plan must show the sequence and weighting of tasks, ensure sufficient evidence for each performance standard, and avoid over-assessing any single capability.

Formative assessment informs teaching and is not counted in the final grade; summative assessment provides the evidence used for reporting against the performance standards.

Academic integrity requirements apply to school assessment: work must be the student's own, sources acknowledged, and breaches managed under school and SACE Board procedures.

The external assessment is typically 30% of the final grade and is set and marked outside the school, using the same performance standards as school assessment.

The external assessment commonly takes the form of an examination or a externally assessed investigation or folio task; the specific format and weighting must be checked in the current subject outline.

External assessment tasks are marked by trained external assessors against the performance standards, with marking procedures designed to ensure consistency.

Examination conditions include a set time, permitted materials specified in advance, and supervision; students must follow instructions about materials and conduct.

Assessment design uses command or key words (for example, describe, explain, analyse, evaluate) that signal the cognitive demand and expected depth of response.

Responses are judged on evidence, use of relevant concepts and terminology, and the quality of reasoning, not on length alone.

Where an external investigation or folio is used, evidence must be verified as the student's own work, and authentication requirements apply.

Special provisions may be available for students with a disability or other disadvantage; these are arranged through the school and the external authority, not negotiated at the exam desk.