26 June 2018
Notice 017/18
Amendments have been made to the Ancient History General Senior Syllabus 2019.
Rationale
The Rationale has been amended to include explicit reference to ‘thinking historically’ and ‘forming a historical consciousness’.
Syllabus objectives
The Syllabus objectives 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and explanatory paragraphs have been amended to make clear what students have the opportunity to learn.
Pedagogical and conceptual frameworks
The inquiry approach has been amended to align with other Humanities and Social Science learning area syllabuses.
Reporting standards
The A–E reporting standards have been amended to align with the revised syllabus objectives.
Unit objectives
The unit objectives for Units 1–4 have been amended to align with revised syllabus objectives.
Subject matter
In Unit 1, an option has been added to select a time period other than those suggested in the list of ancient societies.
Subject matter descriptions for each topic have been amended to align with the revised syllabus and unit objectives.
Assessment guidance
The assessment guidance for Units 1 and 2 has been amended to provide clearer guidance for schools.
Summative internal assessment 1 (IA1): Examination — essay in response to historical sources
The description has been amended for clarity.
The description has been modified to stipulate an ‘unseen’ question.
Assessment objectives 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been amended to align with revised syllabus and unit objectives.
The specifications have been amended to include ‘application of ethical scholarship’ and the change from ‘seen’ to ‘not seen’ sources.
The conditions have been amended for clarity.
The instrument-specific marking guide has been amended to better describe the evidence required.
Summative internal assessment 2 (IA2): Investigation — independent source investigation
The assessment description has been amended to better describe the technique.
Assessment objectives 2, 3, 5 and 6 have been amended to align with revised syllabus and unit objectives.
The specifications have been amended for clarity to state ‘sources that have not been studied or supplied in class’, and devising a ‘student-driven’ key inquiry question.
The conditions have been amended for clarity to state, ‘Direct quotes are included in the word length unless cited for authentication purposes, e.g. direct quotes presented alongside a source analysis’.
The instrument-specific marking guide has been amended to better describe the evidence required.
Summative internal assessment 3 (IA3): Investigation — historical essay based on research
The assessment description has been amended for clarity.
Assessment objectives 1–6 have been amended to align with revised syllabus and unit objectives.
The specifications and conditions of the task have been amended for clarity, including specification of a ‘student-generated’ hypothesis and ‘Practising ethical scholarship by using a recognised system of referencing to acknowledge the sources (including a reference list)’.
The instrument-specific marking guide has been amended to better describe the evidence required.
Summative external assessment (EA): Examination — short responses to historical sources
Assessment objectives 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been amended to align with revised syllabus and unit objectives.
The Ancient History Syllabus 2019 (v1.1) and associated resources are available in the QCAA Portal. The syllabus is also available on the QCAA website.
More information
Joanne Gordon, Learning Area Manager (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Brad Blashak, Learning Area Manager (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Email: HASS@qcaa.qld.edu.au
Telephone: (07) 3864 0248
- Last reviewed:
- 25 July 2018
- Last updated:
- 26 June 2018
