Legal Studies

About the subject

Students explore Australia's legal heritage and the dynamic nature of the Australian legal system within a global context. Students gain insight into law-making, the processes of dispute resolution, and the administration of justice. They investigate legal perspectives on contemporary issues in society, and reflect on, and make informed judgments about, the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian legal system

Course content

Students explore the Australian legal system from the local level to its global connections. They examine the key concepts of parliamentary democracy, constitutional government, and participation. At Stage 2 students study the following four topics:

• Topic 1: The Australian Legal System
• Topic 2: Constitutional Government
• Topic 3: Law-making
• Topic 4: Justice Systems.

Assessment

Students demonstrate evidence of their learning through the following assessment types:

Information on the External Assessment

The examination is divided into two parts:

• Part A: Short Responses
• Part B: Extended Responses

Part A: Short Responses

Part A consists of some compulsory questions. Students may also be required to respond to short-answer questions, analyse a media article, respond to a stimulus, or analyse a legal process. All topics are examined in this part.

Part B: Extended Responses

Students answer two questions, including at least one essay question.

The examination will be graded by external assessors with reference to the performance standards.

Performance Standards

The Legal Studies Subject Outline includes performance standards, which describe five levels of achievement that are reported with the grades A to E at the student’s completion of the subject.

The school-based assessments and the external assessment will be graded with reference to the performance standards.