PSYCHOLOGY

NAME: ____________________________________________
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Policy for Students Studying Psychology
Students should take the time to read this document and become familiar with the
policy.

1. Students should ensure they attend all timetabled Psychology sessions. If you miss a session for whatever
reason, the onus is upon you to catch up on missed work. A detailed program with book chapters and review
questions is contained within this booklet.
2. Students should avoid missing any assessment item. If one is missed due to illness, you must attend
a medical centre that day to obtain a medical note to cover the illness. Please note there are few
other reasons that will excuse missing an assessment item and will result in a zero for that
assessment. If you become aware of a school excursion or another assessment that conflicts with a
Psychology assessment, you should talk to your teacher immediately.
3. Students should avoid holidays during school time. It disrupts the teaching learning process and no
accommodation can be made for work missed by students during this time.
4. Students will be informed of all assessment dates at the beginning of the year. Psychology tests/
assessments will be done in class time. There are no early morning tests for this course.
5. There are restrictions on what students can bring into the room during an assessment. During all
assessments, there are to be no mobile phones located on your desk, in your pocket or in your pencil
case. Mobile phones are to be switched off and left in your school bag. Your teacher will point out a
secure place in the room to leave your bag during the assessment. Note this also applies to iPods/MP3
music devices, computers, iPads, smart watches and any other device capable of either storing or
transmitting data. Students found to be in possession of any of the previously mentioned devices,
regardless of whether or not they are using them, will automatically receive a zero for that
assessment.
6. Students cannot use a graphics or programmable calculator during assessments. We recommend
purchasing a simple cheap calculator from the Reject Shop or similar. Scientific calculators are acceptable.
Teachers will not loan students calculators during assessments, nor will they allow students to share
them (including during the exams). It is necessary to have pens, pencils, erasers and a ruler for all
assessments.
7. The textbook is referred to during most sessions. A copy is available in class at a ratio of 1:2. You may install
an e-copy on your laptop for use in class.
8. You will be expected to work through your Psychology ATAR Unit 3&4 Workbook during the course. The
workbook is designed to consolidate your understanding of each lesson and is an essential part of revision.
Furthermore, your teacher will expect you to complete all relevant sections as preparation leading up to your
tests and exams.
9. Please keep this booklet in the front of your file. The entire year has been programmed for your benefit with
all assessments dates, weightings, syllabus and review questions. An immense amount of work has gone into
its production to assist you in your studies, so keep it in a safe place for easy reference.
10.Psychology in Yr 12 is more challenging than lower school science. You will be required to spend 3-5 hours
per week revising FOR THIS SUBJECT ALONE. It is impossible to cram all of your study the night before an
assessment so thorough revision is required throughout the year to keep up with the course content.
11.Students assessments will be placed into folders and stored in the room for safe keeping. They are to stay in
the room at all times for studying and revision purposes.
12.You must ask your teacher’s permission to take photographs at any time during the class, in particular of any
data on the screen.
13.Many students find it advantageous to summarise each chapter in the text book as they complete it. This
could be in the form of notes, study cards or wall charts – whatever strategy you find effective.

Your teacher will always help you achieve the best possible mark you can. However,
there is only so much they can do. The only way to maximise your marks is to have an
organised and thorough study plan and revision program.

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WILLETTON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Yr 12 PSYCHOLOGY GENERAL (PSY GT)
ASSESSMENT OUTLINE 2021
COURSE OUTCOMES:
1. Psychological Understanding – Students understand the bases of human behaviour
2. Investigating in Psychology – Students use information gathering methods to explore and
answer questions about human thinking, emotion and behaviour.
3. Applying and relating psychological understanding – Students select and apply skills,
knowledge and understandings of psychology to the study of human behaviour.
4. Communication in Psychology – Students use appropriate skills and processes to
communicate their understanding of human behaviour.

Note: with Corona Virus and lockdowns imminent we may have to change the outline and the
schedule without much notice. However, reasonable alternatives to assessments will be provided to
ensure it is not stressful to the students.

A larger version of this document is in your course file

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Course outcome descriptions

The Psychology ATAR course is designed to facilitate achievement of the following outcomes.

Outcome 1 – Psychological understandings. Students understand the bases of human

behaviour. In achieving this outcome, students:
 understand how human behaviour can be defined, and the relationship between the internal
and external factors that influence how humans think, feel and act
 understand the different theoretical approaches to the various areas or domains of
psychology
 understand psychology provides scientific explanations of behaviour with particular principles,
procedures and approaches to data.

Outcome 2 – Investigating in psychology. Students use information gathering methods to

explore and answer questions about human thinking, emotion and behaviour. In achieving this
outcome, students:
 develop and select questions and ideas or hypotheses and plan and conduct research to test
these ideas in a reliable, valid and ethical way
 collect, record, classify, quantify and process data and information in organised, logical and
ethical ways
 interpret and evaluate findings in relation to ideas or hypotheses being tested and reflect on
the design of the research.

Outcome 3 – Applying and relating psychological understandings. Students select and

apply knowledge, understandings and skills to the study of human behaviour. In achieving this
outcome, students:
 use psychological knowledge and understandings to explain thoughts, feelings and behaviours
 apply knowledge and understandings reflecting the values of the discipline of psychology
 explore and interpret human behaviour in the everyday world using psychological theory and
principles.

Outcome 4 – Communication in psychology. Students use appropriate skills and processes to

communicate their understanding of human behaviour. In achieving this outcome, students:
 use psychological discourse
 interpret information received and communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas with purpose,
understanding and critical awareness
 explain psychological understandings to a range of audiences for a range of purposes.

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2021 PSYCHOLOGY GENERAL Year 12
GTPSY. UNITS 3 & 4
TERM PROGRAM
TERM 1
Week Key teaching points Reference
Fletcher & Garton (2015)
Introduction to psychology
 course structure Psychology Self & Others
 school assessment policy ATAR Units 1-4

UNIT 3 Ch 3 p 24
1
Feb 1-5 Cognition
 Definition of
 Cognition; sensation; perception; attention span
 states of consciousness Ch 3 pp 27-28
 selective attention; divided attention; daydreaming; meditation;
hypnosis; sleep

 physiological indicators of consciousness

2  brainwaves; heart rate; galvanic skin response
Feb 8-12  Quiz on Cognition for prize
 Memory
 multi-store model of memory – Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968)
 sensory register – duration, capacity
 working memory (short-term memory) – duration, capacity Ch 13 pp 178-181
 long-term memory – duration, capacity, procedural memory, Ch 13 pp 183-184
declarative memory – semantic and episodic

3  INTRO TASK 1
 strategies for enhancing retrieval of information and improving
Feb 15-
memory
19 o state- and context-dependent cues
o mnemonics
o chunking
o repetition

4  TASK WORK : strategies for enhancing retrieval of information

Feb 22- and improving memory
26 FRIDAY, FEB 26 – SCHOOL BALL & DRESS UP DAY

MONDAY, MAR 1– LABOUR DAY Holiday

Task 1: Project – Design a memory improvement program (10 %) Ch 17 p 237
5 SUBMISSION DATE: WEDNESDAY 3 March, 2020 Ch 7 p 96, Ch 17 p 239-240
Mar 1-5
Personality Ch 13 pp 183-186Ch 17 pp
 personality theories 240-242
 trait theories – Eysenck, Costa and McCrae
 humanistic theories – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Rogers

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Personality
 personality theories Ch 17 p 237
 behaviourist theories – Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike, Skinner Ch 7 p 96, Ch 17 p 239-240
6
 social learning theory – Bandura
Mar 8-12 Ch 13 pp 183-186Ch 17 pp
 the relationship between personality, motivation and human 240-242
performance
 advantages, disadvantages and issues related to personality testing
by organisations
Task 2: Topic test – Personality
16 March parents day Ch 20 p 274
Research methods
 terminology
 experimental, non-experimental
7
 scientific, non-scientific Ch 10 pp 145-147
Mar 15-
 sample, population
19 Research methods
 ethics in psychology research Ch 20 pp 283-284
 participants’ rights – confidentiality, voluntary participation,
withdrawal rights Ch 20 p 284
 informed consent procedures Ch 20 p 284-285
 deception in research
 experimental research method Ch11 pp 153-154
 independent and dependent variables Ch11 p156, Ch21 p291-293
 operational hypotheses  Ch11 p 157
 controlled and uncontrolled variables
 experimental and control groups
Quiz on Research methods for prize
Task 3: Investigation on personality
Discuss guidelines, Conduct investigation
8 Collect and analyse data, Interpret results and evaluate findings
Mar 22- Task 3: In-class Write up of Investigation Report (12.5%)
26
Relational influences
 friendship formation/determinants of liking Ch 14 pp 193-194
9
 proximity  similarity  reciprocity
Mar 29 – Ch 14 pp 195
 types of relationships
Apr 5
 pro-social  anti-social

Good Friday holiday

TERM 1 School Holidays (Apr 11 – 28)
TERM 2
1 Relational influences Ch 15 pp 214-217
Apr 19 –  friendship formation/determinants of liking
23  proximity  similarity  reciprocity
 types of relationships
 pro-social  anti-social

 types of solutions to resolve conflict

 imposed  distributive  integrative

 techniques for resolving conflict

 mediation  negotiation  counselling

2021 | Yr 12 Psychology | General

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2
April 26- Revise for Externally Set Task
30 Use quiz on sway

Task 4: Externally set task (15%) –by SCSA based on content from Unit 3
Communication
3  communication styles
May 3-7  social background – Bernstein
 gender differences – Tannen
 Robinson’s social skills
Communication
 persuasive communication
 source of the message
 nature of the communication
 characteristics of the audience
 Evaluate effectiveness of some advertisements using elements of
persuasive communication
Discuss guidelines for Task 7 – design an advertisement using elements
4 of persuasive communication
May 10- Produce an advertisement in the form of a poster, pamphlet, video OR
14 webpage (choose ONE) to promote mental health and well-being
5& 6
17-28 May Yr 12 ATAR EXAMS

Task 5: Project – Advertisement to promote mental health and well-

being (10%). Submission Date: Friday 4 June

7 UNIT 4
May 31- Biological influences/bases of behaviour
June 4  functions of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex
 frontal lobe – abstract thinking, problem solving, reasoning,
decision making
 parietal lobe – primary sensory cortex
 occipital lobe – primary visual cortex
 temporal lobe – primary auditory cortex
8 Biological influences/bases of behaviour
 methods of studying the brain
June 7-  electroencephalography (EEG), computed axial tomography (CAT)
11 scan, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
 case studies:Phineas Gage, H. Molaison (HM), London taxi drivers
 animal studies – Lashley, Sperry
9 Task 6: response– Biological Influences test Date: Monday 14 June
Jun 14-18 Developmental psychology Ch 16 pp 224-228
 ways of studying influences on development Ch 16 pp 229-230
 twin studies Ch 16 p 230-232
 adoption studies
10 Developmental Psychology
Jun 21-25  explanations of development
 Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
11 Developmental Psychology
Jun 28-  explanations of development

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9 Task 6: response– Biological Influences test Date: Monday 14 June
Jun 14-18 Developmental psychology Ch 16 pp 224-228
 ways of studying influences on development Ch 16 pp 229-230
 twin studies Ch 16 p 230-232
 adoption studies
10 Developmental Psychology
Jun 21-25  explanations of development
 Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
July 2  Kohlberg’s theory
TERM 2 School Holidays (July 2 – 19)
TERM 3
1 Developmental Psychology
Jul 19-23  explanations of development
 Piaget’s theory and Kohlberg’s theory cont…
 cultural bias in developmental theories
Task 7: Response – Developmental psychology
Social psychology
2  group influences on behaviour
Jul 26-30  compliance
 group polarization
 bystander effect
Social psychology
3  group influences on behaviour
Aug 2–6  social status and power
 conformity and obedience – Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo
4 Social psychology
Aug 9–13  group influences on behaviour
 conformity and obedience – Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo

5 Culture and values

Aug 16-20  cultural diversity
 conventions and expectations
cultures as social groups – collectivist, individualistic
6 Culture and values
Aug 23–27  racism
 causes of prejudice
 reducing prejudice
 Ch 9 pp 132-134
7 revision for test
Aug 30– Task 9: Response – Social Psych and Values
Sep 3
Research methods Ch 10 pp 147-148
 non-experimental (descriptive) research methods Ch 10 pp 142-143
8  case studies, surveys, correlational studies Ch11 pp 153-154
Sep 6–10  behavioural variables in correlational studies Ch11 pp156-157
 qualitative methods for data collection
 objective quantitative measures in research
 physiological measures
 subjective quantitative measures in research
 checklists, rating scales – Likert scale

2021 | Yr 12 Psychology | General

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 displaying quantitative data – tables, graphs, diagrams
 data interpretation – range, mode, median, mean
 use of correlation to establish association between variables
 displaying quantitative data – tables, graphs, diagrams
 data interpretation
 mode; mean; median; range
statistical significance
Task 8: Investigation – social psych Ch 9 pp 127-128
Discuss guidelines, Conduct Investigation Ch 9 pp 129-130
9 Collect and analyse data Ch 9 pp 130-131
Interpret results and Evaluate findings
Sep 13–17
Task 8: In-class Write up of Investigation Report (12.5%)

10 YR 12 ATAR EXAMS
Sep 20–24

TERM 4

Week Activity
1 YR 12 BREAKFAST AND FINAL ASSEMBLY
Oct 11
6
Nov 20
GRADUATION

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PSYCHOLOGY
GENERAL COURSE

YEAR 12 SYLLABUS

STRUCTURE OF THE SYLLABUS

The Year 12 syllabus is divided into two units which are delivered as a pair. The notional time for the pair of
units is 110 class contact hours.

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Unit 3
This unit expands on personality theories studied in Unit 1. Students apply knowledge and understandings to
explore how personality can shape motivation and performance and how personality testing is used in
vocational contexts. Students are introduced to different states of consciousness and the role of sensation,
perception and attention in organising and interpreting information. Relational influences, including factors
which determine friendships and conflict resolution, are explored. Students expand on their vocabulary of
psychological terminology as they apply research methods and ethical principles.

Unit 4
This unit explores brain function and scanning techniques to illustrate the link between the brain and
behaviour. Students learn about Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Kohlberg’s theory of moral
development and the role of nature and nurture. The impact of the environment on individuals is examined
through the study of behaviours observed in groups, causes of prejudice and ways of reducing prejudice.
Students continue to develop and apply their understanding of psychological research and data collection
methods.
Each unit includes:
 a unit description – a short description of the focus of the unit
 unit content – the content to be taught and learned.

Organisation of content
For each unit the content is organised as follows:

Sub-organisers
Content organisers
Unit 3 Unit 4
Biological influences/bases of behaviour Developmental psychology
Self
Cognition Personality
Relational influences Social psychology
Others
Communication Culture and values
Planning and conducting psychological research
Research methods
Processing and evaluating psychological research

Yr 12 Psychology | General | Course Information

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Scope and Sequence - Yr 12 General Psychology

Unit 3 Unit 4
Self
Personality Biological influences/bases of behaviour
 personality theories  functions of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex
 trait theories – Eysenck, Costa and McCrae  frontal lobe – abstract thinking, problem
 humanistic theories – Maslow’s Hierarchy solving, reasoning, decision making
of Needs, Rogers  parietal lobe – primary sensory cortex
 behaviourist theories – Pavlov, Watson,  occipital lobe – primary visual cortex
Thorndike, Skinner  temporal lobe – primary auditory cortex
 social learning theory – Bandura  methods of studying the brain
 the relationship between personality, motivation  electroencephalography (EEG), computed axial
and human performance tomography (CAT) scan, functional magnetic
 advantages, disadvantages and issues related to resonance imaging (fMRI)
personality testing by organisations  case studies – Phineas Gage, Henry Molaison
Cognition (HM) and London taxi drivers
 definition of  animal studies – Lashley, Sperry
 cognition Developmental psychology
 sensation  explanations of development
 perception  Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
 attention span  Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
 memory  cultural bias in developmental theories
 multi store model of memory – Atkinson  ways of studying influences on development
and Shiffrin (1968)  twin studies
 sensory register – duration, capacity  adoption studies
 working memory (short-term memory) –
duration, capacity
 long-term memory – duration, capacity,
procedural memory, declarative memory –
semantic and episodic
 strategies for enhancing retrieval of
information and improving memory
o state and context dependent cues
o mnemonics
o chunking
o repetition
 states of consciousness
 selective attention
 divided attention
 daydreaming
 meditation
 hypnosis
 sleep
 physiological indicators of consciousness
 brainwaves
 heart rate
 galvanic skin response


2021 | Yr 12 Psychology | General

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Others
Relational influences Social psychology
 friendship formation/determinants of liking  group influences on behaviour
 proximity  compliance
 similarity  group polarisation
 reciprocity  social status and power
 types of relationships  conformity and obedience – Asch, Milgram,
 pro-social Zimbardo
 anti-social  bystander effect
 types of solutions to resolve conflict Culture and values
 imposed  cultural diversity
 distributive  conventions and expectations
 integrative  cultures as social groups – collectivist,
 techniques for resolving conflict individualistic
 mediation  racism
 negotiation  causes of prejudice
 counselling  reducing prejudice
Communication
 communication styles
 social background – Bernstein
 gender differences – Tannen
 Robinson’s social skills
 persuasive communication
 source of the message
 nature of the communication
 characteristics of the audience
Research methods
Planning and conducting psychological research
 terminology
 experimental, non-experimental
 scientific, non-scientific
 sample
 population
 ethics in psychology research
 participants’ rights– confidentiality, voluntary participation, withdrawal rights
 informed consent procedures
 deception in research
 experimental research method
 independent and dependent variables
 operational hypotheses
 controlled and uncontrolled variables
 experimental and control groups
 non-experimental (descriptive) research methods
 case studies, surveys, correlational studies
 qualitative methods for data collection
 objective quantitative measures in research
 physiological measures
 subjective quantitative measures in research
 checklists
 rating scales – Likert scale
Processing and evaluating psychological research
 displaying quantitative data – tables, graphs, diagrams
 data interpretation – mode, mean, median, range
 use of correlation to establish association between variables
 statistical significance

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School-based assessment
The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Manual contains essential information on
principles, policies and procedures for school-based assessment that needs to be read in conjunction
with this syllabus.
Teachers design school-based assessment tasks to meet the needs of students. The table below
provides details of the assessment types for the Psychology General Year 12 syllabus and the
weighting for each assessment type.
Assessment table – Year 12
Type of assessment Weighting

Investigation 25%
Students plan and conduct a study to answer a research question that can include predicting, hypothesising,
designing, controlling variables, gathering and organising data and interpreting and/or evaluating research
findings.
Evidence can include: an experimental design brief, a formal investigation or laboratory report, research
notes, journals, quantitative and/or qualitative analyses of data from observation checklists, and/or self or
peer evaluation tools.
Response 40%
Students apply knowledge and skills to analyse, interpret and evaluate data, and identify ethical issues.
Evidence can include: reports, literature searches, tests, observations during the analysis process, evaluation
forms and/or journals.
Project 20%
Students communicate psychological knowledge, skills and processes in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Evidence can include: observation checklists, evaluation forms, questionnaires, posters, observations during
discussion, journals, video and/or audio recordings, group work, role plays and/or oral presentations.
Externally set task 15%
A written task or item or set of items of 50 minutes duration developed by the School Curriculum and
Standards Authority and administered by the school.

Teachers are required to use the assessment table to develop an assessment outline for the pair of
units.
The assessment outline must:
 include a set of assessment tasks
 include a general description of each task
 indicate the unit content to be assessed
 indicate a weighting for each task and each assessment type
 include the approximate timing of each task (for example, the week the task is conducted, or the
issue and submission dates for an extended task).
All assessment types must be included in the assessment outline at least twice with the exception of
the externally set task which only occurs once.
The set of assessment tasks must provide a representative sampling of the content for Unit 3 and
Unit 4.
Assessment tasks not administered under test/controlled conditions require appropriate
validation/authentication processes.

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Externally set task
All students enrolled in the Year 12 General Psychology course will complete the externally set task
developed by the Authority. Schools are required to administer this task in Term 2 at a time
prescribed by the Authority.
Externally set task design brief – Year 12
Time 50 minutes
Written
Conducted under invigilated conditions
Format
Typically between two and six questions/items
Questions can require students to refer to source material
Content The Authority informs schools during Term 3 of the previous year of the Unit 3 syllabus
content on which the task will be based

Refer to the WACE Manual for further information.

Grading
Schools report student achievement in terms of the following grades:

Grade Interpretation
A Excellent achievement
B High achievement
C Satisfactory achievement
D Limited achievement
E Very low achievement

The teacher prepares a ranked list and assigns the student a grade for the pair of units. The grade is
based on the student’s overall performance as judged by reference to a set of pre-determined
standards. These standards are defined by grade descriptions and annotated work samples. The
grade descriptions for the Psychology General Year 12 syllabus are provided in Appendix 1. They can
also be accessed, together with annotated work samples, through the Guide to Grades link on the
course page of the Authority website at www.scsa.wa.edu.au
To be assigned a grade, a student must have had the opportunity to complete the education program,
including the assessment program (unless the school accepts that there are exceptional and justifiable
circumstances).
Refer to the WACE Manual for further information about the use of a ranked list in the process of
assigning grades.

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Appendix 1 – Grade descriptions Year 12

Understanding and applying concepts
Explains and applies a range of theoretical approaches and domains in the fields of psychology related
to the way humans think, feel and act, both individually and in a group.
Makes direct reference to psychological theories, principles and concepts to describe and explain in
detail links to human behaviour in the everyday world.
Uses a range of appropriate psychological terminology consistently and accurately adapts language to
suit specific audiences and purposes.
Expresses ideas in a concise, accurate and logical way and supports answer with relevant examples.
Uses frameworks to develop a detailed, comprehensive response.
Research Methods
A Uses frameworks to conduct a scientific investigation and write a detailed, comprehensive report that
includes all sections.
Identifies relevant ethical considerations and discusses in detail how they are managed.
Explains key terms comprehensively; makes links to relevant theories and supports with relevant
research.
Formulates an operational hypothesis.
Organises data logically and presents it in a range of forms including tables and graphs; processes
data using appropriate statistics.
Describes trends in data, relates findings to the hypothesis and develops scientific explanations that
are consistent with the data.
Suggests specific changes that would improve the techniques used or the design of the investigation.

Understanding and applying concepts

Identifies and explains key theoretical approaches and domains in the fields of psychology related to
the way humans think, feel and act, both individually and in a group.
Makes direct reference to psychological theories, principles and concepts to describe and explain
human behaviour in the everyday world.
Expresses ideas in an accurate and logical way, using appropriate psychological terminology and
supports their answer with relevant examples.
Uses frameworks to develop a comprehensive response.
B Research Methods
Uses frameworks to conduct a scientific investigation and write a report that includes all sections.
Identifies and describes relevant ethical considerations.
Explains key terms; makes reference to research without explanation.
Formulates a hypothesis and may include some operationalised variables.
Presents data in a range of forms including tables and graphs; processes data using mostly
appropriate statistics.
Summarises and explains patterns in the data in relation to the research prediction.
Gives general suggestions for improving the investigation.

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Understanding and applying concepts
Describes theoretical approaches and domains in the fields of psychology related to the way humans
think, feel and act, both individually and in a group.
Makes direct reference to psychological theories, principles and concepts to describe human
behaviour in the everyday world.
Adequately expresses ideas, using psychological terminology, and includes some examples.
Follows frameworks to organise ideas.
Research Methods
C Uses frameworks to conduct an investigation and write a report, of which some sections are brief or
have information omitted.
Lists some ethical considerations.
Briefly explains some key terms and may refer to research studies.
Formulates a research question or poses a general hypothesis.
Presents data with minor inaccuracies; processes data using statistics with some omissions.
Identifies some patterns in the data to describe simple findings that have a few inaccuracies but
relate to the research prediction.
Identifies the main difficulties experienced in conducting the investigation.

Understanding and applying concepts

Shows a limited recall of theoretical approaches and domains in the fields of psychology.
Identifies patterns and describes human behaviour using everyday language.
Inadequately expresses ideas; uses minimal psychological terminology and insufficient structure in
response.
Research Methods
Follows frameworks, using insufficient structure in response.
D Sometimes confuses ethical considerations with the values underpinning research.
Provides limited description of some key terms.
Provides an inaccurate or irrelevant hypothesis.
Provides unprocessed data with inaccurate or irrelevant statistics.
Demonstrates minimal skill in the planning, designing, organising and explaining investigation
findings.
Identifies some often irrelevant difficulties in conducting an experiment.

Does not meet the requirements of a D grade and/or has completed insufficient assessment tasks to
E be assigned a higher grade.

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Willetton Senior High School

SENIOR SCHOOL ASSESSMENT POLICY 2021

Please read the following information which is an extract from the WSHS Senior School Assessment
Policy 2021.
Formal tests, examinations and assessment tasks
All absences from assessments need to be covered by written evidence. Students who are absent due
to illness, injury or similar mitigating factors, may be required to submit a certificate from a medical
practitioner. If the student is absent for a reason other than illness, the learning area is to be
contacted by phone on the day of the assessment. Absences for non-essential activities will not be
accepted as a valid reason for missing assessments and students may be asked to substantiate the
reason for any non-medical absences.
Copies of certificates and other documents are to be submitted to:

 the teacher concerned, in the case of formal tests and assessment tasks
 Student Services staff, in the case of examinations
It is usual that a mark of zero is given if proof is not provided immediately the student returns to
school.
Where the student's reason for absence from a formal assessment can be shown to be reasonable in
the circumstances and unavoidable, appropriate arrangements will be made to sit an assessment at a
different time to obtain an alternative, equitable measure of achievement and to provide feedback
on the student’s performance. The alternative measure will be decided by the teacher in consultation
with the head of learning area and will be negotiated to be fair and consistent across all classes taking
the course.

If the student cannot demonstrate a valid reason for the absence, a mark of zero will be recorded for
part or all of that assessment and the teacher will notify the parent in writing that there may be a risk
of failure for the student.

Family holidays during the term or examination period are not considered a valid reason for non-
completion or non-submission of assessment tasks. In exceptional circumstances and with sufficient
notification, the parent may negotiate the development of an individual educational plan with the
Program Coordinator to cater for the missed learning and assessment program.

If a student misses a large number of tests, examinations, or assessment tasks, even if the absences
are covered by medical certificates, further investigation and appropriate action will be taken to
ensure that any grades/marks issued by the school are valid.

Where a catastrophic event (e.g. a pandemic, school closure) affects delivery of the teaching
program, the completion or submission of one or more assessment tasks and/or completion of the
school examination timetable, students will be advised by school staff of modifications to the task
requirements and/or the assessment outline, including the due date.

Assignments, reports, essays, portfolios, diaries and projects (other than VET qualifications)
Students are required to submit all assessments to the classroom teacher by the scheduled session
on the due date. Students experiencing difficulty meeting a deadline must discuss this with the
teacher at the earliest possible time, before the date on which the assessment is due. An extension of
time for an individual student can give an unfair advantage and so, in general, extensions will not be
granted.
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The penalty for late work is 10% per school day, which will be calculated in relation to the actual mark
awarded to the student for their performance in the assessment. Deductions will not force a piece of
work to be awarded below 50% of the marks allocated to the assessment in the assessment outline.
Students are advised to submit assessments on the due date, even if incomplete, to avoid a penalty.

Work submitted after marked papers have been returned to the class will not usually receive a score
of more than 50% and it must be submitted for course completion to be achieved. In cases where a
student is at risk of failure, there may be a requirement to submit additional work or to resubmit
work until it meets the required standard.

In-class and individual assessment tasks

To ensure the reliability of the school’s marks when making a judgment about a student’s
performance on an assessment task, the school must be confident that the work is the student’s own.
It is important that the student is the original author of all work presented for assessment and others
should not provide more than a minor degree of support to produce the task. All courses will have
tasks that are completed under supervision and can be vouched for as demonstrating the student’s
unassisted ability and these may be used to make comparisons to unsupervised work.
In the case of multiple classes of the one course, learning areas will conduct assessment tasks in a
manner that ensures there is no transfer of information which could advantage some students. This
may require the use of extended school hours. If past papers are used, they will be modified to such
an extent as to prevent advantage to any students who may have prior access to the papers.

Individual in-class assessments form a part of the continuous assessment for each student. To ensure
accurate and fair assessment, each student is expected to be present for every in-class activity.
Assessment for students absent from in-class activities will be in accordance with the policy outlined
under Formal Tests, Examinations and Assessment Tasks.

Group tasks
If students are working as a member of a group on an assessment task, they have a responsibility to
that group. A process that identifies individual performance will be part of the group assessment
structure, so that a group is not penalised for an individual's failure to complete an assessment and to
enable an individual student’s work to be independently assessed.

Access to assessment documentation and marked assessment tasks

To ensure that assessments are educationally sound and contribute to learning the following
practices are to be followed.

In all courses of study, the assessment criteria should be made explicit to students prior to the
assessment to focus their attention on what they have to achieve. This is done by providing students
with an outline which details the specific knowledge, skills and understandings that will be covered in
the assessment.

A marking key for each assessment task, other than an Externally Set Task, must be developed by the
teacher to make clear and explicit the criteria used to award marks. Marking keys should:
 help to ensure a consistent interpretation of the criteria that guide the awarding of marks
 provide the basis of feedback to students
 result in the effective ranking of student achievement/performance

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A review of student performance must occur in class. At this time students must have access to the
marked assessment task, the Task Outline and/or the marking key, on which students can annotate
particular areas of weakness and methods of addressing these.

Students are then able to retain one or more of the following (which ones are at the discretion of the
teacher):
 their marked assessment task (or copy)
 the annotated marking key
 the annotated Task Outline

Access to students’ marked assessment tasks and related marking keys retained by teachers must be
made available to students under supervised conditions at times suitable to both parties.
The only exception to the above requirements for provision of Task Outline, marking key and
retention of material by students is Maths Investigation or Practical Application tasks where, due to
the nature of the tasks staff are required to provide effective feedback but may retain all work and
marking keys.

Retention and disposal of student work

Students are responsible for retaining all of their marked written assessment tasks until after the
appeal deadline (November for Year 12 and December for Year 11). This material is required by the
teacher/s when assigning grades at the completion of the pair of units and may be required by the
School Curriculum and Standards Authority for moderation purposes. To assist in this process,
particular courses may instead choose to establish an assessment file for each student for each
course/program.

All assessment files created by teachers must be retained until the marks have been accepted by the
School Curriculum and Standards Authority. The school will only use the materials for moderation
purposes unless written permission is obtained from the student. The school will securely dispose of
all materials not collected by the students after this time. All recorded evidence of performance for
non-written assessment tasks is deleted/erased.
Assessments missed because of a course change or transfer from another school
Students must be aware that they will be disadvantaged by late arrival in a course. When a student
does have a late entry to a course or qualification, it is essential that they acquire from the teacher, a
course outline and assessment schedule that clearly indicates:

 course work covered prior to their entry

 assessments already completed and the proportion of the total mark allocated to these
 missed or additional work that the teacher recommends to be done for success in the course,
with revised due dates that are manageable in the circumstances

Questions about this should be directed firstly to the class teacher and if more action is needed, the head
of learning area may provide specific information to manage a student who has entered a class after the
commencement of the course and appears to be at risk of not succeeding.

Where a student enters from another school, it is that student’s responsibility to provide the Willetton SHS
teacher with assessments from the previous school and sufficient information to determine where their
achievement stands in relation to the course and other students at this school. The teacher may credit the
student with marks where the tasks are comparable.

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It is important that students monitor their progress in a course and if necessary, they are encouraged
to seek changes to their courses as early as possible in first term. The final date for most changes of
course is the end of Week 8, Term One. Students need to enter into discussion of progress prior to
this so that decisions regarding course changes can be made in a timely manner.
Where the teacher has concerns for the student’s ability to succeed after the change of course, they
will contact the student’s parents to discuss the situation and inform the Program Coordinator.

Additional opportunity for students to complete a task

In exceptional circumstances and after negotiation with the teacher and head of learning area, a
student may be provided with additional opportunity to complete an assessment task. The mark
awarded for this task will be judged on a basis which is equitable and fair for all students in the
course, while taking into consideration the individual’s situation.

Cheating/plagiarism
Cheating occurs when a student deliberately uses inappropriate strategies to gain advantage over
other students. This is a serious offence and can result in zero marks being awarded. Students who
cheat in formal tests and examinations will be penalised in keeping with the penalties imposed by the
SCSA. This may be a zero mark for part or all of the assessment. Students who assist others to copy
their work are facilitating cheating and may be penalised by having marks deducted from their own
work.

Plagiarism is the use of the work of another person and the presentation of this as one’s own effort. It
can be deliberate or due to lack of care. Students who plagiarise will be dealt with by the head of
learning area and their assessment adjusted to reflect the degree to which the work is not their own.
All work submitted for assessment must be the original work of the student, unless citing work from
other sources. Any unoriginal content is clearly discriminated and the source acknowledged in the
appropriate manner (i.e., reference list or citations).

Repeated plagiarism will be treated in the same way as cheating.

Cheating and plagiarism breach the school behaviour code and will result in a behaviour record and
can result in further disciplinary action.

Assessment review procedures

Students are entitled to check their results. This may relate to a single task or assessment, or to the
end of semester marks and grades. Students who wish to do this must initially approach the course
teacher. If the issue is not settled, the student and parent should address their concerns in writing to
the head of learning area. Where this does not resolve the issue, an appeals panel consisting of the
head of learning area or their nominee, a deputy principal and a Student Services representative may
be formed.
Appeals will only be considered in the context of this assessment policy and within a two week period
of the student receiving the result.

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CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM IN ASSESSMENTS
Definitions:

Cheating - Acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage (Oxford Living Dictionaries)

Plagiarism – stealing phrases from writings of another and publishing or claiming them as one’s own.
(Learnthat.org)

Any activity that allows a student to have an unfair advantage over other students is unacceptable.
All work submitted, including practical assessments must be the students own work. Cheating and/or
plagiarism could lead to an assessment mark being cancelled or significantly reduced.

Breach of Assessment Rules:

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all instructions relating to sitting assessments are
understood.

Students are not to:

 Collude with other students

 Have possession or knowledge of assessment questions before an assessment
 Have possession of unauthorised materials during the assessment. Possession of mobile
technologies such as smart watch, mobile phone, iPod. MP3/4, computers, tablets, laptops,
bags, pencil cases that are not made of clear material, calculator cases, calculator instruction
booklets, external storage media, map templates are not permitted

Procedure: All phones must be turned off and left at the front of the room in bags or as directed by
the teacher in charge, together with any mobile technologies that may provide an unfair advantage.
No responsibility will be accepted by the teacher or supervisor for your personal property.

Consequences:
If students are found with a mobile phone or other unauthorised device on their person during a test,
assessment or examination regardless of whether use has been established, the student may have
their marks cancelled or reduced.

Teachers will move around the classroom and actively invigilate all assessments.

2021 | Yr 12 Psychology | General