Length: Full Year

Recommended background: Successful completion of Stage 1 Legal Studies

Content:

In 2023, the Legal Studies course will cover three main focus areas:

• Sources of Law
• Dispute Resolution
• When Rights Collide

These topics provide students with the opportunity to explore Australia’s constitutional heritage and the dynamic nature of the Australian legal system within a global context. They will be provided with an understanding of the principles and structures of this system so that they can make informed judgments about its strengths and weaknesses. They will focus on broad, big questions of the law and on specific inquiry topics. They will need to understand the competing tensions of opposing ideals that are at work in the Australian legal system.

Legal Studies empowers students to evaluate evidence in order to make decisions and recommendations about legal principles and processes. This skill development enables students to approach new situations and contexts with an analytical and problem-solving mindset.

Assessment:

Students’ performance will be determined according to the subject’s Performance Standards as outlined in the Subject Outline. Grades A+ to E- will be used for reporting purposes.

School-based assessment (70%):

• Folio (30%) – Four tasks with one being written under supervision; the entire Folio has a combined word count of 4,000 words
• Inquiry (40%) – One individual inquiry on a contemporary issue of public interest in the 12 months prior; the Inquiry should be a maximum of 2,000 words (if written)

External Assessment (30%):

• Examination – 130 minutes