Senior Studies
Senior Studies
At St Clare’s College, senior students engage in a flexible and high-quality curriculum as part of the ACT Senior Secondary System, governed by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS). School-based curriculum allows teachers to shape course offerings, ensuring a broad range of academic and vocational opportunities.
Assessment & Certification
- Continuous, school-based assessment with no external subject-based exams.
- Courses are taught in units, each representing at least 55 hours of study. A unit of study is organised around a particular theme or skill set and has a value based on the time the unit took to deliver
- Moderation ensures consistency of grading across schools.
Course Package
Senior courses at St Clare’s College develop key skills in literacy, numeracy, ICT, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical behaviour, and intercultural understanding.
Inspired by the Australian Curriculum and using similar design protocols, courses of study for the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate are relevant to the lives of students. Courses address the following three priorities:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
- Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
- Sustainability
Students may choose between:
- Tertiary Package – Leads to the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
- Standard Package – Leads to the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate, with opportunities for Vocational Certificates.
For more details on policies, assessment, and course offerings, visit the BSSS website.
Course Selection & Career Planning
Students are encouraged to select subjects based on their interests, abilities, and future goals. Students typically achieve in the subjects they are interested in, rather than those they perceive they ‘need’.
We recommend students avoid over-specialisation. The best preparation for a place in the workforce or further study is a broad general education. Students who do well at university are able to think critically, who can write and speak and who have an understanding of the world and their place in it. Advancement in the workforce is available to those who can speak, read and write with confidence and who have a useful general knowledge of their world.
The College provides counselling and advisory services to assist students in career and course choices; however, it remains the student’s responsibility to ensure that courses and units selected are appropriate to their further needs.
To ensure the best academic pathway, students should:
- Check prerequisites for their intended career or further study.
- Ensure their course package meets senior certificate requirements.
- Consult the Teaching and Learning Coordinator before making subject changes.
Senior Electives
To permit flexibility and scope for package variations, the College recommends the study of six courses in Year 11 with the option of reducing to five majors in Year 12.
Details on the scope of courses are in the Senior Course Guide.
English
- Literature (T)
- English (T)
- Essential English (A/M)
Languages
- French Continuing (T/A)
- Italian Continuing (T/A)
- Japanese Continuing (T/A)
Mathematics
- Essential Mathematics (A/M)
- Mathematical Applications (T)
- Mathematical Methods (T)
- Specialist Methods (T)
- Specialist Mathematics (T)
Health and Physical Education
- Exercise Science (T/A/M)
- Physical Education Studies (A/M)
- Health and Wellbeing (T/A/M)
- Certificate III in Fitness
- Certificate II in Sport and Recreation
Religion
- Religious Studies (T/A/M)
- World Religions (T/A/M)
Science
- Biology (T/A)
- Chemistry (T)
- Earth & Environmental Science (T/A/M)
- Health Sciences (T/A/M)
- Physics (T)
- Psychology (T/A)
Humanities and Social Sciences
- Global Studies (T/A/M)
- Business (T/A/M)
- Economics (T/A/M)
- Modern History (T/A/M)
- Ancient History (T/A/M)
- Legal Studies (T/A/M)
- Sociology (T/A/M)
- Pre-Modern History (T/A/M)
Technology
- Design and Graphics (T/A/M)
- Design and Emerging Technologies (T/A/M)
- Designed Environments (T/A/M)
- Hospitality (T/A/M/V)
- Information Technology (T/A/M)
- Design and Textiles (T/A/M/V)
- Food Studies (A/M)
The Arts
- Dance (T/A/M)
- Drama (T/A/M)
- Media (T/A/M)
- Music (T/A/M)
- Photography (T/A/M)
- Visual Arts (T/A/M)
Inclusive Education
- Pathways to Work & Learning (A/M/V)
