Stage 2 | Subject outline | version control

Legal Studies Stage 2
Subject outline

Version 4.0
For teaching in Australian and SACE International schools from January 2023 to December 2023.
For teaching in SACE International schools only from May/June 2023 to March 2024 and from May/June 2024 to March 2025. Accredited in June 2020 for teaching at Stage 2 from 2021.
Accredited in June 2020 for teaching at Stage 2 from 2021. 

Stage 2 | Subject outline | assessment-design-criteria

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by:

  • teachers to clarify for students what they need to investigate, learn, and demonstrate
  • teachers and assessors to design opportunities for students to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

  • students should demonstrate in their learning
  • teachers and assessors look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject the assessment design criteria are:

  • understanding and application
  • analysis and evaluation
  • communication.

The specific features of these criteria are described below.

The set of assessments, as a whole, must give students opportunities to demonstrate each of the specific features by the completion of study of the subject.

Understanding and Application 

The specific features are as follows:

UA1 Understanding of ways that the legal system balances competing tensions to specific contexts.
UA2 Understanding and application of legal principles and processes.
UA3 Research, selection, application, and acknowledgement of relevant sources.

Analysis and Evaluation 

The specific features are as follows:

AE1 Analysis and evaluation of legal principles, processes, or problems.
AE2 Evaluation of legal issues or arguments to reach a resolution and, where appropriate, make recommendations.

Communication 

The specific features are as follows:

C1 Communication of legal concepts and arguments.