1. WACE 2016 and beyond and The Australian Curriculum: Languages
TOFA Stage à la plage
2014
TRIM: 2014/10515

2. The WACE syllabus review process
The Authority has listened to the feedback from teachers, principals and other stakeholders, and has adapted the Western Australian Certificate of Education to address the issues that have been raised.
As part of the review, changes and refinements to the current WACE courses have also occurred:
Adopted and adapted the Australian Curriculum to reflect the content and understanding of our existing courses (E, M, H and S).
Reviewed and repackaged the Stage 1, 2 and 3 courses into ATAR and General courses.
ATAR courses typically reflect Stage 2 content in Year 11 and Stage 3 content in Year 12.
General courses typically reflect Stage 1 content in Year 11 and Stage 2 content in Year 12.
The syllabus review tables will be published on the Authority’s website.

3. Review of courses
From 2015, courses (excluding Languages) with fewer than 100 students across the State for two consecutive years will be placed on notice and if enrolments remain at or below 100 students for a third year, the course will be removed from the Course List.
All syllabuses will be reviewed typically on a five-year cyclical basis, according to learning area.
The schedule of review will be published in 2014.

4. What’s happening in 2014 for schools?
Available on our website on 31 March:
230 syllabuses
sample externally set tasks for all General courses
sample examinations for 13 new Australian Curriculum based ATAR courses
the draft WACE Manual for consultation.
You will be able to access learning area videos.
HOLAs will be able to register for learning area webinars.
You will be able to participate in online discussions.
Keep an eye on our website

5. Languages courses on offer from 2015
Chinese
French
German
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Second language   
Background language
First language
N/A

6. Application for permission to enrol in a WACE language course in 2015
From 2015 all Year 11 students wishing to study a Year 11 WACE language course must complete an application form before enrolling in:
Chinese: Second language (General and ATAR)
Chinese: Background language (ATAR)
Chinese: First language (ATAR)
French: Second language (General and ATAR)
French: Background language (ATAR)
German: Second language (General and ATAR)
German: Background language (ATAR)
Indonesian: Second language (General and ATAR)
Indonesian: Background language (ATAR)
Indonesian: First language (ATAR)
Italian: Second language (General and ATAR)
Italian: Background language (ATAR)
Japanese: Second language (General and ATAR)
Japanese: Background language (ATAR)
Japanese: First language (ATAR)

7. Private Candidates
From 2016, private candidature in ATAR examinations will be discontinued except for students:
seeking mature age university entrance
undertaking language courses through interstate or Collaborative Curriculum Assessment Framework for Languages (CACAFL) offerings.

8. The WACE French courses
What’s new?
Pathway for all students
ATAR and General courses
Revised rationale
Refinement to unit content
Changes to names and number of topics and inclusion of topic descriptions
Movement of some grammatical items
Synthesis of grade descriptions
Appendices for text types and grammar.
(3:10 – 3:13) 3 mins
In 2013 the Course Advisory Committee consulted and provided feedback on the development of the Second Language ATAR and General courses and the Background Language ATAR course. Their work was instrumental in the provision of these courses and syllabuses.
For the first time there will be a provision for a language pathway for all students –Second and Background Language courses
Availability of ATAR and General courses
Revised rationale – to align with the Australian Curriculum: Languages French curriculum
Refinement/changes to names of topics and inclusion of topic description to provide clarity of interpretation and depth of treatment
Movement of some grammatical items to different units
Synthesis of grade descriptions to eliminate repetition and increase clarity
Appendices for textual conventions and grammar and assumed grammar with elaborations.

9. WACE French Courses - Assessment
Based on previous WACE course assessment table with the following amendments:
the assessment type Response has been split and has been renamed Response: Listening and Response: Viewing and reading
the wording of the assessment types has been modified slightly
written and practical (oral) examinations have been included as assessment types in ATAR and Externally Set Task has been included in the Year 12 General
weightings for each assessment type are fixed.

10. WACE French Courses - Examinations
Practical (oral) examination and a written examination
Number of sections has remained the same
Weightings have been slightly altered
Supporting information has been refined to ensure clarity in content and process, e.g. number of times texts are played, types of texts and question formats to be used.

11. WACE French: Background Language course
Developed in conjunction with German and Italian Background Language courses
ATAR course only
Content areas are similar to French Second Language
Draft grade descriptions
Appendices for text types and grammar
Year 12 syllabus also includes Personal investigation and in the appendix, a list of suggested sub-topics for the Personal investigation.

12. WACE French: Background Language course
Personal investigation
Year 12
Basis of school based assessments and practical (oral) examination
Research into a topic of interest, related to one of the topics in Units 3 and/or 4
Use of texts and resources and reference to personal experiences, if applicable
Prior to examination – 300 word written summary in French and annotated bibliography of three source texts.

13. The Australian Curriculum
Languages curricula currently being developed/to be developed:
a Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages (the Framework)
Arabic and Vietnamese
French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek and Spanish
Chinese
Auslan, classical languages, Hindi and Turkish.

14. The Australian Curriculum
The F-10 Australian Curriculum: Languages continues to be consulted on during 2014.
It is anticipated that the Australian Curriculum: Languages will be endorsed by Ministers and published later this year.
When the curriculum is endorsed by the Minister of Education (WA) for implementation by WA schools, the content of the curriculum will be adopted and adapted to suit Western Australian schools.

15. The Australian Curriculum
Once the curricula are endorsed and available for implementation, in WA, work will be done through the Authority to :
Identify core and additional content, and develop syllabuses for P – 6 and 7 – 10 for each of the languages
The syllabuses:
will outline explicit content that teachers are expected to teach and students expected to acquire
will give an indication of notional time allocation.

16. Australian Curriculum: Languages French
Two sequences:
F-10
7-10
Three areas:
Band descriptions
Content descriptions (with elaborations) in the strands Communicating and Understanding
Achievement standards
Scope and sequence

17. P – Year 10 Curriculum Implementation

18. P – Year 10 Curriculum Implementation

19. Overview of teachers’ role
Identify essential content.
Sequence teaching and learning activities to support curriculum content and to reflect needs of students.
Develop assessment tasks to enable students to demonstrate achievement (of the Achievement standards).
Collect evidence of student achievement and provide feedback.
Make on-balance judgments about student achievement, using the Judging standards resources.
Report student achievement.

20. Information For further information and updates:
WACE 2016 at
Australian Curriculum at

21. Principal Consultants
Adriana Douglas – French | German
Hanneke Rekelhof – Eligibility | Aboriginal Languages | Interstate Languages
Lisa Djanegara – Indonesian | Japanese
Nadia Civa – Chinese | Italian