Year 7 Civics and Citizenship Achievement Standard
7 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 7, students describe the key features of Australia's system of government, and the principles and features of the Australian legal system. They explain the characteristics of Australian democracy. Students describe the nature of Australian society, its cultural and religious diversity, and identify the values that support cohesion in Australian society.
Students develop questions and locate, select and organise information from sources to investigate political and legal systems, and contemporary civic issues. They analyse information and identify perspectives and challenges related to political, legal or civic issues. They identify and describe the methods or strategies related to civic participation or action. Students use civics and citizenship concepts, terms and sources to create descriptions, explanations and arguments.
The 7 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 7, students describe the key features of Australia's system of government, and the principles and features of the Australian legal system.
Content descriptorAC9HC7K01 Knowledge and understanding
the key features of Australia's system of government, including democracy, the Australian Constitution, responsible government and federalism
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration describing Australia’s system of responsible and representative government set out in the Australian Constitution, with a focus on the roles of the Governor-General, the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Opposition and the members of parliament
- Elaboration explaining the origins of the Australian system of government by acknowledging the aspects of the Westminster and Washington systems in the overall model of Australia’s Federation
- Elaboration exploring key democratic concepts, including popular sovereignty, representation, accountability and a partial separation of powers through the election of members of a legislative branch who answer to the people and from whom the executive branch is drawn
- Elaboration investigating Australia as a federation with a division of powers and responsibilities between Commonwealth and state/territory governments
Content descriptorAC9HC7K03 Knowledge and understanding
the key principles and features of the Australian legal system, including the Australian Constitution, the rule of law and the court system
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration exploring the origins of Australia’s legal system, including British common law, the Magna Carta, an independent judiciary and the Court hierarchies, both federal and state/territory
- Elaboration explaining the principles of justice, fairness, equality, the rule of law and the importance of equal access to the protections provided by the law
- Elaboration making connections between a fair and just legal system and democratic principles
- Elaboration explaining Australia’s legal and justice system, including the principles of the rule of law, presumption of innocence, burden of proof, and right to a fair trial and legal representation
- Elaboration discussing the elements of a “fair trial”, including citizens’ roles as witnesses and jurors, legal representation and due process
- Elaboration exploring how Australians can receive access to justice and can apply for legal representation, such as through legal aid
They explain the characteristics of Australian democracy.
Content descriptorAC9HC7K02 Knowledge and understanding
the characteristics of Australia's democracy, including freedom of speech, association, assembly, religion and movement
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration explaining the origins of the characteristics of Australian democracy and how democratic freedoms, such as freedom of speech, association, assembly, religion and movement, support active participation in Australia’s democracy, and investigating cases where the “bounds of law” can limit these freedoms and why this occurs
- Elaboration identifying how citizens can participate in a democracy (for example, engaging in community organisations, volunteering, social enterprise and collaborative problem-solving)
- Elaboration comparing the effectiveness of different ways of participating in Australia’s democracy, including voting, standing for parliament, contributing to committees of inquiry, organising petitions or social media campaigns, and protesting
- Elaboration identifying characteristics of formal citizenship and the attributes of active citizenship, and identifying who has been included and excluded from the rights and freedoms of citizenship in Australia, particularly in relation to First Nations Australians
- Elaboration examining the active citizenship of First Nations Australians such as Neville Bonner, Adam Goodes, Noel Pearson, Murundoo Yanner, Charles Mene, Ellie Gaffney, Evelyn Scott and Pat O'Shane, and their contributions to the rights and freedoms of Australian First Nations Peoples
Students describe the nature of Australian society, its cultural and religious diversity, and identify the values that support cohesion in Australian society.
Content descriptorAC9HC7K04 Knowledge and understanding
how Australia’s secular democracy and pluralist, multi-faith society draws upon diverse cultural origins, including Christian and Western heritage, distinct First Nations Australian histories and cultures, and migrant communities
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration defining the terms “secular”, “multi-faith”, “diverse society”, “culturally diverse”, “Christian heritage”, “Western heritage” and “pluralist”, and discussing their relevance to Australia today
- Elaboration exploring the diversity of First Nations Australian communities and discussing the distinctiveness of a community linked to their Country/Place
- Elaboration identifying trends regarding religious observance and/or cultural heritage in Australian society, using the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other data sources
- Elaboration exploring the diversity of spiritualities among First Nations Australian communities, from traditional spirituality to the adoption of other religions such as Christianity and Islam
- Elaboration appreciating the cultural and historical foundations of Australia's Christian heritage and their impact on Australia’s political and legal systems
Content descriptorAC9HC7K05 Knowledge and understanding
how values based on freedom, respect, fairness and equality of opportunity can support social cohesion and democracy within Australian society
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration identifying how Australian values can include patriotism, inclusion, civility, personal and collective responsibility, compassion, equality, justice, a “fair go” and religious freedom, and evaluating the extent to which values are reflected in Australian society
- Elaboration identifying shared values across the diverse communities within Australia and how these can be expressed through customs and protocols such as flag-raising ceremonies and singing the national anthem (this could include investigating the history of changes to our national anthem)
- Elaboration evaluating the extent to which these values can promote cohesion and reconciliation in Australia’s society
- Elaboration investigating why migrants and refugees wish to come to Australia and become Australian citizens
- Elaboration identifying Christian traditions and values that have influenced the development of Australian society, democracy and law, including the impacts upon First Nations Australian communities and other groups within Australian society
- Elaboration identifying the values and beliefs of religions practised in contemporary Australia, such as Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism
Students develop questions and locate, select and organise information from sources to investigate political and legal systems, and contemporary civic issues.
Content descriptorAC9HC7S01 Skills
develop questions to investigate Australia’s political and legal systems, and contemporary civic issues
Elaborations (2)
- Elaboration developing a key question related to a specific investigation; for example, “What is the ‘rule of law’ and how does it apply to Australia’s legal system?” or “How does Australia’s federal system of government divide powers between states and territories?”
- Elaboration using current events to generate questions that apply to the wider investigation; for example, “How is Australians’ freedom of expression protected and limited in cases of incorrect information being published or distributed?”
Content descriptorAC9HC7S02 Skills
locate, select and organise information, data and ideas from different sources
Elaborations (4)
- Elaboration locating information in online sources by exploring advanced search functions; for example, using advanced search functions or targeted criteria: “allintext: cultural and religious diversity in Australian society”
- Elaboration selecting print and online sources, such as articles, graphs, charts and statistics to identify information, data and ideas; for example, map cultural and religious diversity in Australian society
- Elaboration identifying key findings from specialist sources, such as reports into Australia’s legal system by the Australian Law Reform Commission or state/territory commissions and committees
- Elaboration selecting and organising information from different sources, such as media reports, online publications and government websites, on the basis of similarity and relevance to the topic
They analyse information and identify perspectives and challenges related to political, legal or civic issues.
Content descriptorAC9HC7S03 Skills
analyse information, data and ideas about political, legal or civic issues to identify and explain differences in perspectives and potential challenges
Elaborations (2)
- Elaboration examining online publications to find examples of how the system of government protects respect for human rights and the rule of law, and compare these examples with other publications that have different perspectives or challenge these views
- Elaboration evaluating data from surveys or reports to draw conclusions about a current issue of challenge; for example, a Lowy Institute poll on important issues facing Australia or media reports on the effectiveness of the court system
They identify and describe the methods or strategies related to civic participation or action.
Content descriptorAC9HC7S04 Skills
explain the methods or strategies related to making decisions about civic participation
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration identifying and evaluating the methods and actions linked to active and informed citizenship and how these contribute to change in local, national, regional and/or global communities; for example, campaigners in the local community who have saved heritage buildings or preserved green space or environmentally important sites
- Elaboration identifying the core responsibilities of active citizenship and evaluating how the contributions of Australian citizens enacting democratic values demonstrate active citizenship and contribute to creating a cohesive society; for example, disability advocacy services or Landcare Australia groups
- Elaboration identifying and explaining the features of methods or strategies used by citizens and groups to achieve democratic and just outcomes, such as social media campaigns, letters, petitions, participating in mediation or tribunals, or taking direct action
Students use civics and citizenship concepts, terms and sources to create descriptions, explanations and arguments.
Content descriptorAC9HC7S05 Skills
create descriptions, explanations and arguments using civics and citizenship knowledge, concepts and terms that reference evidence
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration developing descriptions, explanations or arguments using civic and citizenship knowledge or research to present an authoritative position on an issue
- Elaboration presenting ideas and information appropriate to purpose and audience; for example, to develop digital material promoting participation in Australia’s democracy or written material presenting a case for a constitutional change
- Elaboration presenting an argument using appropriate terms and concepts such as “rule of law”, “separation of powers” or “secular nation”
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Year 7 Civics and Citizenship. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge and understanding | Government and democracy | 2 | 9 |
| Knowledge and understanding | Laws and citizens | 1 | 6 |
| Knowledge and understanding | Citizenship, diversity and identity | 2 | 11 |
| Skills | Questioning and researching | 2 | 6 |
| Skills | Analysis, evaluation and interpretation | 1 | 2 |
| Skills | Civic participation and decision-making | 1 | 3 |
| Skills | Communicating | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 10 | 40 | |