TeaCheese Achievement Standards Content Descriptors Blog About
Standards›Science›Year 10›ASSCIY10
Year 10 Science Achievement Standard – Australian Curriculum v9
Year 10 Science ASSCIY10

Year 10 Science Achievement Standard – Australian Curriculum v9

This Achievement Standard describes what students are expected to know and do in Year 10 Science by the end of the year. Teachers can use it to guide assessment design, collect evidence of learning, and ensure planning stays aligned with the Australian Curriculum v9.

What Students Should Know

By the end of Year 10 students explain the processes that underpin heredity and genetic diversity and describe the evidence supporting the theory of evolution by natural selection. They sequence key events in the origin and evolution of the universe and describe the supporting evidence for the big bang theory. They describe trends in patterns of global climate change and identify causal factors. They explain how Newton’s laws describe motion and apply them to predict motion of objects in a system. They explain patterns and trends in the periodic table and predict the products of reactions and the effect of changing reactant and reaction conditions. Students analyse the importance of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge and analyse the relationship between science, technologies and engineering. They analyse the key factors that influence interactions between science and society.

Students plan and conduct safe, valid and reproducible investigations to test relationships or develop explanatory models. They explain how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data. They select equipment and use it efficiently to generate and record appropriate sample sizes and replicable data with precision. They select and construct effective representations to organise, process and summarise data and information. They analyse and connect a variety of data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies. They evaluate the validity and reproducibility of methods, and the validity of conclusions and claims. They construct logical arguments based on analysis of a variety of evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims. They select and use content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to diverse audiences.

Content Descriptors by Strand

This standard is supported by 19 Content Descriptors:

Science as a human endeavour

Nature and development of science

AC9S10H01 explain how scientific knowledge is validated and refined, including the role of publication and peer review AC9S10H02 investigate how advances in technologies enable advances in science, and how science has contributed to developments in technologies and engineering

Use and influence of science

AC9S10H03 analyse the key factors that contribute to science knowledge and practices being adopted more broadly by society AC9S10H04 examine how the values and needs of society influence the focus of scientific research

Science inquiry

Questioning and predicting

AC9S10I01 develop investigable questions, reasoned predictions and hypotheses to test relationships and develop explanatory models

Planning and conducting

AC9S10I02 plan and conduct valid, reproducible investigations to answer questions and test hypotheses, including identifying and controlling for possible sources of error and, as appropriate, developing and following risk assessments, considering ethical issues, and addressing key considerations regarding heritage sites and artefacts on Country/Place AC9S10I03 select and use equipment to generate and record data with precision to obtain useful sample sizes and replicable data, using digital tools as appropriate

Processing, modelling and analysing

AC9S10I04 select and construct appropriate representations, including tables, graphs, descriptive statistics, models and mathematical relationships, to organise and process data and information AC9S10I05 analyse and connect a variety of data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies

Evaluating

AC9S10I06 assess the validity and reproducibility of methods and evaluate the validity of conclusions and claims, including by identifying assumptions, conflicting evidence and areas of uncertainty AC9S10I07 construct arguments based on analysis of a variety of evidence to support conclusions or evaluate claims, and consider any ethical issues and cultural protocols associated with accessing, using or citing secondary data or information

Communicating

AC9S10I08 write and create texts to communicate ideas, findings and arguments effectively for identified purposes and audiences, including selection of appropriate content, language and text features, using digital tools as appropriate

Science understanding

Biological sciences

AC9S10U01 explain the role of meiosis and mitosis and the function of chromosomes, DNA and genes in heredity and predict patterns of Mendelian inheritance AC9S10U02 use the theory of evolution by natural selection to explain past and present diversity and analyse the scientific evidence supporting the theory

Earth and space sciences

AC9S10U03 describe how the big bang theory models the origin and evolution of the universe and analyse the supporting evidence for the theory AC9S10U04 use models of energy flow between the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere to explain patterns of global climate change

Physical sciences

AC9S10U05 investigate Newton’s laws of motion and quantitatively analyse the relationship between force, mass and acceleration of objects

Chemical sciences

AC9S10U06 explain how the structure and properties of atoms relate to the organisation of the elements in the periodic table AC9S10U07 identify patterns in synthesis, decomposition and displacement reactions and investigate the factors that affect reaction rates

At a Glance

Strand Substrand CDs Elaborations
Science as a human endeavour Nature and development of science 2 14
Science as a human endeavour Use and influence of science 2 10
Science inquiry Questioning and predicting 1 5
Science inquiry Planning and conducting 2 7
Science inquiry Processing, modelling and analysing 2 11
Science inquiry Evaluating 2 14
Science inquiry Communicating 1 0
Science understanding Biological sciences 2 13
Science understanding Earth and space sciences 2 13
Science understanding Physical sciences 1 7
Science understanding Chemical sciences 2 13
Total 19 107

Frequently Asked Questions

What should students know by the end of Year 10 Science?
By the end of Year 10 students explain the processes that underpin heredity and genetic diversity and describe the evidence supporting the theory of evolution by natural selection. They sequence key events in the origin and evolution of the universe and describe the supporting evidence for the big bang theory. They describe trends in patterns of global climate change and identify causal factors. They explain how Newton’s laws describe motion and apply them to predict motion of objects in a system. They explain patterns and trends in the periodic table and predict the products of reactions and the effect of changing reactant and reaction conditions. Students analyse the importance of publication and peer review in the development of scientific knowledge and analyse the relationship between science, technologies and engineering. They analyse the key factors that influence interactions between science and society. Students plan and conduct safe, valid and reproducible investigations to test relationships or develop explanatory models. They explain how they have addressed any ethical and intercultural considerations when generating or using primary and secondary data. They select equipment and use it efficiently to generate and record appropriate sample sizes and replicable data with precision. They select and construct effective representations to organise, process and summarise data and information. They analyse and connect a variety of data and information to identify and explain patterns, trends, relationships and anomalies. They evaluate the validity and reproducibility of methods, and the validity of conclusions and claims. They construct logical arguments based on analysis of a variety of evidence to support conclusions and evaluate claims. They select and use content, language and text features effectively to achieve their purpose when communicating their ideas, findings and arguments to diverse audiences.
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
19 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Science as a human endeavour: 2, Science as a human endeavour: 2, Science inquiry: 1, Science inquiry: 2, Science inquiry: 2, Science inquiry: 2, Science inquiry: 1, Science understanding: 2, Science understanding: 2, Science understanding: 1, Science understanding: 2).
How does this compare to Year 9?
The Year 9 Science standard (ASSCIY9) covers the preceding year level. Standards build progressively, with Year 10 expectations extending what was introduced in Year 9.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.