 In Australia, students move through several stages of schooling as they prepare for further education, the workplace and adult life. Most Australian students spend seven years in primary school, which is generally divided into the early years of learning, foundation to year two, middle years, years three and four, and the upper years, years five and six. Young learners then move on to secondary school, which takes them from year seven through to year ten, the end of compulsory schooling and prepares them for the senior secondary school, years eleven and twelve. After completing their studies in year twelve, Australian students are awarded the certificate or credential determined by the state or territory in which they live and learn. The Australian curriculum sets the expectations for the learning of students across the nation. It integrates the three dimensions of learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities. It is divided into curriculum for students in foundation to year ten and students studying in the senior secondary years. The senior secondary curriculum for years eleven and twelve builds on and extends the learning that has taken place from foundation to year ten. There are senior secondary subjects in a number of learning areas, in English, mathematics, science and in humanities and social sciences. In English, four subjects are available in the English learning area. English. English is an additional language or dialect. Essential English and Literature. As in English from foundation to year ten, all four senior secondary English subjects continue the development of students' knowledge and skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing. The three strands of literature, literacy and language also continue to be the organisers in senior English, but the emphasis on the strands and the nature of text studied vary across the subjects. For example, while students study a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in English as an additional language or dialect, the focus is on language learning and the development of oral language and literacy skills in standard Australian English. In Essential English, although literature is important, the primary focus is on the development and demonstration of literacy and language skills in everyday social and community contexts. The subject English retains a balance across the strands of literature, literacy and language, whereas the subject literature is predominantly focused on analysis of literary texts. Mathematics. The subjects are essential mathematics, general mathematics, mathematical methods and specialist mathematics. The mathematics subjects are differentiated and hierarchical and designed to meet students' varying interests and abilities. Essential Mathematics is designed for students interested in practical applications of mathematics for future training or workplace environments. General Mathematics is about the discrete mathematics and geometry needed to analyse and solve problems. For example, students find solutions needed for financial modelling, network analysis, scaling and navigation. Calculus and statistics needed to model physical processes and analyse phenomena are the basis for mathematical methods. Specialist mathematics builds on and deepens the ideas presented in mathematical methods including probability and statistics and introduces the topics of vectors, complex numbers and matrices. Science. The four subjects in this learning area represent the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry, earth and environmental science and physics. All four science subjects build on students' understanding of key concepts in the Foundation to Year 10 curriculum, science inquiry skills, sciences as human endeavour and science understanding. The science understanding content in each of the science subjects is complementary. For example, biology and earth and environmental science both explore environmental change, but biology views this in terms of effects on individual organisms and ecosystem dynamics, whereas earth and environmental science views this same topic in terms of interactions between the earth's spheres. The strong connections between the four science subjects encourage students to appreciate the multidisciplinary studies and or careers that characterize contemporary science. Humanities and social sciences. In the humanities and social sciences, there are three subjects. Two history subjects. Ancient history and modern history and geography. Each of these builds on the knowledge and understanding and inquiry skills developed in the Foundation to Year 10 curricula. Ancient history focuses on the nature of the evidence of the ancient world and the key features and developments of ancient societies. Modern history focuses on key events, ideas, movements, developments and people that have shaped the modern world. Geography draws on students' curiosity about the complexity and diversity of the world's places and their peoples, cultures, economies and environments. State and territory curriculum, assessment and certification authorities are responsible for determining how the Australian curriculum content and achievement standards are to be integrated into their courses. States and territories also determine the assessment, examination and certification requirements for the senior secondary years. For more information on these requirements, contact local, state or territory curriculum authorities. The intellectual, personal, social and educational needs of young Australians must be addressed at a time when ideas about the goals of education are changing and will continue to evolve. The senior secondary subjects offered in the Australian curriculum provide the basis for the knowledge, understanding and skills that support 21st century learning. Young people need a wide and adaptive set of skills to meet the changing expectations of society and to contribute to the creation of a more productive, sustainable and just society. At Akara, as is true for curriculum authorities, schools and teachers across Australia, there is a strong focus on preparing young people for the next stage of their lives, whether that be further learning or work. More information on the senior secondary curriculum can be found on the Australian curriculum website www.astraliencurriculum.edu.au forward slash senior secondary curriculum.