The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4)

Australian Curriculum Review consultation

Your feedback has been invited on proposed revisions to the Australian Curriculum: Languages for Chinese Background/First-Languages learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10), Classical Greek (Years 7-10), Latin (Years 7-10) and the Framework for Classical Languages (Years 7-10) until 12 September 2023.

Your feedback is also invited on proposed revisions to the Australian Curriculum: Auslan L1 for first-language learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10) and Auslan L2, for second/additional language learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10); and the Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages with 3 pathways: L1 for first-language learners (Years F-10); for second/additional language learners (Years F-10) and LR for students learning a language in revival LR (Years F-10). This feedback window will be until 7 November.

Your responses will help ensure the Australian Curriculum: Languages continues to remain world-class and meets the needs of students.

The Australian Curriculum is designed to help all young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. Presented as a developmental sequence of learning from Foundation to Year 10, and/or also a sequence from Years 7 to 10 in Languages, the Australian Curriculum describes to teachers, parents, students and others in the wider community what is to be taught and the quality of learning expected of young people as they progress through school. 

The Australian Curriculum ensures the same high standard curriculum content is available to every student, regardless of where they live. It reflects the priorities and expectations we hold for our young people.

The Australian Curriculum Review

On 12 June 2020, Australia’s education ministers agreed it was timely to review the Foundation – Year 10 Australian Curriculum, which outlines the core knowledge and skills to be taught to students from Foundation to Year 10, wherever they live in Australia.

The Review looked to improve the Australian Curriculum by refining, realigning and decluttering the content so it focuses on the essential knowledge and skills students should learn and is clearer for teachers on what they need to teach. Public consultation on the F–10 learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities was undertaken as part of the review.

The new Australian Curriculum website, hosting the updated and approved Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0 was designed with teachers for teachers and is one of the few digitalised curricula in the world. You can view the endorsed Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 on the website.

Australian Curriculum: Languages
As required by the Review’s terms of reference, the languages French, Japanese, Chinese for second language learners and Italian were reviewed and endorsed as part of the first phase of the Australian Curriculum Review. Since then German, Korean, Indonesian, Modern Greek and Spanish have also been reviewed, endorsed and published on the Version 9.0 Australian Curriculum website. All Australian Curriculum: Languages curricula and frameworks are to be finalised by the end of 2023.

Public consultation

Public consultation on Chinese and Classical Languages, including a framework is open until 12 September 2023.

Public consultation on Auslan and the Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is open from 29 August until 7 November 2023.

Australian Curriculum: Languages (until 12 September 2023)

Chinese Background/First-Languages learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10)
Classical Greek (Years 7-10)
Latin (Years 7-10)
Framework for Classical Languages (Years 7-10)

Australian Curriculum: Languages (from 29 August until 7 November 2023)

Auslan First-Language learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10)
Auslan Second-Language learners (Years F-10 and Years 7-10)
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages First-Language learners (Years F-10)
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Second-Language learners (Years F-10)
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Revival Languages (Years F-10)

* The "welcome" video on the banner is published on Auslan Signbank and is reproduced here. This video is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Languages

The Australian Curriculum: Languages is designed to enable all students to engage in learning a language in addition to English.

Australian Curriculum Review – the process

In preparing for the Review, ACARA:

considered the latest research and international developments
consulted with practising teachers, curriculum experts, key academics and professional associations.

The Languages Curriculum Reference Group and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Curriculum Reference Group were created to provide advice and feedback, with members nominated by state and territory education authorities and non-government sectors.
From research, teacher feedback and our work with the reference groups, we identified some key areas where the Languages Curriculum could be improved.

Australian Curriculum Review: Languages

The review of the first 4 languages (Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese) provided a framework for the revision of all Languages curricula, with modifications for language specificity and the diversity of students’ backgrounds. The key changes included:

separation of Foundation from Years 1 and 2 in Foundation to Year 10 sequences
refinement of structure and reduction of overlap and duplication by reducing the number of sub-strands
decluttering and reduction of content by removing overlap, duplication, topic examples, key concepts and key processes from each of the content descriptions, and moving these to content elaborations if appropriate
improvement of alignment between content descriptions and achievement standards
reduction in the volume of achievement standards
refinement and replacement of content elaborations to reduce repetition and overlap, improve their sequencing, and show more authentic connections to the general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities.

Download the Languages Consultation Curriculum

To give feedback, you need a copy of the proposed Australian Curriculum, which is available in 3 formats:

all elements
- introductory information – includes the rationale, aims, organisation of the learning area, key connections and key considerations
- curriculum content for all levels, which includes year/band level descriptions, achievement standards, content descriptions and elaborations
scope and sequence – with achievement standards and content descriptions only
comparative information – showing the current and proposed revisions to content descriptions and achievement standards only.

	All elements	Scope and sequence	Comparative information
Chinese Background/First-Languages learners F–10 and 7–10	F–10 and 7–10 all elements	F–10 and 7–10 scope and sequence	F–10 and 7–10 comparative information
Classical Greek 7–10	7–10 all elements	7–10 scope and sequence	7–10 comparative information
Latin 7–10	7–10 all elements	7–10 scope and sequence	7–10 comparative information
Framework for Classical Languages 7–10	7–10 all elements	7–10 scope and sequence	7–10 comparative information
Auslan First-Language learners F–10 and 7–10	F–10 and 7–10 all elements	F–10 and 7–10 scope and sequence	F–10 and 7–10 comparative information
Auslan Second-Language learners F–10 and 7–10	F–10 and 7–10 all elements	F–10 and 7–10 scope and sequence	F–10 and 7–10 comparative information
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages First-Language learners (Years F-10)	F–10 all elements	F–10 scope and sequence	F–10 comparative information
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Second-Language learners (Years F-10)	F–10 all elements	F–10 scope and sequence	F–10 comparative information
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Revival Languages (Years F-10)	F–10 all elements	F–10 scope and sequence	F–10 comparative information

Giving feedback

The Australian Curriculum: Languages is being reviewed to make sure it continues to meet the needs of students now and into the future – and we want to hear from you.

All feedback will be considered in finalising revisions, which will be provided to education ministers for their consideration and endorsement.

The proposed curriculum revisions are presented in Word documents and in 3 formats so you can read them easily and give feedback. When these curricula are endorsed, they will be provided on the new Version 9.0 Australian Curriculum website.

During the consultation, you can provide feedback through our survey, which will ask you to respond to statements about the proposed revisions. You can see a copy of the Classical Languages survey questions, the Chinese Background/First-language learner survey questions, Auslan survey questions and the Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages survey questions before you begin to give your feedback.

For further information on the survey, including how to save and return to it, refer to the survey information sheet.

The online survey includes open fields to allow you to provide general comments about what you think we have improved and what you think needs further improvement. You can also send comments or questions about the Australian Curriculum Review to engagement@acara.edu.au.

Should you have questions about the Australian Curriculum Review, please email engagement@acara.edu.au.

Start the survey

Resources

Terms of reference for the Review (June 2020)

Curriculum Review Guidelines (v1.0, February 2021)

Shape of the Australian Curriculum (v5.0, June 2020)

Curriculum Review Process Paper (v1.0, August 2020)

Information sheets

How to have your say

Governance

Timeline

Australian Curriculum terminology

FAQs

What is the Australian Curriculum?

The Foundation – Year 10 Australian Curriculum outlines the core knowledge and skills to be taught to all Australian students. It sets consistent expectations for what every student should learn and to the standard of that learning. The national curriculum was introduced to improve the quality, equity and transparency of Australia’s education system. The full set of Foundation – Year 10 curricula for all eight learning areas was endorsed by education ministers in September 2015.

How is the Australian Curriculum implemented?

The Australian Curriculum sets the expectations for and outlines the core content that all young Australians should be taught regardless of where they live in Australia. How and when the Australian Curriculum is implemented is the responsibility of states and territories. In some jurisdictions such as Queensland, the Australian Curriculum is implemented as it is presented on the Australian Curriculum website; in other jurisdictions such as NSW, the Australian Curriculum is adapted and presented in a different form, in this case called the NSW syllabus.

What is the aim of the Australian Curriculum Review?

The Review aims to improve the Australian Curriculum across all eight learning areas (English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, and Languages) from Foundation to Year 10 by refining, realigning and decluttering the content of the curriculum.

What is being Reviewed?

The Review of all eight learning areas commenced following education ministers’ endorsement of the terms of reference in June 2020, and were endorsed April 1, 2022.

Preparations for the Review began in 2015 when education ministers agreed that ACARA undertake a six-year cycle of review of the Australian Curriculum. That preparation included a five-year program of research that has informed the terms of reference and shape of the Review. For the languages, Chinese, French, Italian and Japanese have been completed first, with the remaining 12 languages completed by 2023.

How long will the Review take?

The Review of all eight learning areas commenced following education ministers’ endorsement of the terms of reference in June 2020, and ministers asked that ACARA complete the Review by the start of 2022.

Preparations for the Review have been underway since 2015 when education ministers agreed that ACARA undertake a six-year cycle of review of the Australian Curriculum. That preparation included a five-year program of research that has informed the terms of reference and shape of the Review. For the languages, Chinese, French, Italian and Japanese will be completed first, with the remaining 12 languages completed by 2023.

When am I able to give feedback?

Public consultation is open for 10 weeks from 31 May to 9 August 2022 on Australian Curriculum: Languages.

What areas of the curriculum can we provide feedback on?

As per the Terms of Reference the review of all 16 languages will be undertaken in stages, with Chinese, French, Italian and Japanese now completed. The other Languages subjects and pathways will follow in stages and be completed by 2023.

F-10 Spanish, Modern Greek, Korean, German and Indonesian are open for consultation now and are to be completed by the end of 2022.

Who can provide feedback on the revised Australian Curriculum?

This is a public consultation – anyone can provide feedback. Feedback will help us ensure the Australian Curriculum remains world-class and meets the needs of students.

Can I provide feedback as part of a group?

The online survey can be completed by individuals or groups, such as schools and professional associations. The learning area survey is designed so you can give high-level feedback about the overall proposed revisions or more detailed feedback about specific year levels.

Why are there three downloads? Which do I give feedback on?

The consultation version of the Australian Curriculum for each learning area is provided in three formats. You can choose the format that best suits you – a full version showing all the curriculum elements, a version showing just the scope and sequence of learning, and a comparative document showing the proposed revisions against the current curriculum.

Can I provide comments on parts of the Languages curriculum rather than the curriculum as a whole?

Yes. You will notice each content description in each curriculum has a code, and elaborations are numbered. To make comments about a specific content description or elaboration, simply refer to the code or number.

You may also choose to make comments on a specific year level of a curriculum – for example, Foundation – rather than commenting on the entire Foundation – Year 10 curriculum in a given subject.

Can I save the survey as I go and return to it later?

Yes, you can save it and go back. You are able to enter responses in the survey until you submit your feedback, but please note you will not be able to go in and change responses after you submit it. For more information, please refer to the survey information sheet.

What happens with the feedback you receive?

At the end of the consultation window, all feedback will be reviewed and considered in finalising the revised Australian Curriculum. The Institute for Social Science Research at The University of Queensland has been contracted to undertake an independent analysis of the data collected through the surveys and to develop reports to assist ACARA in making final revisions. The final revisions will then be provided to education ministers for their consideration and endorsement.

Will these responses be published?

Consultation feedback reports that provide a summary of the feedback and key themes arising will be published on the ACARA website. The reports will provide a summary of the demographics of respondents but will not include the names of respondents.

Will I get a response to my feedback?

Consultation feedback reports summarising all feedback received will be available on the ACARA website, following education ministers’ approval of the final revisions.