What WA students study, year by year
A plain-English breakdown of the English, Maths and Science topics covered at each year level in Western Australia — what each topic actually means, and where students most often get stuck. Years 7–10 follow the Western Australian Curriculum — Maths and Science were revised for 2026, English for 2025; Years 11 and 12 follow WACE courses set by SCSA.
Years 7–10 — Western Australian Curriculum
- Year 7 EnglishWhat Year 7 students cover in English in Western Australia — text structure, literary devices, persuasive language and creating their own texts — in plain English, and where students most often get stuck.
- Year 7 MathsWhat Year 7 students actually cover in Maths in Western Australia, topic by topic, in plain English — plus where most students get stuck in the first year of high school.
- Year 7 ScienceWhat Year 7 students cover in Science in Western Australia — classification, ecosystems, the particle model of matter, and forces — in plain English, with the parts students most often find hard in their first year of high school science.
- Year 8 EnglishWhat Year 8 students cover in English in Western Australia — genre, intertextuality, figurative language and academic vocabulary — in plain English, and the parts students most often find hard.
- Year 8 MathsWhat Year 8 students cover in Maths in Western Australia — rational and irrational numbers, algebra, Pythagoras' theorem and probability — in plain English, and where students most often get stuck.
- Year 8 ScienceWhat Year 8 students cover in Science in Western Australia — cells, atoms, plate tectonics and energy — in plain English, with the parts students most often find hard.
- Year 9 EnglishWhat Year 9 students cover in English in Western Australia — register and style, narrative voice, persuasive technique and comparing texts — in plain English, and where students most often get stuck.
- Year 9 MathsWhat Year 9 students cover in Maths in Western Australia — linear graphs, Pythagoras, trigonometry and simple interest — in plain English, and why Year 9 is the year that decides Year 11 options.
- Year 9 ScienceWhat Year 9 students cover in Science in Western Australia — atomic structure, the periodic table, ecosystems and energy, plate tectonics and waves — in plain English, and the parts students most often get stuck on.
- Year 10 EnglishWhat Year 10 students cover in English in Western Australia — rhetoric, critical media literacy, synthesising sources and sustained essay writing — in plain English, and why Year 10 shapes readiness for ATAR English.
- Year 10 MathsWhat Year 10 students cover in Maths in Western Australia — quadratics, simultaneous equations, trigonometry and bivariate data — in plain English, and why Year 10 results are what schools actually use to advise on Year 11 Maths.
- Year 10 ScienceWhat Year 10 students cover in Science in Western Australia — genetics, evolution, chemical reactions, motion and the origins of the universe — in plain English, and why Year 10 is the year that shapes ATAR science choices.
Years 11–12 — WACE courses
- Biology ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 Biology covers in WA — classification, ecosystems, energy flow and human impact — unit by unit, in plain English. Currently covers Unit 1 only; Unit 2 isn't yet in our content.
- Chemistry ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 Chemistry covers in WA — atomic structure, bonding, the mole concept, solutions, rates of reaction and acids and bases — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Chemistry ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Chemistry covers in WA — equilibrium, acid-base calculations and electrochemistry — unit by unit, in plain English. Currently covers Unit 3 only; Unit 4 isn't yet in our content.
- English ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 English ATAR covers in WA — the purpose-context-audience triad, text types, stylistic analysis and creating original texts — unit by unit, in plain English.
- English General — Year 11What Year 11 English General covers in WA — everyday and workplace texts, media literacy and creating informative and persuasive texts — unit by unit, in plain English.
- English ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 English ATAR covers in WA — perspectives and representation, intertextuality, synthesis and exam technique — unit by unit, in plain English.
- English General — Year 12What Year 12 English General covers in WA — persuasive technique, media representation and creating texts for community and workplace contexts — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Human Biology ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Human Biology covers in WA — the nervous and endocrine systems, homeostasis, immunity, genetics and evolution — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Mathematics Applications ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 Mathematics Applications covers in WA — matrices, measurement, statistics and trigonometry — unit by unit, in plain English, for families weighing this ATAR course against Methods.
- Mathematics Applications ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Mathematics Applications covers in WA — bivariate statistics, financial modelling and network analysis — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Mathematics Essential — Year 11What Year 11 Mathematics Essential covers in WA — practical calculation, measurement and data — unit by unit, in plain English, for families weighing this General maths pathway.
- Mathematics Essential — Year 12What Year 12 Mathematics Essential covers in WA — practical measurement, probability, earth geometry and loans — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Mathematics Foundation — Year 11What Year 11 Mathematics Foundation covers in WA — whole numbers, money, measurement and time — unit by unit, in plain English, for families whose child hasn't yet met the Year 10 numeracy standard.
- Mathematics Foundation — Year 12What Year 12 Mathematics Foundation covers in WA — money, measurement, timetables and workplace numeracy — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Mathematics Methods ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 Mathematics Methods covers in WA — functions, calculus foundations and probability — unit by unit, in plain English, for families deciding if this ATAR course is the right fit.
- Mathematics Methods ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Mathematics Methods covers in WA — calculus of exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, integration, and statistical inference — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Mathematics Specialist ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Mathematics Specialist covers in WA — complex numbers, vectors, advanced integration and differential equations — unit by unit, in plain English, for families weighing this course alongside Methods.
- Physics ATAR — Year 11What Year 11 Physics covers in WA — motion, forces, momentum and energy, then waves, sound, light and electricity — unit by unit, in plain English.
- Physics ATAR — Year 12What Year 12 Physics covers in WA — circular motion, gravitation, fields, electromagnetism and modern physics — unit by unit, in plain English.