SACE Legal Studies past exams 2023–2025, by year and topic

Focus area 1: Sources of law · 17 mapped questions

Also in this topic: Rule of law, separation of powers, responsible and representative government, judicial independence · Structure, composition and role of the Commonwealth Parliament and the South Australian Parliament (bicameralism, the Senate, committees, question time, Cabinet) · How laws are made by parliaments (bills, public and private members' bills) and by delegated bodies (regulations, by-laws), and how delegated legislation is supervised · How laws are made by the courts, including the High Court: precedent, stare decisis, ratio decidendi, obiter dicta, statutory interpretation; the South Australian court hierarchy · Relationship between the three arms of government · Strengths and weaknesses of law-making processes; how groups and individuals influence law-makers · How institutions of government protect the rights of groups and individuals, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

Focus area 2: Dispute resolution · 8 mapped questions

Also in this topic: Features of the adversary system: burden and standard of proof, role of the judge, parties, witnesses and juries, rules of evidence and procedure · Resolving criminal and civil disputes with and without a trial (pre-trial procedures, guilty pleas, negotiation, alternative dispute resolution) · Key features and principles of criminal and civil law · Effectiveness of the adversary system compared with inquisitorial systems · How the adversary system protects the rights of groups and individuals, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

Competing tensions and examination skills · 3 mapped questions

Also in this topic: The four competing tensions: competing rights and responsibilities; fairness and efficiency; the empowered and the disempowered; certainty and flexibility · Big questions and inquiry questions as a framework for argument · Assessment design criteria: Understanding and Application, Analysis and Evaluation, Communication — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

The rest of the syllabus

Question-level mapping for these areas is still being verified. Every official paper covering them is in the year table above.

• Optional area 1: The Australian Constitution — Origins of Australia's constitutional system · Underlying principles: separation of powers, division of powers, preservation of state powers, representative and responsible government, constitutional monarchy, referendum procedures, the High Court · Strengths and weaknesses of Australia's constitutional system · How High Court decisions have affected the legal system and society · How the Constitution influences Australia's international relationships and protects groups and individuals, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Optional area 2: When rights collide — A teacher-developed context on one or more areas of law where rights collide, in Australia and/or overseas · How the legal system protects rights and enforces obligations · Whose values are reflected in law; how minority groups are affected; provision for future generations · Why and how legal systems vary across the world; whether the existence of a right guarantees its enforcement