VCE PoliticsPractice Examination 1

This paper covers

• Committed options: Climate change (Unit 3 AoS1 global issue), the Israel-Hamas/Gaza armed conflict since 7 October 2023 (Unit 3 AoS2 contemporary crisis), and China (Unit 4 AoS1 Indo-Pacific state), with compulsory Australia-in-the-Indo-Pacific content in Section B
• Section A Block 1 (Q1-4, climate change): short-term causes within the last decade, the role of global interconnectedness in spreading/amplifying the crisis, and an evaluation of global actor responses including COP29/Baku (Nov 2024) and the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance
• Section A Block 2 (Q5-7, armed conflict): causes of the Gaza war since 7 October 2023, the competing interests and perspectives of Israel, Hamas, regional and global actors, and an evaluated judgement on response effectiveness through the October 2025 ceasefire and UN Security Council Resolution 2803
• Section A Block 3 (Q8-11, China): national interests, the contrast between hard/soft/sharp/smart power (Belt and Road Initiative, South China Sea militarisation, wolf-warrior diplomacy, tech self-sufficiency), internal/external challenges (economic slowdown, Taiwan, demographic decline, US strategic competition), and an evaluated verdict on China's effectiveness in pursuing its national interests
• Section B: original embedded trade-data and media-style stimulus on Australia-China relations testing Australia's national interests, use of power, and the significance of its key regional relationships, referencing PM Albanese's July 2025 Beijing visit, AUKUS Pillar 2, and the Quad Critical Minerals Partnership
• Section C: two single extended-response prompts — C1 integrates Unit 3 by evaluating the effectiveness of global and national responses to climate change and the Gaza conflict together; C2 integrates Unit 4 by evaluating China's pursuit of national interest through power against Australia's management of the China relationship and its own national interests
• All 16 questions carry study-score-A model answers built on verified, dated, real-world evidence (COP29 Baku Nov 2024, Paris Agreement, IPCC AR6, Gaza war Oct 2023–Oct 2025 ceasefire, UNSC Res 2803, South China Sea, BRI, Taiwan tensions, Albanese's July 2025 China visit, AUKUS Pillar 2, Quad Critical Minerals Partnership) and core VCE Politics concepts (power, national interest, sovereignty, legitimacy, multilateralism/bilateralism, interconnectedness, stability and change) named explicitly throughout

Students are permitted to bring into the examination the materials normally allowed for this subject. Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

This is an ATARMAxxing practice paper. It is not an official examination and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the VCAA, NESA or the QCAA.