What is the Australian Curriculum v9?
Australian Curriculum v9 is the federal K-12 curriculum framework set by ACARA. Mandatory in use since 2024. Eight learning areas, Foundation to Year 10, with Year 11-12 covered by the Senior Secondary Curriculum or state syllabuses where they diverge. Here's the plain-English explainer for teachers planning against it.
The structure
- Eight learning areas: English, Mathematics, Science, HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences), the Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Languages.
- Foundation to Year 10 for the federal v9 content. Year 11 and 12 follow the Senior Secondary Curriculum or state-specific syllabuses.
- Strands and sub-strands within each learning area, e.g. Mathematics has Number, Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics, Probability.
- Content descriptions with unique codes (AC9{letter}{year}{strand}{number}) that describe what students should learn.
- Achievement standards at the end of each year describing what students should know and do by that point.
Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities
Three cross-curriculum priorities (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures; Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia; Sustainability) and seven general capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding, ICT and Digital Literacy) sit within the content descriptions where they fit naturally. They are not separate strands or checkboxes.
What changed from v8
- Fewer content descriptions per year (less overload).
- Achievement standards more focused on what is verifiable.
- Cross-curriculum priorities woven more explicitly into content rather than added on.
- v8 codes are deprecated; cite v9 codes only.
State syllabuses for Year 11-12
Senior secondary content diverges by state. VCAA in Victoria sets the VCE; NESA in NSW sets the HSC; QCAA in Queensland sets the QCE; SACE in South Australia; BSSS in the ACT; SCSA in Western Australia. For Year 11-12 plans, cite the relevant board's syllabus code and assessment language.
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What is the Australian Curriculum v9?
Australian Curriculum v9 is the federal K-12 curriculum framework set by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority). Mandatory in use since 2024. Eight learning areas (English, Mathematics, Science, HASS, Arts, Technologies, Health and PE, Languages). Foundation to Year 10. Year 11-12 follows the Senior Secondary Curriculum or your state's syllabus where it diverges.
What changed from v8 to v9?
v9 reduced content overload (fewer content descriptions per year), made achievement standards more focused and verifiable, and elevated the cross-curriculum priorities into more explicit weaving across content. Structure is similar (strands, sub-strands, content descriptions, achievement standards) but density is lower per year, v9 is mandatory; v8 is no longer the operative framework.
What are the cross-curriculum priorities?
Three: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures; Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia; Sustainability. They are woven into content descriptions across all learning areas, not bolted on as a separate checklist, v9 made the weaving more explicit than v8.
What are the general capabilities?
Seven: Literacy, Numeracy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding, ICT Capability and Digital Literacy. Like the cross-curriculum priorities, they appear within content descriptions where relevant, not as separate strands.
What about state syllabuses (VCAA, NESA, QCAA, SACE, BSSS, SCSA)?
For Foundation to Year 10, the federal v9 is the default everywhere. For Year 11-12, state-specific syllabuses take precedence: VCAA in Victoria, NESA in NSW, QCAA in Queensland, SACE in South Australia, BSSS in the ACT, SCSA in Western Australia. Lesson plans for senior secondary should cite the relevant board's syllabus and assessment language.
How are content description codes structured?
Codes follow the pattern AC9{learning area letter}{year}{strand letter}{number}. Example: AC9M5N06 = Australian Curriculum 9, Mathematics, Year 5, Number strand, sixth content description. Citing the code on a lesson plan lets curriculum coordinators verify alignment without reading the whole plan.