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South Australian Certificate of Education · SACE Board · 2026

SACE Stage 2 Philosophy: complete 2026 guide to the topics and assessment

A 2026 guide to SACE Stage 2 Philosophy. It covers the three key areas (ethics, epistemology and metaphysics) and the reasoning skills that run through them, the 70 percent school and 30 percent external assessment structure (the external task is the Issues Study, not an exam), and links to every dot-point answer we have written.

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SACE Stage 2 Philosophy is the Year 12 South Australian philosophy subject, a 20-credit course assessed internally by your school and externally through the Issues Study, an investigation you submit for marking. There is no Philosophy exam. This page is the index: it sets out the course structure, the assessment breakdown, and links to every dot-point answer we have written.

The areas of study in 2026

The SACE subject outline has two sections: philosophical inquiry skills (reasoning, critical analysis and the evaluation of arguments) and the key areas of philosophical study. There are three key areas, and you study one topic in depth from each:

Ethics
Moral values and reasoning about right and wrong. Topics: moral understanding, happiness as the goal of life, rights and responsibilities, and equality and difference.
Epistemology
Theories of knowledge and the justification of belief. Topics: ways of knowing, perception, scepticism, and relativism.
Metaphysics
The nature of existence and reality. Topics: freedom and determinism, reason and the existence of God, existentialism and humanism, and bodies, minds and persons.
Reasoning and argument analysis
Types of reasoning, the structure of arguments, and what makes an argument valid or sound. This runs through every key area and every assessment.

Our answers below also group some pages under philosophy of mind and political philosophy. These are not separate key areas in the subject outline: philosophy of mind belongs to the metaphysics topic bodies, minds and persons, and the political philosophy pages support the ethics topics rights and responsibilities and happiness as the goal of life. Teachers choose the topics and issues, so the exact focus varies between schools.

Assessment in SACE Stage 2 Philosophy

SACE Stage 2 Philosophy is 70 percent school-assessed and 30 percent externally assessed. There is no written exam.

School assessment (70%):

  • Assessment Type 1: Argument Analysis (25%). Two tasks, each analysing the arguments in a different type of text (for example a news program, film, song lyrics or an interest group statement). Each is a maximum of 1000 words if written or 7 minutes if oral.
  • Assessment Type 2: Issues Analysis (45%). Two or three tasks, one for each key area studied. You explain why an issue is philosophical, set out the rival responses, and take and defend a position. Each is a maximum of 1500 words if written or 10 minutes if oral.

External assessment (30%):

  • Assessment Type 3: Issues Study (30%). One investigation of a philosophical issue from any key area, chosen with your teacher. It is a maximum of 2000 words if written or 12 minutes if oral, or the equivalent in multimodal form, and is submitted online for external marking.

The school-assessed tasks are graded against the SACE performance standards and moderated by the SACE Board; the Issues Study is marked externally.

Where these details come from

The assessment types, weightings and length limits above are from the SACE Board's Stage 2 Philosophy subject outline (as updated for 2025 onwards). Your school's learning and assessment plan sets your task dates and the Issues Study due date.

Our 2026 SACE Stage 2 Philosophy dot-point answers

Each link below is a focused study answer to one dot point: it states the question, gives a worked answer with named philosophers and arguments, and flags common mistakes.

Ethics

Epistemology

Metaphysics

Philosophy of mind

Political philosophy

Reasoning and argument analysis

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Common questions

How is SACE Stage 2 Philosophy structured in 2026?
SACE Stage 2 Philosophy is a 20-credit subject with two sections: philosophical inquiry skills (reasoning and argument analysis) and the key areas of philosophical study. The three key areas are ethics, epistemology and metaphysics, and you study one topic in depth from each. Assessment is 70 percent school-based and 30 percent external. There is no written exam: the external assessment is the Issues Study.
How are the marks weighted in SACE Stage 2 Philosophy?
School assessment is worth 70 percent: Argument Analysis (Assessment Type 1, 25 percent, two tasks) and Issues Analysis (Assessment Type 2, 45 percent, two or three tasks, one for each key area studied). The external Issues Study (Assessment Type 3) is worth 30 percent. Your teacher grades the school tasks against the SACE performance standards and the SACE Board moderates them; the Issues Study is marked externally.
What topics does SACE Stage 2 Philosophy cover?
The subject outline lists four topics in each key area. Ethics: moral understanding, happiness as the goal of life, rights and responsibilities, and equality and difference. Epistemology: ways of knowing, perception, scepticism, and relativism. Metaphysics: freedom and determinism, reason and the existence of God, existentialism and humanism, and bodies, minds and persons. Your teacher chooses one topic from each key area.
What skills are assessed in SACE Stage 2 Philosophy?
The central skill is philosophical reasoning: reconstructing arguments, testing them for validity, soundness and strength, identifying fallacies, and evaluating rival positions with clear reasons. Students must explain philosophers' views accurately, apply them to cases, and build and defend their own position. These skills are assessed in every task, and every assessment design criterion is assessed in the Issues Study.
Is there an exam in SACE Stage 2 Philosophy?
No. Philosophy is not on the SACE examination timetable. The 30 percent external assessment is the Issues Study: one investigation of a philosophical issue from any key area, chosen with your teacher. It asks why the issue is philosophical, what positions philosophers hold and why, which objections apply, and what your own position is. It is a maximum of 2000 words if written or 12 minutes if oral (or the equivalent in multimodal form), submitted online for external marking.
How should I prepare for SACE Stage 2 Philosophy?
Focus on understanding rather than memorising. For each topic, be able to state the main positions, name the key philosophers and their arguments, apply a theory to an example, and set out the strongest objection to each view. Practise reconstructing arguments in standard form and identifying fallacies, since argument analysis underpins every assessment, and choose your Issues Study question early so you have time to research rival positions and defend your own.

Sources & how we know this

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Built from the official SACE Board syllabuses, past papers and marking guides. Not individually reviewed; always check your school's materials and SACE Board for current rules.

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