South Australian Certificate of Education · SACE Board · 2026
SACE Stage 2 Psychology: complete 2026 guide to the five topics
A complete 2026 guide to SACE Stage 2 Psychology. The five topics (Psychology of the Individual, Psychological Health and Wellbeing, Organisational Psychology, Social Influence, and The Psychology of Learning), the school-based and external assessment structure, how marks combine, and links to every dot-point answer we have written.
SACE Stage 2 Psychology is the Year 12 South Australian psychology subject, a 20-credit course assessed both internally (by your school) and externally (by a single examination). 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 five topics in 2026
- Topic 1: Psychology of the Individual
- What makes each person distinct, covering theories of personality (psychodynamic, humanistic, trait and social-cognitive) and intelligence and how it is measured.
- Topic 2: Psychological Health and Wellbeing
- How mental health and disorder are defined and explained, including models of mental health, stress and coping, and treatments and interventions.
- Topic 3: Organisational Psychology
- How psychology applies in workplaces, covering motivation and leadership, and group behaviour and the workplace.
- Topic 4: Social Influence
- How others shape our behaviour, covering conformity and obedience, attitudes and attribution, and prejudice and discrimination. This is a key external-exam topic.
- Topic 5: The Psychology of Learning
- How behaviour is learned, covering classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning. This is the other key external-exam topic.
All five topics are underpinned by science inquiry skills: designing and conducting investigations, analysing and evaluating data, and applying ethical principles.
Assessment in SACE Stage 2 Psychology
SACE Stage 2 Psychology is 70 percent school-assessed and 30 percent externally assessed.
School assessment (70%):
- Investigations Folio (30%). A collection of science inquiry work that includes a psychological investigation (planning, conducting, analysing and evaluating an investigation) and a Science as a Human Endeavour task exploring how psychology interacts with society, ethics and technology.
- Skills and Applications Tasks (40%). School-set tasks (typically tests and applied assignments) where you apply psychological concepts and theories, interpret data, and evaluate research across the topics.
External assessment (30%):
- Examination (30%). A single written examination that focuses on Social Influence and The Psychology of Learning, plus science inquiry skills. It tests understanding, application and analysis.
The school-assessed components are graded against SACE performance standards and undergo moderation; the external examination is marked externally.
Our 2026 SACE Stage 2 Psychology dot-point answers
Each link below is a focused study answer to one dot point: it states the concept, gives the worked answer with examples, and flags common mistakes.
Topic 1: Psychology of the Individual
Topic 2: Psychological Health and Wellbeing
Topic 3: Organisational Psychology
Topic 4: Social Influence
Topic 5: The Psychology of Learning
Guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
See all →SACE Stage 2 Psychology deep dive: Social Influence and The Psychology of Learning for the 2026 examRevision deep dive for the two examined topics of SACE Stage 2 Psychology: obedience, conformity, attitudes, persuasion, prejudice and self-presentation (Topic 4), and classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning (Topic 5), using the subject outline's terms, with applied examples and links to the matching dot points.18 min readSACE Stage 2 Psychology exam strategy: the 2026 guideHow the 2026 SACE Stage 2 Psychology exam works: a 130-minute online exam worth 30 percent that covers only Topic 4 (Social Influence) and Topic 5 (The Psychology of Learning) plus inquiry skills, which assessment features it can test, worked answers on research design and applying theory, common mistakes and a plan to 4 November.12 min read
Practice quizzes
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Common questions
How is SACE Stage 2 Psychology structured in 2026?
SACE Stage 2 Psychology is a 20-credit subject. The course is built around topics including Psychology of the Individual, Psychological Health and Wellbeing, Organisational Psychology, Social Influence, and The Psychology of Learning, all underpinned by science inquiry skills. Assessment is 70 percent school-based and 30 percent external. The school component is an Investigations Folio (30 percent) and Skills and Applications Tasks (40 percent), and the external component is a single examination (30 percent).
How are the marks weighted in SACE Stage 2 Psychology?
The school-assessed component is worth 70 percent of the grade and is split into the Investigations Folio (30 percent) and Skills and Applications Tasks (40 percent). The external examination is worth the remaining 30 percent. The internal components are graded by the school against SACE performance standards and are subject to moderation, while the examination is marked externally.
What is in the SACE Stage 2 Psychology examination?
The external examination is a written exam worth 30 percent of the subject. It focuses on the topics Social Influence and The Psychology of Learning, together with science inquiry skills such as interpreting data, evaluating studies and applying ethical principles. It tests understanding, application and analysis rather than rote recall.
What is the Investigations Folio in SACE Stage 2 Psychology?
The Investigations Folio is worth 30 percent of the subject and is school-based. It includes a psychological investigation (planning, conducting and reporting an investigation with data analysis and evaluation) and a Science as a Human Endeavour task, where students explore how psychology connects with society, ethics and real-world applications.
What are the Skills and Applications Tasks?
Skills and Applications Tasks make up 40 percent of the subject and are the largest single assessment component. They are school-set tasks, typically tests and applied assignments, in which students apply psychological concepts and theories, interpret data, evaluate research, and demonstrate science inquiry skills across the topics.
Which topics does the external exam focus on?
The external examination focuses on Social Influence (conformity, obedience, attitudes, attribution, prejudice and discrimination) and The Psychology of Learning (classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning), along with science inquiry skills. These two topics deserve particular attention in exam preparation.
Sources & how we know this
- Stage 2 Psychology subject outline (2025 onwards) — SACE Board
- Stage 2 Psychology: external assessment — SACE Board
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