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Tasmanian Certificate of Education · TASC · 2026

TCE Modern History (Tasmania): complete 2026 guide to the Level 3 pre-tertiary course

Study notes for TASC Level 3 Modern History (HSM315117): Section A Modern Western Nations, Section B Modern Asian Nations and Section C The Changing World Order 1945 to 2010, with the three-section extended essay external exam explained.

Exam: Thu 19 Nov Browse guides Syllabus dot points (16)ATAR calculator

TCE Modern History (Tasmania): study hub

This hub collects study-note dot points for the TASC Level 3 pre-tertiary Modern History course in Tasmania (HSM315117). The course has three compulsory sections, and the external exam has a matching three sections. In your class you study one topic from Section A, one from Section B, and the Section C Overview plus one of its four topics, so your exam preparation centres on the topics your teacher chose.

Section A: Modern Western Nations in the 20th Century

  • The USA 1917-1945.
  • Australia 1918-1949.
  • Germany 1918-1945.
  • Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1953.

Section B: Modern Asian Nations in the 20th Century

  • Japan, India, Indonesia and China.

Section C: The Changing World Order, 1945 to 2010

  • The Cold War.
  • Australia's engagement with Asia.
  • Peace, conflict and the nature of terrorism.
  • Patterns of migration.

Our notes cover some of these topics, and some of our pages (for example decolonisation and civil and human rights) are background that is not named as a topic in the TASC course document. Use the course document to check exactly what you need.

Assessment

Modern History is a Level 3 pre-tertiary course assessed in two parts. School-based internal assessment, completed across the year and moderated by TASC, measures your historical knowledge, research and source-handling skills. The TASC external examination is a three-hour written exam with an additional 15 minutes of preparation time. It has three compulsory sections, A, B and C. In Sections A and B there is one question on each country, and you answer one, on either its earlier or its later period. In Section C there is one question on each of the four topics and you answer one. Every response is an extended essay, which may include a stimulus. Always confirm criterion weightings and exam format against the current TASC course document and external assessment specifications for your year of study.

Exam routine

Build two habits early: a repeatable method for using sources and stimulus (author, date, purpose, audience, reliability, usefulness) and an essay structure that pairs evidence with named historians' interpretations. Both help in the external examination, where every response is an extended essay.

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Common questions

What is TCE Modern History and how is it assessed?
Modern History (Tasmania, TASC code HSM315117) is a Level 3 pre-tertiary course worth 15 TCE credit points. It is assessed through school-based internal assessment moderated by TASC, plus a three-hour TASC external examination. The combined result contributes to your ATAR.
What topics does this hub cover?
The course has three compulsory sections. Section A is Modern Western Nations in the 20th Century (the USA 1917-1945, Australia 1918-1949, Germany 1918-1945, and Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1953). Section B is Modern Asian Nations in the 20th Century (Japan, India, Indonesia and China). Section C is The Changing World Order, 1945 to 2010 (the Cold War, Australia's engagement with Asia, peace, conflict and the nature of terrorism, and patterns of migration). Our notes cover part of this; check the TASC course document for the full list.
What does the external examination involve?
TASC's external assessment specifications describe a three-hour written exam with an additional 15 minutes of preparation time. It has three sections, A, B and C, matching the three course sections, and all three are compulsory. In each section you respond to one of four questions. Every response is an extended essay, and a question may include a stimulus. Check the current TASC specifications for your year.
How should I use historiography in my answers?
Name historians and schools of thought (for example intentionalist versus structuralist debates on Nazi Germany, or orthodox, revisionist and post-revisionist interpretations of the Cold War) and use them to show that the past is contested. Do not just narrate events; weigh competing explanations.
How much of my mark is internal versus external?
TASC pre-tertiary courses combine internally assessed criteria (completed and moderated at your school) with the externally examined criteria. Check your current TASC course document for the exact weighting in the year you sit, as it can change between syllabus versions.
How should I prepare for the extended essays?
Because every external response is an essay, practise planning one under time pressure: a clear argument, accurate evidence, and engagement with historians' interpretations. TASC's course requires one topic to be studied in Section A and one in Section B, and in Section C the Overview plus one of the four topics. In Sections A and B the questions are one per country and you answer on either its earlier or later period, while Section C has one question per topic, so prepare the country or topic your class studied in depth, including both its earlier and later period, because you may be asked on either period.
What were the long-term causes of WWI?
Militarism (arms race), Alliances (Triple Entente vs Triple Alliance), Imperialism (colonial rivalries), Nationalism (Balkan tensions). MAIN — the assassination at Sarajevo was the spark, not the cause.
Why did the Treaty of Versailles fail to prevent WWII?
Punitive war guilt + reparations destabilised Germany economically; territorial losses fed grievance; the League of Nations lacked enforcement power; the US Senate refused to ratify.
What were the key events of the Russian Revolution?
February 1917: Tsar Nicholas II abdicates after bread shortages and military defeats. Provisional Government weakens. October 1917: Bolsheviks under Lenin seize power. Civil war follows; Bolsheviks win by 1922.
What was the Cold War and how did it start?
Decades-long geopolitical rivalry between US (liberal democracy) and USSR (communism), 1947-1991. Started from disagreements over post-WWII Europe, Soviet expansion, and ideological incompatibility, formalised by Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.
Why is studying Indigenous Australian rights an exam focus?
Examines decolonisation, civil rights, and reconciliation in an Australian context — covers the 1967 referendum, Mabo (1992), the Apology (2008), and ongoing constitutional debate (Voice referendum).

Sources & how we know this

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

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