Past HSC Questions
Themes and challenges
● the role of law in encouraging cooperation and resolving conflict in regard to world order
● issues of compliance and non-compliance
● the impact of changing values and ethical standards on world order
● the role of law reform in promoting and maintaining world order
● the effectiveness of legal and non-legal responses in promoting and maintaining world order.
2024
a. Analyse the role of Australia’s federal government in promoting and maintaining world order
b. To what extent are legal responses effective in ensuring the principle of ‘responsibility to protect’
and rules regarding the conduct of hostilities?
2023
a. How effectively do legal measures respond to regional and global situations that threaten peace
and security?
b. Assess the role of the United Nations in promoting peace and resolving conflict.
2022
a. ‘Legal responses are more effective than non-legal responses in achieving justice.’ To what extent
is this statement true in relation to world order?
b. Evaluate the effectiveness of the law in encouraging cooperation to resolve issues concerning
world order. Support your response with reference to at least ONE issue.
2021
a. To what extent do courts and tribunals promote and maintain world order?
b. ‘Legal measures often fail to respond to change.’ Assess this statement with reference to
resolving conflict between nation states.
2020
a. Evaluate the effectiveness of legal measures in addressing issues relating to rules regarding the
conduct of hostilities.
b. Cooperation with the law can be difficult to achieve. To what extent is this statement true in
relation to world order?
2019
a. Evaluate the effectiveness of international responses in promoting peace and resolving conflicts
to achieve world order.
b. Assess the role of law reform in promoting and maintaining world order. In your response, refer to
at least ONE contemporary issue.
2018
a. Evaluate the influence of changing values and ethical standards in promoting peace and
resolving conflict between nation states.
b. Analyse issues of compliance and non-compliance in achieving world order.
2017
a. ‘The legal system is constantly changing as it seeks to achieve justice.’ Evaluate this statement
with respect to at least one contemporary issue concerning world order.
b. Assess the effectiveness of both legal and non-legal measures in promoting and maintaining
world order.
2016
a. To what extent does the law encourage cooperation to achieve world order?
b. Evaluate the effectiveness of the law in balancing state sovereignty and the ‘responsibility to
protect’.
2015
a. To what extent has the use of political negotiation and force been effective in achieving world
order?
b. Assess the effectiveness of the United Nations in promoting and maintaining world order.
2014
a. Evaluate the effectiveness of legal and non-legal measures in encouraging cooperation between
nation states to achieve world order
b. Discuss how state sovereignty can assist or impede the resolution of world order issues.
2013
a. To what extent have legal and nonlegal measures responded to the evolving nature of world
order?
b. Explain how Australia has responded to world order issues.
2012
a. Discuss how the nature of conflict provides challenges for achieving world order.
b. To what extent does international law promote and maintain world order?
2011
a. Explain the role of nation states in achieving world order.
b. How effective is global cooperation in responding to challenges to world order?
