WA Curriculum

The Pathway to Australia and the World

WACE (Western Australian Certificate of Education)

The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is the certificate that all young people in Western Australia receive after they successfully complete secondary school. The WACE requires each person to demonstrate a breadth and depth of study, and to reach a specified achievement standard, including a literacy and numeracy. The WACE is recognised nationally under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and internationally for post-secondary school entry to universities and other tertiary institutions, industry and training providers.

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Western Australia’s School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) is an independent statutory authority that regulates school curriculum and assessment for all Western Australian children from Kindergarten to Year 12. SCSA is responsible for:

Setting standards of achievement,
assessment and certification.

Developing an outline of curriculum and assessment that sets out the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes your children are expected to acquire.

Developing guidelines for the
assessment of achievement.

Developing and accrediting courses for schools by setting and recording each person’s achievement against standards, and reporting on those standards.

Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) is a globally recognised pre-university programme offered at the International School of Western Australia. The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) of Western Australia, on behalf of the Government of Western Australia, oversees the quality implementation of the AUSMAT programme. Students are awarded the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) upon successful completion of the AUSMAT programme.

What is ATAR ?

The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking) indicates your ranked position in the total Year 12 school leaving age population who have sat for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) worldwide. The ATAR ranges between zero and 99.95. The ATAR is derived from the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA). This score is calculated by adding the best 4 scaled WACE scores. An ATAR of 75.00 indicates that you have performed better than 75% of the Year 12 school leaving age population who have sat for the Western Australian Certificate of Education worldwide. ATARs from all states in Australia are equivalent. This means that the results of any WACE student applying to interstate universities can be directly compared with results of students in those states, and vice versa.

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