Calculation of the ATAR
and using the scaling report
UAC Information Session
6, 8, 12 and 14 June 2012
Understanding the Scaling Report

Overview of the Scaling Report
2011 HSC and ATAR
What is the ATAR?
What is scaling?
FAQs
 Using the tables from the Scaling Report
Overview of the 2011 HSC and ATAR
71 159 students completed at least one HSC course
1 850 did not complete any ATAR course (BDC with exam)
93.3% of the remaining pool (69 309) received an HSC
79.2% received an ATAR
96.0% of those receiving an ATAR only included 2011 courses
Slightly more females (53.4%) than males in the ATAR group
45.2% completed only 10 units
18 525 students enrolled in at least one VET course
13 812 students (74.6%) enrolled in at least one VET examination course
WHAT is the ATAR?
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank  a numerical measure of a student’s overall
academic achievement in the HSC in relation to
that of other students. It’s about POSITION.
 a number between 0.00 and 99.95
(only ATARs above 30 are reported)
 intended for use by universities to rank and select
school leavers for admission to university
ATAR eligibility
To be eligible for an ATAR a student must have
satisfactorily completed at least 10 units of ATAR
courses, including at least:
– eight units of Category A courses
– two units of English
– three courses of two units or greater
– four subjects
ATAR calculation
 The ATAR is based on an aggregate of scaled marks in
10 units of ATAR courses comprising:
– the best two units of English
– the best eight of the remaining units, which can
include up to two units of Category B courses
 Marks can be accumulated over a five-year period, but if
a course is repeated, only the last satisfactory attempt is
used in the ATAR calculation.
 A scaled mark is calculated the year the course is
completed.
Board of Studies road map
The Board of Studies provides a profile of how each
student has performed in each course attempted.
HSC
examination
marks
Examination
mark
+
School
assessment
mark
Moderated
school
assessments
HSC
assessment
marks
HSC
marks
Performance
bands
ATAR road map
- a five stage process
STAGE 4
Year 7
percentiles
STAGE 3
Year 12
percentiles
STAGE 2
determining
the aggregate
STAGE 1
controlling for
competition
STAGE 5
Truncate to
nearest .05
Stage 1 – controlling for competition
For each course, examination marks and moderated assessments are
averaged to produce a raw mark, which is changed into a scaled mark.
Exam mark
Raw mark
Scaled mark
Moderated
assessment mark
Scaled marks are marks students would receive if all the course
candidatures were the same.
The scaling algorithm starts from the premise that a student’s position in a
course depends on
- how good he/she is in that course, and
- the strength of the competition.
Scaling controls for the strength of competition
Stage 2 – determining the aggregate
For each student an aggregate mark is formed by adding
together the scaled marks of
- the best two units of English
- the best eight units from the student’s remaining courses,
(no more than two units from Category B courses can be included)
1 unit
(English)
1 unit
(English)
1 unit
1 unit
1 unit
1 unit
Aggregate
1 unit
1 unit
1 unit
1 unit
Stage 3 –ATAR-eligible percentiles
ATAR-eligible percentile
All Year 12 students who are eligible for an ATAR are ranked
on the basis of their aggregates. ATAR-eligible percentiles,
which show the position of students relative to their ATAR
cohort, are then determined for these aggregates.
98.8
90.8
77.0
(76.9% of the 2011 ATAR cohort received an aggregate mark of 350 or less)
59.8
42.1
26.3
13.1
150
200
250
300
Aggregate
350
400
450
Stage 4 – Year 7 percentiles
100
90
80
Year 7 percentile
In 2011, 54 897 students received
an ATAR out of approximately
80,000 students who started Year 7
with them.
To make NSW ATARs comparable
to ATARs calculated in other states,
students’ positions relative to the
TOTAL cohort, including those who
left before Year 10 and those Year
12 students who were not eligible
for an ATAR, are calculated.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
20
40
60
Year 12 percentile
80
100
Stage 5 – determining the ATARS
When the position of each student relative to the full Year
7 cohort has been determined, the final step is to truncate
these percentiles to the nearest 0.05, starting at 99.95.
Here are some examples from the 2011 calculations. (Table A9)
ATAR
Range of percentiles
Lowest aggregate
99.95
99.951-99.999
476.5
99.50
99.501-99.549
456.2
99.00
99.001-99.049
445.6
98.00
98.001-98.049
432.2
Frequently asked questions
Can my school, my classmates or my choice of subjects
affect my ATAR?
Moderation and scaling processes aim to remove differences
between schools and courses.
Students can achieve high HSC marks and high ATARS
regardless of courses attempted or school attended.
Reference: Report on the Scaling of the 2010 NSW HSC Table A1
FAQs
If the ATAR indicates position, why isn’t the middle ATAR 50?
Because the ATAR indicates position against the entire age group,
not just those who complete Year 12.
The cohort of students who complete Year 12 and who are eligible for
an ATAR are, on average, better students than those who leave early
or who complete Year 12 but are not eligible for an ATAR.
Only about 57% of students who start Year 7 complete Year 12 and
are eligible for an ATAR.
The middle student in the Year 12 ATAR cohort is better than 70% of
the initial cohort, so the middle ATAR is about 70.
FAQs
Why is one course counted towards my ATAR when another
course where I received a higher HSC mark does not count?
Whether a course counts depends on your position in the course and
the scaled mean of the course.
If the scaled means are the same, the course in which you have the
better position is more likely to be included.
If your positions are similar, the course with the higher scaled mean is
likely to be included.
There are occasions when a better position will compensate for a lower
scaled mean.
(Reference: Report on the Scaling of the 2010 NSW HSC, pp24-25)
FAQs
Why is my ATAR low in comparison to my HSC marks?
Because ATAR is about position, and even high HSC
marks don’t necessarily mean a high position.
The Fred and Laura example shows the large difference in
ATARs arising from much smaller differences in HSC
marks.
(see p 23 of 2011 Scaling Report)
FAQs
How do bonus points work?

They are added to the selection rank for a particular course

Example - Course A has 6 applicants for 3 places
1. 89 (ATAR of 89)
2. 88 (ATAR of 83 plus 5 bonus points)
3. 87 (ATAR of 85 plus 2 bonus points)
---------------------------------------------------------4. 86 (ATAR of 86)
5. 85 (ATAR of 76 plus 9 bonus points)
6. 84 (ATAR of 84)
XX = selection rank
(Course cut-off = 87)

Bonus points DO NOT change the ATAR
FAQs
Are certain courses always scaled up or scaled down?
NO
Do I get a better ATAR if I study hard courses, or courses
that are scaled up?
NOT NECESSARILY
Can I get a high ATAR if I study a VET course?
YES
Can I get a better ATAR if I study General Maths rather than
Mathematics?
NOT NECESSARILY
Not many students get Band 6 in Standard English. Does that
mean I can’t get a high ATAR if I study Standard English?
NO
Your ATAR doesn’t depend on the particular courses you
study, but on how well you do in your courses.
ATAR quiz
Using the tables from the Scaling
Report
 Appendix (p28)
Overview of the tables
 Table A1 – Gender, ATAR eligibility and
maximum ATAR by course*
 Table A2 – Distributions of HSC marks by
course*
 Table A3 – Descriptive statistics and
selected percentiles** for HSC marks and
scaled marks by course*
*excludes courses with <10 students
** no percentile data for courses with <40 students
Overview of the tables
 Table A4 – Distributions of HSC marks by
course: 2010-2011 (excl <40)
 Table A5 – Distributions of scaled marks
by course: 2010-2011 (excl <40)
 Table A6 – Courses that contribute to the
ATAR (excl <10)
Overview of the tables
 Table A7 – ATAR distribution
 Table A8 – ATAR and percentiles: 20092011
 Table A9 – Relationship between ATAR
and aggregates: 2009-2011
Exercises
In summary, the Scaling Report
Can be used for …
Should NOT be used for …
statistics; course enrolments;
male/female study patterns;
estimating ATARs
trends - changing distribution
of marks across courses
choosing HSC courses
explaining a students’ ATAR
and why certain courses
have/have not been included
advising students about
patterns of study
Where to go for more information
All about your ATAR
Report on the Scaling of the 2010 NSW Higher School Certificate
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank in New South Wales:
A technical report
Frequently asked questions about the ATAR
University entrance requirements for 2014
(for Year 10 students in 2011)
http://www.uac.edu.au/publications/undergraduate/index.shtml
Thank you.