Using the tables from the Scaling Report
Answers
Exercise 1:
Will the same aggregate of scaled marks in two different years produce the same
ATAR?
Answer:
Use Table A9 (eg 477 = 99.5 in 2009 and 99.95 in 2010).
Exercise 2:
An ATAR of 85 places a student in the top 15% of HSC students. Comment.
Answer:
Use Table A7 An ATAR of 85 places a student in the top 25.1% of the ATAR cohort and
the top 15% of the Year 7 cohort.
Exercise 3:
Alex has the following HSC marks
English Standard
67
Italian Continuers
93
Economics
90
Chemistry
90
Mathematics
92
Food Technology
94
Mathematics was not included in Alex’s ATAR calculation. Why not?
English Standard was included. Why?
Answer:
Scaled marks are used in the ATAR calculation. Use Table A3 to work out scaled
marks.
Italian Continuers
= 86.0
Economics
= 85.2
Chemistry
= 84.8
Mathematics
= 84.6
Food Technology
= 86.2
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English must be included.
Exercise 4:
I’ve been told it’s impossible to get a high ATAR if you do Visual Arts? Is this right?
Answer:
Use Table A1 - the maximum ATAR achieved by a student with Visual Arts included in
their pattern of study was 99.95.
Exercise 5:
Question from a Year 12 student – I got the same HSC mark (88) for Business Studies
and Geography - how does the system work out which subject is used in my ATAR
calculation?
Answer:
Scaled marks are used so whatever has the highest scaled mark will be used (assuming
one must be dropped).
Use Table A3
HSC Mark of 88
Business Studies
75.8
Geography
>78.0
Geography would be included. Both equated to 90th percentile so this student’s position
in these courses was also the same – what made the difference was the scaled means –
Geography has a higher scaled mean (25.4) than Business Studies (23.8).
Compare the same mark (88) in Korean Background Speakers = between 50 and 68.4
even though scaled mean of 25.2 is higher the than scaled mean of Business Studies.
The difference there is that 88 in Korean BS is between the 50th and the 75th percentile
so positions are very different.
The scaled mark for a course depends on both the student’s position in the course and
the scaled mean for the course.
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Exercise 6:
Tzu has these HSC marks and bands:
English as a Second Language
69
Band 3
Design and Technology
69
Band 3
General Mathematics
74
Band 4
Chinese Background Speakers
72
Band 4
Hospitality Examination
70
Band 4
Tzu’s ATAR is 39.10. Why?
Answer:
Use Table A2 (or Table A4) to see how well he did in these subjects compared to other
students.
ESL approx 70% did better
D&T approx 78% did better
GM approx 37% did better
CBS approx 80% did better
HE approx 69% did better
So his position in all his courses is low.
Then use Table A3 to see the scaled means for these courses.
ESL 21.6
D&T 22.4
GM 21.2
CBS 21.4
HE 19.9
And the scaled means for these courses are low.
Therefore his scaled marks for all his courses will be low, leading to a low aggregate and
a low ATAR.
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