Year 12, 2016
Curriculum Information Evening
Mrs Penny Houghton
Dean of Studies
2015
What is the Western Australian Certificate of
Education?
The Western Australian Certificate of Education
(WACE) is awarded to senior secondary school
students who satisfy its requirements.
It is a senior secondary certificate recognised
nationally in the Australian Qualifications
Framework (AQF). Generally, students will
complete two years of senior secondary study to
achieve the WACE.
WACE 2016 – A recap overview
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Courses within the WACE are divided into ATAR
courses and General courses
(Both General and ATAR courses contribute to the WACE)
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A student may enrol in a combination of ATAR and
General courses
A student will either achieve an ATAR at the end of
Year 12 or a Certificate II
Students enrolled in an ATAR course will sit the
examination for that course at the end of Year 12
No external examinations for General courses
except a single externally moderated task run per
single course mid way through Year 12.
Year 12 course selection structure
at LJBC
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At LJBC students typically enrol in six courses or a combination of
courses and a VET component in Year 12
Courses may comprise of a combination of ATAR and General
courses to make up six courses in addition to Christian Education
(compulsory)
Students may take a Private Study if they are enrolled in five ATAR
Courses or they are completing a Certificate IV.
English is a compulsory course and is required to achieve a WACE
(Literature or English) in order to satisfy the Literacy component.
The Schools Curriculum and Standards Authority suggests that
students only take ATAR Courses if they are determined to enter
university through direct entry. The courses are designed to
prepare students to achieve a ranked entry position into university
and to be able to handle the rigour of undergraduate study.
Qualifying for a Western Australian
Certificate of Education from 2016
onwards
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General requirements
Breadth and Depth requirement
Achievement Standard requirement
Literacy and Numeracy requirement
General requirements
• Demonstrate a minimum standard of literacy
and a minimum standard of numeracy based on
the skills regarded as essential to meet the
demands of everyday life
• Complete a minimum of 20 units or the
equivalent over Year 11 and 12 combined
• Complete four or more Year 12 ATAR courses
or complete a Certificate II or higher
Breadth and Depth requirement
Complete a minimum of 20 course units, or the
equivalent, over Years 11 and 12
The 20 course units must include at least:
• A minimum of ten Year 12 units or the equivalent
• Two completed Year 11 English units and two
Year 12 English units
One pair of course units completed in Year 12 from each of:
• List A
(Arts, Languages, Social Sciences – including English)
• List B
(Mathematics, Science, Technology)
Achievement Standard requirement
Achieve 14 ‘C’ grades (or equivalents) in
Year 11 and Year 12, including at least six ‘C’
grades in Year 12 units – No longer any grade
averaging
Endorsed programs and/or VET credit transfer can
reduce the required number of course units by up
to four Year 11 units and four Year 12 units
Note: Certificate ll is equivalent to two Year 11 units
and two Year 12 units
Literacy and numeracy requirement
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Complete a pair of Year 11 English units and a
pair of Year 12 English units (a scaled ‘C’ grade
is required in the Year 12 ATAR English or
Literature course for entry into university)
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Meet the minimum standard for literacy and
numeracy through either the Online Literacy
and Numeracy test (OLNA) or demonstrate
Band 8 or higher in your Year 9 NAPLAN
Unacceptable combinations – a reminder
English ATAR with Literature ATAR
Physics ATAR with Integrated Science
Chemistry ATAR with Integrated Science
Repeating units and
changing courses
2016 WACE
Under new WACE rules students are no longer able
to repeat courses as all courses are now year
group specific
Students may change courses however please
seek advice from the Curriculum or Careers Office
if you are intending to do this
Students are generally unable to change courses
after Week 6, Term 1 2016 as the content is a full
year program and cannot be reported as separate
units
University entrance 2016
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Must achieve WACE Graduation
Achieve competence in English
Sit the external WACE exams for ATAR courses
Generate an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) based on
top four marks
Generally students at LJBC take five ATAR courses in Year 12 to
support University entry
Scaled mark of 50 in specific courses including English – check
TISC website for prerequisites for entrance to university courses
Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) from summing best four scaled
results – (doesn’t have to include English or Maths – just four
highest)
TEA from any combination of ATAR courses to create an ATAR
(Australian Tertiary Admission Rank)
Some unacceptable pairs of courses
UWA and Curtin – LOTE bonus from 2011 of 10% extra on the
scaled course score
ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) –
What does it mean?
Relating Year 11 to likely Year 12 performance
(good indicator is Year 11 examination results)
Marks in Year 11 best four
courses
Approximate grade
Likely ATAR
Averaging about 80
A
95
Averaging about 75
A
90
Averaging about 65
B
79
Averaging about 55
C
64
Averaging about 50
D
56
How will courses be standardised against one
another in terms of accounting for the difference in
the level of difficulty?
To remove variations in the level of difficulty from
year to year, the distributions of each courses’
combined marks are standardised to a
predetermined shape such that each distribution
will have the same mean and standard deviation.
UMAT – entry requirement for
Medicine and Dentistry
• Year 12 students attempt the UMAT
(Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences
Admission Test) in July 2016
• On the basis of results in this test, students will
then be selected for interviews in November
• There are preparation courses available for the
UMAT
• Students typically prepare for the UMAT from
early in Year 12 (see flyers in the Curriculum
Office)
TAFE/Polytechnic entry
Entry requirements apply to all TAFE/Polytechnic courses
Selection criteria applied to competitive courses only ie
those courses where there are more applicants than places
available – a minority of TAFE places fall into this group –
students may then be ranked for entry into a course
Selection criteria
Three main categories which add up to 100 points
• qualification pathway – AQF certificates
(up to 29 points for hours worked )
• work experience/employment (up to 29 points)
• secondary education/skill development (up to 42
points)
TAFE selection criteria
(competitive entry)
To maximise entry prospects be aware of:
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Communication and maths skills ratings: basic,
developed, well developed or highly developed – try to
achieve the highest you can
Undertake VET qualifications whilst still at the College
Maximise grades in school for academic merit
Undertake experience in the workplace through
workplace learning and/or employment (keep records)
TAFE entry is not determined by TEA or ATAR, but
students may consider the option of completing a TAFE
credential then transferring to a university course
TAFE selection criteria
(competitive entry)
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TAFE courses are industry driven
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85% of TAFE graduates receive
employment
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Our College provides opportunities for
relevant industry training which receives
credit when enrolling in TAFE
Course selection advice
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University bound students would study a program of at least
four ATAR courses in Year 12. In their final year, all or most
of the courses would be ATAR aligned as a preference
determined by capability (aim to do the highest course you
can)
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Students who may be headed to TAFE/Polytechnic, further
education and training or the workforce would study a
combination of ATAR and General courses or a combination
of VET and General courses
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Students should note that there are also prerequisites to
progress through to some Year 12 courses
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Recommendations are also given for most courses
General advice to students
Choose the highest course of which you are capable
Listen carefully to the professional advice of the
Curriculum team
If you have aspirations for further study at university or
TAFE/Polytechnic, check to see if there are any
prerequisites
Select your courses on the basis of what you enjoy doing
(not because you think the course will be scaled up –
scaling changes from year to year depending on the
performance of the group)
You must have sufficient units to achieve WACE
You must select an English course (List A) and one
course from List B
When is course counselling appropriate?
1. For students in Year 11 who would like general
advice with subject selection and for students
seeking advice on university degree or TAFE
prerequisites.
2. In those instances where a student may have just
missed out on the prerequisite, gold form entry for a
particular course may be permitted by the Head of
Learning Area.
3. If you have missed out on gold form entry and you
are still determined to enter a particular course
(enquire at the Curriculum office).
I haven’t met the prerequisites . . .
what can I do?
1. Go online and begin the course selection process.
2. Make an alternative selection online, collect a ‘Gold
Form’ from the Curriculum office and then book a
compulsory appointment to meet with the Head of
Learning Area for the course you wish to enter.
3. Each Head of Learning Area will be responsible for
counselling students who seek ‘Gold Form’ entry into
one of their courses.
4. This year all students who take a ‘Gold Form’ will
be interviewed by either Mrs Houghton – Dean of
Studies, Mrs Eyre – Secondary Curriculum
Manager, or Mr Lynton Smith – Head of Careers.
‘Gold Form’ entry process
1. Make your online selection on Web Preferences.
2. Collect a ‘Gold Form’ from the Curriculum office.
3. Ensure that Mrs Maree or Mrs Knight in the
Curriculum office records your name as having
taken a ‘Gold Form’ and for which course/s.
4. Meet with the appropriate Head of Learning Area
for the course you wish to go into for a compulsory
discussion no later than Friday 28 August 2015.
5. The Head of Learning Area will outline criteria and
goals for acceptance into the course.
‘Gold Form’ entry process
6. Students must demonstrate improved results
within the time frames outlined by the Head of
Learning Area.
7. Students must meet the prerequisite for a course
even when applying for a course through the ‘Gold
Form’ process.
8. Once a ‘Gold Form’ has been registered, students
will be invited for an interview by either Mrs
Houghton, Mrs Eyre, or Mr Lynton Smith as part of
the counselling process with an aim to finish the
formal counselling process by 11 September 2015.
When does counselling start?
Counselling by the Head of Learning Area
commences from the moment online course
selection becomes available
Counselling via the Curriculum office and the
Careers office also commences from this time
BUT
closes on
Friday 11 September (Week 8)
Enquiries
Please direct any questions that you might have to:
• Mrs Penny Houghton – Dean of Studies (Curriculum
Office)
• Mrs Kimberly Eyre – Secondary Curriculum
Manager (Curriculum Office)
• Mr Lynton Smith – Head of Careers (Careers Office)
• Note that there will be a Year 12 information
evening in February 2016