Did you know that the senior education system in Queensland is changing in 2019?  If your student is in Year 10 or younger, they will complete their school based education under a new system.  Features of the new system include a reduced assessment load, an ATAR score and external exams at the end of Year 12. 

What are the key features of the new system?

• No QCS Test or OP score
• ATAR instead
• All subjects and VET qualifications (Certificate 3 and higher) will contribute to the ATAR score.
• QCAA will determine results for the Senior Statement.
• QTAC will calculate the ATAR.
• Students must study one English subject to qualify for an ATAR. 
• Each student’s 5 best subject results will be used to calculate their ATAR (not necessarily English) Students will continue to have a range of school based and external training options available to them

Assessment:

• For each subject, only the 4 assessment tasks from Year 12 (Units 3 & 4) will contribute to the Senior Statement and ATAR score.
• The first 3 assessment tasks in Year 12 will be school based, however the QCAA will approved the assessment tasks before they are used. They also check teacher’s marking of these tasks.
• The 4th task is an external exam set and marked by the QCAA. For each Year 12 subject, students will sit the same exam paper at the same time across QLD.
• Year 11 assessment (Units 1 & 2) is formative to prepare students for Year 12.  Satisfactory completion of Units 1 & 2 contributes points towards the student’s QCE. 
• The external assessment task contributes 25% in most subjects, 50% in Maths and Science subjects (including Psychology).
• At the end of Year 12, students will receive a subject mark out of 100 for each subject, as well as an A-E letter grade.
• External exams will occur in Term 4 Year 12 during Weeks 4-7. Maximum 2 exams per day

Acronyms:

ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
QCE - Queensland Certificate of Education
VET - Vocational Education and Training: any qualification by AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework)
QCAA - Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
QTAC - Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre

For more information:

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/new-snr-assessment-te
https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/atar

Mrs Linda George
Director of Teaching and Learning - Northside Christian College