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WACE, or the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), is an award given to senior secondary students in Western Australian schools upon completion of high school study, and is recognised by universities around the world.
Why Do You Need a WACE?
A WACE educational certification is an essential qualification that opens doors to future opportunities. Weather you’re aiming for a preferred tertiary degree or entering the workforce, your WACE document displays your skills, education and competencies that you have developed throughout Years 11 and 12.
WACE Certificate Requirements
The WACE academic document is identified nationally in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Typically, students are asked to choose courses to meet the ATAR, General, Foundation, VET (Vocational Education and Training), or Preliminary pathways.
While the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) allows students to complete their WACE requirements over several years, most students aim to finish within the standard two year senior secondary period. The SCSA manages the curriculum, assessments, standards and reporting for all Western Australian education from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Literacy and Numeracy Minimum Requirements for the WACE
In order to receive your WACE, you must meet the minimum literacy and numeracy standards. This can be achieved by either:
- Completing the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA); or
- Achieving a Band 8 or higher in reading, writing or numeracy components as part of the Year 9 National Assessment Program, primarily known as NAPLAN tests.
What are WACE Subject Requirements?
The WACE syllabus requires Western Australian students to obtain a minimum of 20 units (including VET or endorsed program equivalents), which must include:
- A minimum of ten Year 12 units
- Four units from an English language learning course, after Year 10, which includes at least one set of Year 12 units from an English course
- One pair of Year 12 units from each of Arts, Languages, or Social Sciences and List B, STEM subjects.
What do the WACE Assessment Tasks Look Like?
WACE School-Based Assessments
Students are put through a range of tasks that align with the course syllabus, developed and assessed by Western Australian teachers. These tasks are overseen by the school teachers in agreement with the school’s senior secondary assessment policy.
Each unit or pair of units is graded in terms of aggregate marks, calculated to rank students based on their performance on a scale from A-E.
For ATAR course units, students receive a school mark out of 100, which may include practical components such as oral exams, interviews, performances, or portfolio examinations. These marks are then scaled for the written and practical components where schools will provide a score out of 100 respectively.
Your acquired knowledge and skills from each of your Year 12 ATAR courses are then assessed through the ATAR course examinations. Students are required to sit these examinations if they are in Year 12 and enrolled in Units 3 and 4 of an ATAR course program.
Along-side your internal school assessments, ATAR course examinations:
- Confirm your eligibility for an ATAR course report
- Contribute to generating your ATAR for university admission
WACE Externally Set Tasks
The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) also develops Externally Set Tasks (ESTs) for students in Year 12 General and Foundation courses.
The purpose of the EST includes:
- Providing a fair, standardised assessment for each student completing a Year 12 course
- Creating a solid foundation which supports teachers when developing school-based assessments
Schools are notified of the EST content a year in advance, allowing teachers to prepare students accordingly on the provided course material and syllabus content that will occur in the EST the following year.
The EST marking schema is uniform across all schools. Teachers follow a marking key provided by the Authority when marking student papers to ensure consistency. The school then provides the raw marks to the Authority and the latter reviews the EST scripts from each school delivering the course curriculum.
What is a Good WACE Score?
Your WACE scores are the primary consideration for most university admissions. You receive a WACE score for completing each course, and this score is calculated based on your examination performance and moderated school assessment mark which count for 50% of your total score respectively.
WACE score standards are typically perceived as:
- 75 or above is considered an excellent achievement
- 65 - 74.9 is a high achievement
- 50 - 64.9 is marked as a satisfactory achievement
- 35 - 49.9 is deemed to be a low achievement
- 0 - 34.9 is marked as an inadequate achievement
Kindly note that the WACE requirements are prone to change over time, so make certain that you are looking into the official website for further information.
What is the difference between ATAR and WACE?
An ATAR is a rank between 0 and 99.95 that shows your ranking compared to other students in the same academic year. While the WACE represents the completion of Year 12 requirements in Western Australia. Therefore, the ATAR measures your performance relative to all other Year 12 students in your state, taking into account the number of students who sit the WACE exams in that particular year.
For example, an ATAR of 85.00 means you performed better than 85% of students in your age group.
Unlike the WACE, the ATAR is used for university applications, allowing your results to be compared with students across the country.
What Subjects Can Boost your ATAR for Medical School?
An advantage of the ATAR is that it is nationally recognised across Australia. All senior secondary schools use the ATAR system to compare student performance and student rankings to the state’s population. This means your ATAR can be used for entry into any Australian universities across all states.
The table below shows subject prerequisites demanded across medical schools in Australia. This table can benefit your decision making whilst selecting subjects for your final ATAR calculation.
WACE Exam Timetable
Where to Next?
If you enjoyed this article, read more here:
- Year 12 Subjects to Help With Medicine
- Which UCAT Course is the Best for my Child?
- What Year 12 Subjects Help with UCAT Study?
- What UCAT Score is Needed for Medicine?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UCAT exam for?
The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is an admissions test to help select applicants into medical and dental degree programmes alongside other prerequisites.
When should i start preparing for the UCAT?
It is recommended to start studying for the UCAT 3-6 months before your test date. By preparing in advance, you should be able to balance the demanding nature of Year 12 studies along-side UCAT practice.
What’s the best way to practice for the UCAT?
Utilising timed mock exams and focusing on improving your weakest sections regularly is recommended to succeed in the UCAT.
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