Senior Secondary Certificate of Education

The Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) is the graduation certificate awarded to most students in Australian high schools, and is equivalent to the Advance Placement in North America and the GCE A-Levels of the United Kingdom. Students completing the SSCE are usually aged 16 to 18 and study full-time for two years (years 11 and 12 of schooling). In some states adults may gain the certificate through a Technical and Further Education college or other provider.

The curriculum, assessment and name of the SSCE is different in each state and territory. The government of each determines these themselves, although the curriculum must address mutually agreed national competencies.

State and territory SSCEs
State SSCE title Abbreviation
New South Wales[1] Higher School Certificate

Board Developed Course - ATAR

Board Endorsed Course - Non-ATAR

Content Endorsed Course - Non-ATAR

Life Skills Course - Non-ATAR

HSC
Victoria[2] Victorian Certificate of Education - ATAR
Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning - Non-ATAR
VCE
VCAL
Queensland[3][4][5] Queensland Certificate of Education

"Authority" Subjects - OP/ATAR

"Authority-Registered" Subjects - Non-ATAR

QCE
South Australia South Australian Certificate of Education SACE
Western Australia Western Australian Certificate of Education

2016 - present: "ATAR" and "General" Courses

2007 - 2015: Stage 2 and Stage 3 subjects (ATAR)

2007-2015: Preliminary and Stage 1 subjects (Non-ATAR)

WACE
Tasmania Tasmanian Certificate of Education

Level 3 - ATAR

Level 1 and Level 2 subjects - Non-ATAR

TCE
Australian Capital Territory[6] ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and Record of Achievement

"T" and "H" course Subjects - ATAR

"A","V","M',"C","E" and "R" course Subjects - Non-ATAR

ACT SSC
Northern Territory Northern Territory Certificate of Education NTCE

Universities Australia generates a nationally standardised final score for each SSCE exam student called the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Universities and other Higher Education providers typically use this mark as the main criterion in selecting domestic students. All States and Territories in Australia uses the ATAR system. Queensland had its own ranking system called Overall Position (OP), but switched to ATAR in 2020.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ NSW, Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards. "HSC – Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards NSW". www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  2. ^ "Victorian Certificate of Education Index". www.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  3. ^ Project, c=AU; o=The State of Queensland; ou=Department of Education, Training and Employment; ou=QGOV. "Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) | Education and training". www.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ government, corporateName=Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority; jurisdiction=Queensland; address=Melbourne St, South Brisbane, Qld 4101; contact=+61 7 3864 0299; email=office@qcaa.qld.edu.au; sector=. "Information about Authority subjects". Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Retrieved 2017-08-20. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ government, corporateName=Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority; jurisdiction=Queensland; address=Melbourne St, South Brisbane, Qld 4101; contact=+61 7 3864 0299; email=office@qcaa.qld.edu.au; sector=. "Information about Authority-registered subjects". Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Retrieved 2017-08-20. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and Record of Achievement".
  7. ^ "Tertiary entrance: ATARs and OPs". Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2024-01-25.