The Queensland Government will introduce new senior assessment and tertiary entrance systems, starting with students entering Year 11 in 2018.
The Current System - Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
To be eligible for a QCE, a student must be enrolled with a school and registered with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). For most students the QCE will be achieved over Years 11 and 12. Others may not achieve it until after they finish Year 12.The total amount of learning required is at least twenty credits. This reflects an amount of learning that could be reasonably achieved by most young people over a two-year, full-time program of study in the Senior Phase of Learning.
What is a credit?
A credit is the minimum amount of learning at the set standard that can contribute to the QCE. A credit has two elements: an amount of learning and a set standard. For example, a credit for a school subject is one semester (amount of learning) at Sound Achievement (set standard) or a credit for a Certificate II qualification is 25% (amount of learning) of the competencies (set standard).
Some learning achievements will be recorded in the Learning Account but will not be a credit because they either do not have the required amount of learning or they do not meet the set standard. For example, a Very Limited Achievement in a school subject does not meet the set standard to be a credit.
The Senior Statement
The Senior Statement is an official record of all the learning achievements in a Learning Account. It details: what learning was attempted, the standard achieved and, where and when the learning took place.
The QCAA will issue the Senior Statement to young people who:
- have met the requirements for the Queensland Certificate of Education, or
- are attending a school, and have banked at least one achievement in their Learning Account, and are enrolled at a school until the prescribed date at the end of Year 12, or
- have completed a pattern of study which makes them OP eligible.
The New System
The new systems of senior assessment and tertiary entrance will both be strengthened under the new system.
The new systems will include:
- A model that uses school-based assessment and common external assessment
- Processes that strengthen the quality and comparability of school-based assessment
- Move from the Overall Position (OP) to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)
The Senior Secondary Assessment Taskforce is leading the change to the new systems and advising on operational issues. The taskforce includes representatives from schooling sectors, parents, teachers, principals, the tertiary sector, the QCAA (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority), Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre and is chaired by Education Minister, The Hon. Kate Jones.
The purpose of the new systems is to improve the Queensland Certificate of Education, thereby giving students more opportunities for success after Year 12. Under the new system, subject results will be based on a student’s achievement in three school-based assessments and one external assessment which is set and marked by the QCAA.
For more information
- our Careers Advisor
- visit the QCAA website at www.qcaa.qld.edu.au
- visit the Department of Employment and Training at www.det.qld.gov.au for information about school-based apprenticeships and traineeships
