Every Australian state and territory runs its own senior secondary system, but they all feed into a single number: your ATAR. Each system has its own mix of internal assessments, external exams, and scaling methods. Here is how the five largest systems work and what makes each one unique.
QCE (Queensland)
Queensland's QCE system replaced the old OP ranking in 2020, bringing the state in line with the ATAR used everywhere else. Students complete three internal assessments (IA1, IA2, IA3) set and marked by their school, plus one external assessment (EA) set and marked by QCAA.
The weighting between internal and external depends on the subject. Most humanities, arts, and English subjects use a 75% internal / 25% external split. Maths and science subjects are weighted 50/50. QCAA quality-assures school assessments through endorsement (before) and confirmation (after) processes rather than using the external exam to scale internal marks.
ATAR is calculated by QTAC from your best 5 scaled subject results. You need at least a C in an English subject to be eligible.
VCE (Victoria)
Victoria's VCE is structured around four units per subject. Units 1 and 2 are typically completed in Year 11, while Units 3 and 4 are the ones that count toward your ATAR in Year 12. Internal assessments are called SACs (School-Assessed Coursework), completed mostly in class time. Every Unit 3 and 4 study also includes at least one externally set and marked end-of-year exam.
The weighting between SACs and exams varies by subject. Most subjects use a 50/50 split, while maths subjects are weighted 40% SACs and 60% exams. Each subject produces astudy score on a scale of 0 to 50, where the average is 30. VCAA statistically moderates SAC marks against exam performance at each school, preserving the school's internal rank order while ensuring fairness across schools.
All Unit 3 and 4 students also sit the GAT (General Achievement Test). It does not count directly toward your ATAR, but VCAA uses it to quality-check exam marking and to derive exam scores for students who miss an exam due to illness.
ATAR is calculated by VTAC from your best English score + next 3 highest scaled scores + 10% of your 5th and 6th subject scores (if taken).
HSC (New South Wales)
The HSC splits each subject mark evenly: 50% from moderated school assessment and 50% from the HSC exam. What makes NSW distinctive is how school assessment works. It is your rank within your school cohort that matters, not your raw marks. NESA moderates each school's internal rankings against how that school's students perform in the external exam.
Most schools also run trial exams in late July or August. These are school-administered exams that simulate HSC conditions and typically make up 20 to 40% of your internal assessment mark. They are the last major assessment before the real HSC exams in October and November.
NSW offers the largest course selection of any Australian state. Extension courses are available in English, Maths, History, Music, Science, and Languages for students who want to go deeper.
ATAR is calculated by UAC from 2 units of English (mandatory) plus your next best 8 units of Board Developed courses.
WACE (Western Australia)
Western Australia's WACE system distinguishes between ATAR courses (externally examined, counted for ATAR) and General courses (school-assessed only, not counted for ATAR). For ATAR courses, the split is a straightforward 50% school-based assessment and 50% external WACE exam.
WACE has the most compact ATAR calculation of any state: your ATAR is derived from your best 4 scaled ATAR course scores. There is also a unique scaling bonus. Students receive an additional 10% of their scaled score in Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, and/or a Language Other Than English (LOTE). This can push the maximum aggregate above 400.
Students must choose subjects from both List A (arts, languages, social sciences) and List B (maths, science, technology) to ensure breadth. Literacy and numeracy standards must also be met through OLNA or a qualifying Year 9 NAPLAN result.
ATAR is calculated by TISC from your best 4 scaled course scores, with bonuses for higher maths and languages.
SACE (South Australia)
South Australia uses a credit-based system. Students need 200 credits to complete the SACE, split across Stage 1 (typically Year 11) and Stage 2 (Year 12). Stage 2 subjects carry a 70% internal / 30% external split, giving SACE one of the highest internal assessment weightings of any Australian state that uses external exams.
The external component is not always a traditional written exam. Depending on the subject, it might be an investigation, a performance, or another format. This flexibility reflects the diversity of subjects on offer.
From 2026, the old compulsory Research Project has been replaced by "Activating Identities and Futures" (AIF), a 10-credit Stage 2 subject where students set a learning goal and produce an output of their choice. Students must achieve at least a C- in AIF to complete the SACE.
ATAR is calculated by SATAC from your best 90 credits of Stage 2 study, with scaling applied to account for subject difficulty.
What Every System Has in Common
Despite the differences in structure, weighting, and terminology, the path to a strong ATAR is the same across every state. Students who consistently practise with past exam questions, review their mistakes with proper feedback, and target their weak topics will outperform those who rely on passive study alone.
Every system rewards students who understand what the marking criteria actually ask for. Whether it is a QCAA rubric, a VCAA exam report, an HSC marking guide, a WACE answer key, or a SACE performance standard, the principle is the same: know what the markers want, and practise delivering it.
AusGrader Now Covers Five Major Systems
No matter which state you are in, AusGrader gives you the tools to prepare smarter. Practise real past exam questions and get instant AI feedback aligned to your curriculum.
- Past papers from every state with questions from QCE, VCE, HSC, WACE, and SACE exams across a growing range of subjects.
- AI grading matched to your marking criteria so your feedback reflects the specific rubric or marking guide your exam board uses.
- Topic-level analytics to pinpoint exactly where you are losing marks and focus your study time where it matters most.
- Custom practice tests so you can build targeted revision sessions around the topics and question types you need to improve on.