Exploring the SACE program at Scotch AGS

Understanding the SACE program beginning in grade 10 will assist students in determining their proper learning path to success at university.

This is the purpose of the information session on the SACE that Scotch AGS intends to convey to parents and students as part of the process of preparing to pick a major in grade 11 at Scotch AGS.

Scotch AGS SACE and learning path

The SACE program requires high school graduates to complete 200 credits. This will provide students with the opportunity to learn more disciplines and broaden their employment prospects.

In grade 10 (Pre-SACE stage), students must complete 10 credits for the Research Practices. In grade 11, students will officially enter stage 1 of the SACE with 90 credits and 100 credits in grade 12 to receive the Australian certificate (SACE).

Accessing the SACE right from grade 10 at Scotch AGS helps students familiarize themselves with the learning roadmap, thereby having a good preparation for the process of choosing subjects and majors in grade 11.

The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking) will be used to determine the university admission examination. ATAR is the rank calculated and converted based on each student’s academic results in the 12th grade on a scale of 0 to 99.95.

For example, if a student achieves an ATAR of 80, that student outperforms 80% of other students and gets into the top 20% of the best students participating in that examination in Australia. The higher the ATAR rank is, the more potential students will enter top universities.

What subjects do students study in the SACE at Scotch AGS?

In the SACE program, all subjects will be divided into two main groups: compulsory subjects and selective subjects. The compulsory subjects are available to all SACE students, including Math, English, and Research Practice. Selective subjects are chosen according to students’ interests or career orientations to complete the required number of 200 credits, including four main majors: Technology, Medicine, Business, and Art.

In grade 11, all subjects at Scotch AGS are worth 10 credits. In addition to the required subjects, students need to choose selective subjects to accumulate 90 credits according to the following formula:

• Semester I: 3 compulsory subjects (Maths, English, and Research Practice) + 2 selective subjects = 50 subjects
• Semester II: 2 compulsory subjects (Maths, English) + 2 selective subjects = 40 credits

In grade 12, each subject is worth about 20 credits. In addition to two compulsory subjects, students need three more selective subjects to accumulate 100 credits with the following formula:

• Full-year grade 12: 2 compulsory subjects (Maths, English) + 3 selective subjects = 100 credits

How to evaluate SACE learning outcomes at Scotch AGS

In terms of evaluation methodologies, the school will rate 100% of students’ learning outcomes on a scale of E to A in stage 1. The school assessment accounts for 70% of the grade in stage 2, with the remaining 30% coming from final exams of grade 12 subjects graded on a scale of E- to A+.

For the required subjects, the minimum score for English and Math is C, and C- for Research Projects. In grade 12, two compulsory subjects, including Math, English, and one of the elective subjects, must reach at least a C-.

“The South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) calculates ATAR rankings and university prerequisites” Dr. Dung Mai said.

In summary, to prepare well for the SACE learning path from grade 11, students need to learn carefully about the admissions process and the requirements for each year’s ATAR scores at universities, thereby making a good choice to study the SACE program effectively.