How ATAR and Study Scores Are Determined ๐Ÿ”

"Despite what you might hear, VCE is fundamentally a competition: if others around you do worse, and you do better, you will score higher. However, itโ€™s not that simple."


Two Main Types of Assessments โœ๏ธ

  1. SACs (School Assessed Coursework)
  2. Examinations

1. SACs ๐Ÿ“

SACs are ongoing assessments throughout the year, with each subject including 4-6 SACs. SACs are created and marked in-school, meaning they vary in structure, style, and difficulty.

You can rationalise why each schoolโ€™s SACs must be different: if every school administered the same SACs but on different days or weeks, it could lead to unfair advantages for some students across Victoria. For example, Camberwell Grammar Schoolโ€™s Methods Probability SAC may differ from Melbourne High Schoolโ€™s.

Note: VCAA provides guidelines for SACs, but schools have flexibility in design to prevent unfair advantages.

Key Point

Your actual score doesnโ€™t matter as much as your ranking within your cohort.

๐Ÿ“Š Example: If you score 60% on your first English SAC and the highest score is 60%, you are Rank 1.

๐Ÿ’ก REMEMBER: Donโ€™t stress about a bad score; focus on maintaining a good rank.


2. Examinations ๐Ÿ–Š๏ธ

Exams are standardized and administered by VCAA, ensuring that all students in the state take the same paper at the same time.