YEARS 11 AND 12 ACADEMIC INFORMATION HANDBOOK

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL INFORMATION 2020

All Saints’ College offers a broad and engaging curriculum and all students are encouraged to choose a balanced selection of courses that will enable them to both optimise their learning and satisfy their intellectual curiosity. This handbook describes the courses that the College may offer to Year 11 students in 2019, subject to adequate demand.

 

During Year 10, you will have acquired information about the post-school courses that you could study in order to achieve qualifications in the area that you are interested in pursuing.  You must now look at the courses that you will need to study in Years 11 and 12 in order to meet the requirements for the course or field of work.

 

You should then select courses which meet these requirements and which fulfil the criteria for achieving the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).  In doing this, you must also take into account the areas of study you have so far found interesting, and the areas in which you have been more successful.  Your present teachers’ advice must also play a part in your thinking and you must closely follow the course recommendations.

NEW WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Students entering Year 11 in 2020 now have three options for the course completion requirement to achieve the WACE through their course combinations in Year 12. The third option has been added to the options introduced for Year 12s in 2016. You now, along with the other requirements that need to be met, are able to complete:

  •  at least four Year 12 ATAR courses, OR
  • five Year 12 General courses and/or ATAR courses, or equivalent, OR
  • a Certificate II (or higher) VET qualification in combination with ATAR and General courses

The new option gives you the opportunity to complete a combination of five Year 12 General courses and/or ATAR courses, or equivalent, if you choose not to undertake four or more ATAR courses in Year 12 or a VET Certificate II or higher.

 

Achievement of a WACE signifies that you have successfully met the breadth and depth, the achievement standard and literacy and numeracy requirements in your senior secondary schooling. For 2020, these requirements follow. To qualify for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) you must meet the following requirements.

 

Breadth and Depth Requirement

You must complete a minimum of 20 units over Years 11 and 12.  (An example of a ‘unit’ is Unit 1 Politics and Law and an example of a ‘course’ is Unit 1 and Unit 2 Politics and Law. For all courses, units 1 and 2 will be taken in Year 11 and units 3 and 4 will be taken in Year 12.) 

 

The breadth-of-study requirement must be fulfilled through the study of ATAR or General Courses. VET certificates and endorsed programs cannot be used to meet breadth-of-study requirement.

 

The 20 course units must include at least:

  • 10 course units (or the equivalent) at Year 12;
  • two Year 11 units from an English course and one pair of units from a Year 12 course;
  • one pair of course units from each of List A (Arts/Languages/Social Sciences) and List B (Mathematics/Science/Technology) completed in Year 12. (See below).

(Up to 8 unit equivalents can be from ‘endorsed programs’, four in Year 11 and four in Year 12. A complete list of endorsed programs can be found at www.scsa.wa.edu.au – Senior Secondary – Endorsed Programs.)

 

Achievement Standard Requirement

  • You must achieve at least 14 C grades or higher (or equivalents) in Year 11 and Year 12 units, including at least six C grades (or equivalents) in Year 12 units.

 

Literacy and Numeracy Competence Requirement

  • You must complete at least four units of an English course in Years 11 and 12. You are required to complete two Year 11 English units and a pair of Year 12 English units.
  • You must demonstrate the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy.

WACE EXAMINATION AND EXTERNALLY SET TASK REQUIREMENTS

You must sit for WACE examinations in each course when enrolled in Units 3 and 4 in ATAR courses. Year 12 students enrolled in Units 3 and 4 in an ATAR course must sit the external examination in that course. If you do not sit, or do not make a genuine attempt in this examination, the grades for the pair of units completed in that year will not contribute to the calculation of the achievement standard, but they will still count in the breadth-and-depth requirement.

 

Year 12 students enrolled in Units 3 and 4 in a General course must sit the externally set task (EST) in that course. This task is set by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority and will comprise 15% of your mark in all General courses. If you do not sit the EST, or do not make a genuine attempt in this task, the grades for the pair of units completed in that year will not contribute to the calculation of the achievement standard, but they will still count in the breadth-and-depth requirement.

 

More detailed information regarding WACE can be found by clicking HERE.

WACE BREADTH-OF-STUDY LIST (For courses offered at All Saints’ College)

In Year 12, at least one pair of course units must be chosen from List A and at least one pair of course units must be chosen from List B.

Please see the separate Vocational Education and Training (VET) Handbook regarding 

Certificates being offered at All Saints’ College in 2020, by clicking HERE.

 

* These courses have both written and practical examinations.

 

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY 

All students in Year 11 will study one period per week of Religion and Philosophy. 

The curriculum is designed internally for our students at All Saints’ College.  Students will have the opportunity to choose three out of nine topics on offer.  The topics are chosen to help students explore philosophical, ethical and religious issues from an objective point of view through discussion, research and an open mind.  Classes will provide opportunity for open debate as well as personal individual reflection.  A component of each class will be Stillness and Silence which encourages the students to develop relaxation skills.

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN STATEMENT OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT (WASSA)

A WASSA will be issued to all Year 12 students who complete any study that contributes towards a WACE. It will list all courses and programs students have completed in Years 11 and 12.

REPEATING COURSE UNITS

Course units can be repeated. However, if those units which have the same code are repeated, they do NOT contribute to the WACE requirements more than once. If the course unit is repeated, the highest grade recorded for the unit will be used when calculating the ‘C’ grade average.

ENROLMENT CRITERIA FOR WACE LANGUAGES COURSES

If you wish to study a WACE Language course, there is a form that needs to be completed to ensure you are permitted to enrol in that Language course. Enrolment criteria considerations include residency in the country where that language is spoken and exposure to that language either at school or in the home. To view the application form on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website.

ENROLMENT CRITERIA FOR ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE OR DIALECT (EAL/D)

If you do not speak Standard Australian English as your home language or you have had limited schooling in English or a limited period of residence in a country where English is spoken, you may be eligible to enrol in EAL/D. The application form is available on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website.

TERTIARY ENTRANCE 2021-2022

The booklet, University Admission 2022: Admission Requirements for School Leavers, published by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) is located at  www.tisc.edu.au. The information listed below is based on this booklet and pertains to the four public universities in Western Australia: Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia.

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY ADMISSION

To be considered for university admission as a school leaver applicant you must:

  1. meet the requirements for the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), prescribed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority, and
  2. achieve competence in English as prescribed by the individual universities, and
  3. obtain a sufficiently high ATAR to qualify for entry to a particular university and/or course, and
  4. satisfy any prerequisites or special requirements for entry to particular courses.

To learn more about each requirement, please click HERE for further information. 

 

In light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty it brings, the University of Western Australia has introduced new pathways for current Year 12 students to apply for admission to main undergraduate degrees. For further details please visit https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/new-admissions-pathway-for-year-12 

CHOOSING YOUR YEAR 11 COURSE

Year 11 courses lead to Year 12 courses. If you are capable of going to university, you are strongly encouraged to choose ATAR courses in Years 11 and 12.

 

If you wish to undertake General courses, you must complete a Certificate II or higher. You must also have previously discussed your options with the Futures' Facilitator (Ms Grace Itzstein).

 

A syllabus for each course listed in this handbook may be found in the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Syllabus Manuals which are available at www.scsa.wa.edu.au – Senior Secondary - Courses.  You and your parents/guardians are encouraged to consult the syllabus for full details of course content, types of assessment, relative weightings of assessments, and suggested reading material.

 

Prior to finalising the courses you intend to undertake in Year 11, ensure that you have given considerable thought to the following key points listed in the link HERE.

 

To view the Pathways diagram below in a larger format, click HERE.