Glossary

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is the basis of admission to most university courses throughout Australia.  Students are ranked in order of merit based on their ATAR.  ATAR was formerly known as the Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER).

ATAR Examinations

There are examinations set externally and controlled by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA).  They are compulsory for all Year Twelve students enrolled in an ATAR course.

Combined Mark

This is the combination of half the Standardised External Examination and half the Standardised and Moderated School Assessment for each subject or course, which contributes to the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA).

Literacy and Numeracy Competence

Students must meet minimum requirements in the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) to achieve WACE. 

Pre-requisites

Some courses at tertiary institutions require students to take a specific course and sometimes to achieve specific results. It is important to check these requirements for tertiary courses in which the student is interested.

Scaling

In order to aggregate scores from different courses the marks must be on the same scale of measurement.  This is the process used by TISC to adjust for the difference in difficulty level between courses and ensures that a student is not disadvantaged by choosing a difficult subject.

School Assessment

At the end of Year Eleven and at the end of Year Twelve a grade and final mark out of 100 is reported to SCSA. These results are obtained from all work completed during the year.  SCSA can be contacted on 9273 6300, and its website, www.scsa.wa.edu.au , contains information for students and parents along with an interactive FAQ section.

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA)

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority is responsible for Kindergarten to Year Twelve curriculum, assessment, standards and reporting for all Western Australian schools.

Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA)

This is a score calculated by adding the best four scaled scores of ATAR courses, subject to unacceptable subject combinations. For school candidates at least two different units of the course must have been completed.  No course can be counted more than once.

In calculating the scales score for ATAR contributing courses, equal weight is given to the final school score and the final examination score, except where courses are taken on a private basis.  

Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) 

TISC calculate each student’s ATAR and determine eligibility for entrance to University.