South Australian Certificate of Education

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia.

The SACE Board of South Australia (formerly known as the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, or SSABSA) administrators the certificate. The SACE Board of South Australia is an independent statutory authority of the South Australian Government accredited under ISO 9001:2008.

The SACE curriculum is also taught in Northern Territory secondary schools, where it is known as the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET). The South Australian Matriculation (SAM) certificate is a qualification based on the SACE curriculum which is administrated by the SACE Board of South Australia and taught in some schools in Malaysia and China.

To get the SACE, students must gain 200 credits from a range of subjects that they take, usually over two years. There are two stages: Stage 1, which most students do in Year 11, and Stage 2, which most students do in Year 12.

Importance

Completion of the SACE is a general requirement to get into universities and colleges of technical and further education (TAFE colleges) in South Australia, nationally and internationally. The certificate also provides many study options for students who want to follow a different pathway into the workforce, such as undertaking apprenticeships while still at school.

How the SACE works

There are two stages of the SACE:

• Stage 1, which most students do in Year 11, apart from the Personal Learning Plan subject, which most students do in Year 10
• Stage 2, which most students do in Year 12.

Each subject or course successfully completed earns ‘credits’ towards the SACE, with a minimum of 200 credits required for students to gain the certificate.

Students will receive a final grade from A to E for each Stage 1 subject and A+ to E- for Stage 2 subjects. For compulsory requirements, to gain their SACE they will need to achieve:

• a C grade or better at Stage 1
• a C- grade or better at Stage 2.

The compulsory requirements are:

• Personal Learning Plan (10 credits at Stage 1)
• literacy – at least 20 credits from a range of English subjects or courses (Stage 1 or Stage 2)
• numeracy – at least 10 credits from a range of mathematics subjects or courses (Stage 1 or Stage 2)
• Research Project – an in-depth major project (10 credits at Stage 2)
• other Stage 2 subjects totalling at least 60 credits.

The remaining 90 credits can be gained through additional Stage 1 or Stage 2 subjects or Board-recognised courses (such as VET or community learning) of a student’s choice.

SACE and tertiary studies

SACE results are used to calculate an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR), previously a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) which universities and colleges of further education (TAFE) within Australia use to select students who will be offered places in particular courses. Full details of South Australian university and TAFE entry requirements for 2012 onwards are provided in ‘Australian Tertiary Admissions Booklet 2010, 2011, 2012’, published by the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre, the South Australian Government authority which processes applications for tertiary courses in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Awards

SACE results are announced in December each year. Merits are awarded to students who receive a score of 20 out of 20 in individual subjects in their Stage 2 SACE results. Prizes are awarded to the top student in certain subjects, including Music (Don Maynard Music Prize) Physics (The Bronze Bragg Medal), Chemistry (The Way College Prize), Biology (The Hardwicke College Prize) and English Studies (The Tennyson Medal).

See also

• University admission
• Australian Qualifications Framework
• Education in Australia

External links

• SACE Board of South Australia — administers the SACE.
• SATAC South Australian Tertiary Adminissions Centre — processes applications for university and TAFE.
• Northern Territory Department of Education and Training — administers the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training