There are four types of courses developed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority leading to WACE. These are ATAR, General, Preliminary and VET (Certificate) courses.
ATAR course units are for students who are aiming to enrol in a university course direct from school. These courses will be examined by the Authority in Year 12 and contribute to the achievement of an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).
General course units are for students aiming to enter further training or the workforce directly from school, or access university through a non-ATAR pathway. These courses will not be examined by the Authority. However, they each have an externally set task (EST) in Year 12, which is set by the Authority. For ATAR and General courses each course has four units – Unit 1 and Unit 2 (Year 11 units) and Unit 3 and Unit 4 (Year 12 units).
Vocational Education and Training (VET) including Certificate Courses are for students who are aiming to enter further training or the workforce directly from school.
Preliminary courses are for students who have been identified as having a learning difficulty and/or an intellectual disability. They provide a relevant option for students who cannot access the ATAR, General or Foundation course content with adjustment and/or disability provisions and require modified and/or independent education plans. Preliminary courses do not contribute to achievement of the WACE.
Endorsed programs can be delivered in a variety of settings by schools, community, universities, training organisations and workplaces. These programs provide access to areas of learning not covered by WACE courses or VET programs and contribute to the WACE as unit equivalents. Endorsed programs may replace up to two Year 11 course units and two Year 12 course units you need to achieve your WACE. Workplace Learning counts as an endorsed program at Emmanuel Catholic College. You can mix and match these options to provide yourself with the best platform to meet the requirements to achieve your WACE – and for life beyond school. Permission for a student to change courses is a school-based decision: however, for a student to achieve course unit credits, a change can only be made early in Year 12, before the cut-off date set by the Authority. Year 12 courses are year-long courses.
