Years 10 and 11 are important times in your school studies. It might be the first time that you have considered what you will do after school. You will start to make decisions about what you want to study in Year 12 and possibly beyond!
SATAC can help you make decisions that will maximise your options for tertiary study.
What to expect in Year 10
In Year 10 you will pick the subjects you want to study in the SACE/NTCET or IB Diploma. You might have a clear idea of what you want to do after school, or you might still be considering your options. There are lots of pathways to tertiary study, but a little bit of planning now will help keep your options open.
Get a feel for the types of courses that are available, and whether they have any extra entry requirements like prerequisites. These will affect your subject choices.
The courses might be a little different by the time you are ready to apply, but you can use the SATAC website and publications to guide you in the right direction.
What to expect in Year 11
If you are in Year 11, you will be thinking more seriously about your post-school pathway. This year is all about research.
Don’t be too concerned if you don’t have all the answers yet, there is plenty of information available to help you assess your options.
In Year 11 you will make subject choices for your final year of school. You can use the SATAC website and publications to make sure you make the right choices for tertiary study if that is your goal.
Be sure to check that your study pattern qualifies you for an ATAR and whether the courses you are planning to apply for have prerequisites. Don’t base your choices on whether subjects got scaled up or down in previous years. Choosing subjects now that you are interested in and are good at will set you up for the best possible outcome.
Use Year 11 as a starting point for a successful Year 12. This will broaden your options for the future.
Changes to SACE/NTCET subjects
The information below shows upcoming changes to SACE/NTCET subjects and their Tertiary Admission Subject (TAS) status in 2023 and 2024.
Students in Year 10 and Year 11 in 2021 can use this as a guide to help them choose SACE/NTCET Stage 2 (Year 12) subjects.
| TAS approved for 2023 entry | |
|---|---|
| Accredited for study in 2022 | Precluded combinations* |
| 2PSG20 Psychology |
2PSC10 Psychology
2PSC20 Psychology |
| Non-TAS approved for 2023 entry |
|---|
| Accredited for study in 2022 |
|
2HSC10 Humanities and Social Sciences Connections
2HSC20 Humanities and Social Sciences Connections |
|
2STC10 STEM Connections
2STC20 STEM Connections |
|
2IDC10 Interdisciplinary Connections
2IDC20 Interdisciplinary Connections |
|
2PRC10 Practical Connections
2PRC20 Practical Connections |
*If two subjects form a precluded combination they cannot both be counted in the calculation of your ATAR.
From 2022 SATAC will use a new method for converting IB scores to an equivalent ATAR. This is a result of more detailed information being available about IB results.
Admissions score
If you are completing the IB Diploma from 2022 in South Australia or the Northern Territory you will receive an admissions score from SATAC. This will be in addition to the whole-number score you get when completing the IB Diploma.
The admissions score adds decimal places to your Diploma score. This accounts for your average performance within each band of subject results.
This extra detail does not change your IB Diploma score. Your admissions score and Diploma score will always start with the same number.
This change affects IB Diploma students across Australia. The extra information will allow tertiary admissions centres to better differentiate between IB students with the same overall IB score.
Selection ranks
SATAC will convert your admissions score, not your IB Diploma score, to a selection rank.
Because your Diploma score is unchanged you won’t rank more highly than students who received a higher Diploma score than you.
For example, if you get a Diploma score of 34 points you won’t get a higher selection rank than a student with a Diploma score of 35 points.
Most students won’t see much of a change in the selection rank they will receive under the new system compared to the current (2021) national conversion table.
Fact sheet - IB combined rank changes (97KB PDF)
Changes to IB subjects for tertiary entry in 2022
SATAC has been advised of the following new IB subjects being examined for the first time in 2021 (affecting tertiary entry in 2022).
| Subjects affecting prerequisites in 2022 | |
|---|---|
| IB subject | SACE/NTCET equivalent |
| Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations (SL) | General Mathematics (2MGM20) |
| Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations (HL) | Mathematical Methods (2MHS20) |
| Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (SL) | Mathematical Methods (2MHS20) |
| Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (HL) | Specialist Mathematics (2MSC20) |