Completing an ATAR Course

Sitting examinations to complete an ATAR course

It’s examinations time again, and we know there’s a lot for students to think about and manage during this period. This is an important reminder of the vital role of examinations in completing your ATAR courses.

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Sitting examinations to complete an ATAR course

It’s examinations time again, and we know there’s a lot for students to think about and manage during this period. This is an important reminder of the vital role of examinations in completing your ATAR courses.

To complete a Year 12 ATAR course you are required to sit the ATAR course examination provided by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority). For Year 12 ATAR courses with practical components, you must complete both the written and practical examinations.

If you do not sit an ATAR course examination, and you do not have an approved sickness/misadventure application for that course, the grade for the pair of units (Units 3 and 4) will not contribute to the calculation of the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).

You may be enrolled in ATAR course/s but may not need an ATAR for your future plans. Even so, you must sit the examination for that course for it to contribute to your WACE and appear on your WASSA. This applies to anyone doing Year 12 ATAR courses, even if you are only enrolled in one or two.

Consequences of not sitting an ATAR course examination – WACE requirements

If you are enrolled in an ATAR Year 12 course and then do not sit the ATAR course examination (without an approved sickness/misadventure application), the grade for that Year 12 course will not contribute to the:

  • completion of a minimum of 20 units, including ten Year 12 units
  • completion of at least one pair of Year 12 units from an English learning area course (if the ATAR Year 12 course was either English, Literature or English as an Additional Language or Dialect)
  • completion of one pair of Year 12 units from List A (arts/languages/social sciences) or List B (mathematics/science/technology)
  • achievement of at least 14 C grades or higher, including at least six C grades in Year 12 units
  • completion of at least four Year 12 ATAR courses.

Consequences of not sitting an ATAR course examination – certification

If you are enrolled in a Year 12 ATAR course and do not sit the course examination (without an approved sickness/misadventure application) you will not:

  • have a course mark generated
  • have a grade for the Year 12 ATAR course recorded on your WASSA
  • receive an ATAR course report.

You may also find you are no longer eligible to achieve your WACE.

Availability of results

Your results will be available online via the Authority’s student portal (at https://studentportal.scsa.wa.edu.au/) on Monday, 19 December 2022. If you sat the ATAR course examination as a non-school candidate, you will be able to also download your examination results from the student portal.

You will be able to print your folio of achievement (WASSA, WACE, ATAR course reports and selected award certificates) for 2022 by logging in to the student portal in mid-January 2023. It is important to remember your login and student password details.

Further information

The Year 12 Information Handbook includes information about school-based assessment and completing courses. You can find it on the Authority website at https://scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/year-12-information.

You may also find additional information on our student information page at https://student.scsa.wa.edu.au/home.

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