2021 Year 12 ATAR course examinations

Contact
Barclay Jones (08) 9273 6309
barclay.jones@scsa.wa.edu.au

The 2021 Year 12 ATAR course written examinations are scheduled from
Monday, 1 November to Friday, 19 November 2021.

The 2021 Year 12 ATAR course practical examinations are scheduled from
Saturday, 25 September to Sunday, 17 October 2021. See the schedule below.

The 2021 Year 12 ATAR course examination timetables are available on the Examination Timetables webpage of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) website and were published on Wednesday, 9 June 2021.

From Thursday, 9 September 2021, students will be able to download their Personalised written examinations timetable and Personalised practical examination timetable from the student portal at https://student.scsa.wa.edu.au/student-portal opens in new window.

The rules of conduct for the Year 12 ATAR course written examinations can be located on the Authority website at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/examinations/rules-of-conduct-for-atar-course-examinations. The rules will also be published in the Year 12 Information Handbook Part II: Examinations 2021, which will be uploaded to the website by Monday, 19 July 2021. It is the responsibility of all candidates to ensure that they understand all instructions relating to the examinations.

To ensure all students understand the rules relating to the examinations and avoid breach situations and the risk of a penalty being applied to their examination mark, the generic instructions read aloud by supervisors prior to examination reading time have been provided in a linked pdf document. This pdf document is located at the bottom of the page, at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/examinations/rules-of-conduct-for-atar-course-examinations.

No candidate will be permitted to wear or take a watch or wireless-enabled technology device e.g. Fitbit, into the examination room. These items will be considered unauthorised items. Please ensure that all students are reminded of this rule that was implemented in 2020. If a student has a special examination need for a watch that relates to a specific learning disorder or disability, the school must submit a Special Examination Arrangements application on behalf of that student.

It is strongly recommended that schools conduct school-based examinations using these instructions to ensure students are familiar with the rules prior to sitting the external examinations conducted by the Authority.

Authorised ruler and unauthorised non-standard ruler in 2021 ATAR examinations

Contact
Barclay Jones (08) 9273 6309
barclay.jones@scsa.wa.edu.au

The rules of conduct for the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) Year 12 ATAR course examinations will be published in the Year 12 Information Handbook Part II: Examinations 2021, which will be uploaded to the Authority website in July 2021. It is the responsibility of all candidates to ensure that they understand all instructions relating to the examinations. The examination centre chief supervisor (written examinations) and the chief marker (practical examinations) will report alleged breach of examination rules to the Manager, Examination Logistics at the Authority.

Given the challenge of identifying and determining the use of an authorised or unauthorised ruler in the examination room, please note that the Year 12 Information Handbook Part II: Examinations 2021 has defined a non-standard ruler.

To further elaborate, the link below provides a downloadable document that provides pictorial representation of an authorised ruler and a description of an unauthorised non-standard ruler in an ATAR examination. An unauthorised non-standard ruler in an examination room under examination conditions will be reported as an alleged breach of examination rules. Please ensure that all students are made aware of this clarification between an authorised ruler and unauthorised non-standard ruler in an ATAR examination.

Examples of authorised ruler and unauthorised non-standard ruler in an ATAR examination have been provided in a linked pdf document. This PDF document called ‘Authorised ruler in an ATAR examination’ is located at the bottom of the page, at
https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/examinations/rules-of-conduct-for-atar-course-examinations.

2022 ATAR course examination dates

Contact
Barclay Jones (08) 9273 6377
barclay.jones@scsa.wa.edu.au

The 2022 ATAR course written examinations are scheduled from Monday, 31 October to Friday,
18 November 2022.

The 2022 ATAR course practical examinations are scheduled from Saturday, 24 September to Sunday,
16 October 2022.

The 2022 ATAR course practical examinations are scheduled as follows:

1. Saturday, 24 September to Sunday, 2 October (Saturday, Sunday and the public holiday included):  Aviation, Dance, Drama, Music and Physical Education Studies
2. Saturday, 24 September to Sunday, 9 October (Saturday, Sunday and the public holiday included):  English as an Additional Language or Dialect (overseas schools)
3. Saturday, 9 October to Sunday, 16 October (Saturday and Sunday included):
   Chinese: Second Language, English as an Additional Language or Dialect (Western Australian schools), French: Background Language, French: Second Language, German: Background Language, German: Second Language, Indonesian: Second Language, Italian: Background Language, Italian: Second Language and Japanese: Second Language.

Schools will not be able to specify particular day/s for the practical examinations to be held for any student. Students from a school must be randomly allocated to examination times throughout all of the days allotted for a course. This process ensures anonymity for all candidates.

Schools are advised to plan activities such as school examinations, final-day assembly, graduation, valedictory dinners and leavers’ breakfast on dates other than those listed above.

Schools are requested to communicate the written and practical examination dates to students, teachers and parents. No allowance in the timetable can be made for holidays, work or personal arrangements.

The date ranges for the future Year 12 ATAR course written examinations schedules are below. Note that the proposed end date may alter given the policy states, ‘The written examination period will be for a period of approximately 15 weekdays.’

2023       Monday, 30 October – Friday, 17 November

2024       Monday 28 October – Friday, 15 November

2025       Monday 3 November – Friday, 21 November

2021 Media Production and Analysis ATAR course written examination stimulus material distributed to schools

Contact
Terry Pirlo (08) 9273 6722
terry.pirlo@scsa.wa.edu.au

Gabby Raggio (08) 9273 6787
gabby.raggio@scsa.wa.edu.au

The stimulus material for the 2021 Media Production and Analysis (MPA) ATAR course written examination will be distributed via Post to schools on Friday, 30 July 2021.

Each teacher of the course and each candidate enrolled to sit the MPA ATAR course examination has been provided with a USB containing the stimulus material.

Candidates will be required to make reference to the stimulus material in their responses to
Section One: Short answer in the written examination.

The USB will not be used during the ATAR course written examination. However, the examination materials will include a Source booklet with excerpts or stills from the stimulus material.

2021 Dance ATAR course written examination stimulus material distributed to schools

Contact
Terry Pirlo (08) 9273 6722
terry.pirlo@scsa.wa.edu.au

Gabby Raggio (08) 9273 6787
gabby.raggio@scsa.wa.edu.au

The stimulus material for the 2021 Dance (DAN) ATAR course written examination will be distributed via Post to schools on Friday, 30 July 2021.

Each teacher of the course and each candidate enrolled to sit the DAN ATAR course examination has been provided with a USB containing the stimulus material.

Candidates will be required to make reference to the stimulus material in their responses to
Section One: Short answer in the written examination.

The USB will not be used during the ATAR course written examination. However, the examination materials will include a Source booklet with excerpts or stills from the stimulus material.

2021 Awards for Outstanding Achievement in VET

Contact
Arti Dogra (08) 9273 6751
arti.dogra@scsa.wa.edu.au

A reminder to schools that the last date to submit Vocational Education and Training (VET) Awards nominations via Student Information Record System (SIRS) is Monday, 30 August 2021 (4:30 PM). The online SIRS VET Awards nomination form can be accessed via the following link: https://sirs.scsa.wa.edu.au/scsaform/vetnominationform using your username and password for SIRS.

For a detailed description on eligibility criteria and advice on the application and selection processes, download the 2021 VET Awards Nomination Kit from the following link: https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/certification/exhibitions-and-awards under Awards for outstanding achievements in VET.

The online SIRS VET Awards nomination form will only display students who meet the initial eligibility criteria. Therefore, it is a requirement that VET and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority developed Workplace Learning (ADWPL) enrolments for the student being nominated have been successfully uploaded in SIRS prior to commencing the online nomination process.

2021 Final dates for Year 12 students to withdraw from courses

Contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are reminded of the final dates to withdraw Year 12 students from courses:

• Monday, 9 August 2021 – final date for withdrawing students from ATAR (Units 3 and 4) courses which do not have practical examination components. No changes will be made to student enrolments in these courses after this date.
• Monday, 9 August 2021 – final date for withdrawing students from General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET industry specific courses. No changes will be made to student enrolments in these courses after this date.

After 9 August 2021, Student Information Records System (SIRS) will be locked and no further amendments to enrolments for Year 12 students will be accepted.

Schools are reminded that students who are enrolled in a Year 12 ATAR course must sit the external examination in that course. For ATAR courses with practical components, students must sit both the written and practical examinations. Students who do not sit an ATAR course examination and do not have an approved sickness/misadventure application for that course, will not have the grades for the pair of units completed in that year contribute to the calculation of the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).

As a consequence, a student may not meet the requirements to receive a WACE.

2021 Student enrolments in VET units of competency and endorsed programs

Contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are reminded that Year 10 and Year 11 student enrolments in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Year 10 to Year 12 student enrolments in endorsed programs must be uploaded into the Student Information Records System (SIRS) as soon as possible, but not later than Thursday, 12 August 2021.

It is important that schools work closely with registered training organisations (RTOs) to obtain the correct information relating to their students’ enrolments in units of competency and qualifications. It is strongly recommended that schools acquire the appropriate documentation from the RTO to confirm enrolments before submitting the data to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority). This will ensure that accurate information is uploaded in SIRS to avoid issues at the time of providing student achievement reports.

Provision of VET and endorsed program enrolments
The following sections of the Data Procedures Manual 2021 provide instructions relating to required actions (extracting data of students enrolled in VET units of competency, uploading the enrolments into SIRS and verifying these enrolments in SIRS):

This information is available on the Authority website at:

https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/data-procedures-manual

It is important to note:

• The VET Unique Student Identifier (USI) is optional in the VET enrolment file (ENVET). However, it is required for units of competency and qualifications that contribute towards meeting the WACE requirements when reporting achievements through the RSVET and RSQUAL. If assistance is required regarding the USI, schools are advised to contact the USI Office on 1300 857 536 or via email admin@usi.gov.au opens in new window.
• Schools delivering VET that is integrated into a VET Industry Specific course must enrol the students in the units of competency as VET integrated in the ENVET file. Students who meet VET industry specific course requirements can achieve course unit credit towards the WACE. Further information relating to course credit allocation and WACE credit allocation can be found at: https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/vet/vet-industry-specific.