1. What is it? Why is it important? How do you get it?
The WACE
2021 and Beyond
What is it?
Why is it important?
How do you get it?

2. What is the WACe?
The WACE is the Western Australian Certificate of Education. It is a document provided by SCSA (The School Curriculum and Standards Authority) when a student meets a minimum standard of education in Year 12. It can be thought of as being equivalent to a High School Diploma.

3. Will I graduate?
All Year 12 students are eligible to attend the Awards Ceremony in Term 4 and although it is often referred to as Graduation, Graduation doesn’t really exist in the Western Australian Secondary School system. At the Awards Ceremony all students are given a WASSA (Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement) and a School Reference. After the completion of the school year, SCSA will send out the WACE to students who met the minimum requirements.

4. Why is the Wace Important?
Achievement of the WACE is the minimum requirement for entry into almost all post secondary courses, Uni, Uni-Ready Courses, TAFE or apprenticeships. Many employers will prefer applicants who have achieved the WACE.

5. Different Wace Pathways
The WACE can be achieved through several different pathways.
General pathway
VET pathway Students studying a Foundation Course in Yr 12 MUST choose this pathway
ATAR pathway
Combinations of VET, Endorsed, General and ATAR pathways
It doesn’t matter which path you take, the WACE is the same level of qualification for everyone.

6. How is the Wace Achieved?
The WACE is awarded when the following requirements have been met:
Literacy and Numeracy Standard
Achievement Standard
Breadth and Depth

7. Literacy & Numeracy Standard
The Literacy and Numeracy Standard is judged to have been met when a student passes all three components of the OLNA (the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment). Passing the OLNA is equivalent to achieving Band 8 in the Year 9 NAPLAN.

8. Achievement Standard At least 6 C grade equivalents in Yr 12
At least 14 C grade equivalents across Years 11 and 12
Achieve :
A Cert II or Higher
Completion of 4 ATAR
Completion of a total of 5 General/ATAR units (max 3 ATAR units)
Completion of an ATAR unit means that you get an A, B, C, D or an E AND you sit the ATAR exam.
Completion of a General unit means that you get an A, B, C, or an E.
Completion of a Cert II is passing all competencies.

9. Breadth and Depth
Depth – complete at least 20 units across Years 11 and 12
10 from Year 12
4 English units (2 in Yr 11 and one pair in Yr 12)
Breadth – one pair of List A units (arts) and one pair of List B units (sciences) in Year 12
Achieve a Cert II; complete 4 ATAR or 5 General units
One unit is usually one semester of a subject.

10. Unit Equivalents
Unit Equivalents for Breadth must come from Foundation, General, or ATAR units.
Unit Equivalents for Depth can come from Foundation, General, VET, Endorsed or ATAR units.
Unit Equivalents for Achievement can come from Foundation, General, VET, Endorsed or ATAR units.
A max of 8 Unit Equivalents for Achievement can come from VET and/or Endorsed Programs

11. VET and Endorsed Programs
VET courses are usually Cert II courses offered during class time but can also include school based training, pre-apprenticeship courses and other programs.
Cert I courses offered at the Year 10 level count towards the WACE (and also count towards the maximum number of eight equivalents).
Workplace Learning, School Production and School Band are all endorsed programs that also fall under this category.

12. What About ATAR?
The ATAR is a separate from the WACE and is an additional qualification that can be achieved by secondary students who complete four or more ATAR units and sit the external exams. The ATAR is the most direct, but not the only, way of gaining university entry.

13. What is the ATAR?
The ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking and is determined by ranking the ATAR scores of all eligible students in order from highest to lowest. Universities offer direct places to students based on their ranking with the highest ranked students offered places first until courses are filled. ATAR scores are calculated based on the results of your four best ATAR subjects.

14. Post Secondary Options
There are three main options after high school:
University
Other training – apprenticeships or TAFE
Employment
All three options are much easier if you achieve the WACE.