Senior secondary: Information for parents and families

The QCE is Queensland's senior secondary schooling qualification. It is internationally recognised and provides evidence of senior schooling achievements.

The QCE is flexible and allows students to design the pathway that’s right for them — whether that’s heading to university, skilled work, TAFE or other training. This approach supports engagement in learning and helps students to develop skills for success in the future.

QCE requirements

To achieve a QCE, students must complete the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in the set pattern, and meet literacy and numeracy requirements.

Your child will be awarded a QCE when they meet all these requirements. This usually occurs at the end of Year 12. Students who haven’t achieved a QCE by then can continue to work towards one after they leave school.

QCE pathway planning

Schools work with Year 10 students and their families to help them plan their education, training and career goals and map their pathway to a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

Resources to support students plan their senior pathway are available on the QCE resources for school communities page.

myQCE website

Information on the myQCE website helps students plan their pathway to a QCE, and explore education, training and career options.

Subjects and courses

Students can choose what to study from a wide range of subjects and courses:

• QCAA General subjects

  General subjects prepare students for tertiary study, further education and training and work. They may contribute up to four credits per subject towards a QCE and also contribute to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Examples include English, General Mathematics, Ancient History, Biology, and Music Extension.

• QCAA Applied subjects

  Applied subjects focus on practical skills and prepare students for further education and training and work. They may contribute up to four credits per subject towards a QCE, and one Applied subject may also contribute to an ATAR when combined with four General subjects. Examples include Essential English, Essential Mathematics, Business Studies, Industrial Technology Skills, and Tourism.

• QCAA Short Courses

  Short Courses are suited to students interested in pathways to vocational education and training or further education and employment. They may contribute one credit to a QCE, but do not contribute to an ATAR. Examples include Short Course in Literacy, Short Course in Numeracy and Short Course in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Languages.

• Vocational education and training (VET)

  VET prepares students for work through practical learning and is an important part of senior schooling for many students. Approximately 60% of Queensland senior students achieve VET qualifications. In recent years the most popular courses have been in business, information & communication technology (ICT), hospitality, construction, fitness, and sport and recreation

  VET can also lead to further education and training and may contribute up to eight credits per course to a QCE. The amount of credit will vary, depending on the type of qualification. One VET qualification at Certificate III or above may also contribute to an ATAR.

• Other courses

  Other courses allow students to study a particular area of interest, through recognised certificates and awards, or university subjects studied while at school. QCE credit and ATAR eligibility will vary, depending on the course. Non-Queensland studies such as the International Baccalaureate or courses completed interstate are also included in this category.

Assessment

How students are assessed depends on what they are studying.

• QCAA General subjects

  General subjects have three internal assessments (set and marked by schools) and one external assessment (set and marked by the QCAA). In most subjects, the external assessment contributes 25% to the final subject result. In Mathematics and Science subjects, the external assessment contributes 50%

  Students in each subject will sit the external assessments at the same time in schools across Queensland. Sample external assessment papers are available on the Assessment tab of each General Senior Syllabus page.

  View the 2021 external assessment timetable.

• QCAA Applied subjects

  Applied subjects have four internal assessments (set and marked by schools). In Essential English and Essential Mathematics, one of the assessments is a common internal assessment (set by the QCAA and marked by schools). There is no external assessment in Applied subjects.

• QCAA Short Courses

Short Courses have two internal assessments (set and marked by schools).

• VET

  VET assessment in vocational education and training courses varies, depending on the type of course. It may include observation, written assessment, questioning, work samples or third-party feedback.

• Other courses

  Assessment in other courses varies, depending on the course.

Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments

Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) — formerly known as special provisions — are for students who may have disability, impairment and/or medical conditions, or experience other circumstances that may be a barrier to their performance in assessment.

If you think your child may need AARA to complete assessments, please talk to their school.

Results and reporting

A student’s final subject results and Senior Education Profile (SEP) will be released in their learning account in December — at the end of Year 12.

Learning accounts for students can be accessed in the Student Portal via the myQCE website.

The SEP will contain a Senior Statement and a QCE (if the student meets the QCE eligibility requirements)

Students can download electronic versions of these documents from their learning account and print them, or provide them as PDFs to a third party.

The electronic versions contain a digital signature and a unique validation code to confirm they are authentic. Third parties are also able to check their authenticity with the QCAA.

Find out more about how results are reported to students and how students can access their results.

Academic integrity

Creating and maintaining good academic habits makes it easier for students to manage assessment tasks.

The QCAA has developed an online course to help students understand ethical ways to approach assessment and provide the latest advice on producing their best work. It is available in the Student Portal which is accessed via the myQCE website.

The factsheet for parents/carers (PDF, 156.7 KB) provides information about the course and how parents/carers can promote academic integrity.

The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) recognises and reports the achievements of students whose learning is part of an individual learning program. To be eligible, students must have impairments or difficulties in learning that are not primarily due to socioeconomic, cultural or linguistic factors.

Discussions about a QCIA learning pathway take place in Year 10 as part of the Senior Education and Training (SET) planning process. Schools identify students who are eligible for the QCIA and decide the best certification options for each student in consultation with their parents/carers.

The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is used to select school leavers for tertiary entrance. The ATAR is used nationally and indicates a student’s position relative to other ATAR-eligible students. Queensland ATARs are based on a student’s:

• best five General subject results, or
• best results in four General subjects, plus one Applied subject, or
• best results in four General subjects, plus one VET qualification at Certificate III or above.

To be eligible for an ATAR, students also need to pass an English subject, but their result will only contribute to their ATAR if it’s one of their best five subject results.

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) calculates and issue ATARs for Year 12 students.