The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is the credential given to students who have completed Year 11 and Year 12 of their secondary schooling, in the state of South Australia, Australia. It is administered by the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia (SSABSA). It is considered to be one of the more rigorous secondary education programs in the world and is recognised as a requisite credential for admission to universities in Australia and worldwide, however it is also known throughout Australia for its considerable flexibility. Study for the SACE is usually completed over two years, but students are permitted to spend as long as they require.

Each SACE subject is organised into units. Students usually choose to study four, five or six subjects each year at the SACE level. The range of subjects depends on the school, as each individual school decides which subjects they will offer to their students. SACE subjects are divided into "Stage 1" (subjects that are usually studied in Year 11) or "Stage 2" (subjects that are usually studied in Year 12).

Most, but not all, SACE subjects at Stage 2 level comprise two units. All Stage 1 level subjects are one unit, but most subjects have variations which can be studied in sequence. For example, a subject may be named "Legal Studies – The Australian Legal System" and another subject is named "Legal Studies – The Judiciary and Family Law". A unit is studied for one semester. Year 11 students can accelerate and study a Stage 2 subject early, enabling them to complete the SACE early or with a reduced workload in Year 12. On completing a subject, a student receives a "SA" (Satisfactory Achievement), a "RA" (Recorded Achievement) or a "RNM" (Requirements Not Met). In addition to this, in most Stage 2 subjects students receive a grade out of 20.

In order to receive the SACE students must complete 22 units overall, with at least 6 at Stage 2 level and 16 with the status "SA". Students must achieve at least "RA" status in 2 units of English, 1 unit of Australian Studies and 1 unit of Mathematics at Stage 1 level. In addition to this students must complete 2 Group 1 units (Arts and Humanities subjects) and 2 Group 2 units (Mathematics, Science and Technology subjects) at both Stage 1 and Stage 2 levels. Until 2005, students also had to complete a Writing Based Literacy Assessment, but this requirement has now been built into each individual subject.

Students can receive units at Stage 1 level (and sometimes at Stage 2 level) for completing qualifications at TAFE through Vocational Education and Training partnerships between schools, TAFE SA institutes and employers. This system is considered by some to be pioneering, allowing students to get ahead in a trade situation while simultaneously allowing academic education (separating it from a purely vocational education) but traditionalists deride it as reducing the academic rigour required to complete the SACE.

Students' SACE results are the only data employed to formulate their Tertiary Entrance Rank or TER. In order to receive a TER, students must study five two-unit subjects at Stage 2 level that deliver scores out of 20. Using these results, SSABSA scales these subjects based on their difficulty. This involves adding or subtracting a few marks to the students' grade for a subject. For example, a student who completed Chemistry would be likely to have one or two marks added to their grade whereas a student who completed Outdoor Education might have a mark or two subtracted from their grade. Then using these scaled grades, SSABSA formulates a University Aggregate out of 90 by summing the highest four grades and half of the lowest grade. For example, if a student received the following grades after scaling:

After this, students are ranked on the basis of their University Aggregate on a range between 0 and 99.95, advancing in increments of 0.05. On average, between three and seven students receive each incremental rank. Universities then admit students who apply to courses from students ranked 99.95, then the students who apply ranked 99.90 and so on until all positions available are filled. The TER of the final student or students to receive a position is called the cut-off rank and is published as a guide to what TER is required to enter the course in the next year.

See also

• Education in Australia

External links

• SSABSA (Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia) - Administers the SACE.
• SATAC (South Ausrtalian Tertiary Adminissions Centre) - Conducts university admissions.