Prime Highlights
- WA Year 12 students can now achieve a D grade in ATAR subjects and remain eligible for graduation.
- The reform aims to reduce pressure and persuade additional students to enroll in challenging academic subjects.
Key Facts
- The minimum ATAR subject grade has been lowered from a C to a D for WACE eligibility.
- The reform applies from 2025 to students graduating with their Western Australian Certificate of Education.
Key Background
In a major shift in Western Australian academic standards, Year 12 students are now able to include a D grade in ATAR subjects when working toward their WACE. Under previous policy, there needed to be at least a C grade. The shift is one aspect of a bid to make the ATAR route more accessible and decrease fear of failure for students.
Senior education administrators think that the shift will encourage greater numbers of students to attempt ATAR subjects, which are more often of a higher academic level than general subjects. Research discovered that students were avoiding ATAR courses due to undue pressure and fear of not achieving a grade C pass. Lifting the pass mark is hoped to increase student uptake in demanding learning without damaging standards of general education.
The action has been praised by education officials such as the WA Secondary School Executives Association. Teachers argue that the time and effort required to attain even a D grade in ATAR courses are typically more than what is required of ordinary courses and must be accepted as a like level of attainment. This reform is considered as a step to reasonably acknowledge the commitment of students toward more rigorous study sequences.
But the reform has not been without controversy. Critics argue that lowering the bar with grades can undermine academic rigor and lower the expectations. They worry that it sends the wrong message that education standards are declining. Conversely, supporters observe that the core WACE graduation requirements remain the same. Students are required to keep up to meet the level of 14 C grades or equivalents in Years 11 and 12. The change specifically targets the grading threshold within ATAR subjects, and not the overall toughness of the qualification.
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