What were QCAA's Best Scaling Subjects in 2024?

Table Of Contents:

• How To Select QCE Subjects?
• How Does QCE Scaling Work?
• How To Read The QCE Scaling Report?
• What Were The Best Scaling QCE Subjects In 2024?
• Conclusion

How does scaling work, and how did QCAA scale subjects in 2024? Almost periodically, students towards the latter half of their high school journey check the QCAA Scaling Report to determine the best subjects to maximise their ATAR results. Luckily for you, KIS Academics has broken it all down!

If you're looking to maximise your QCE ATAR in 2025/2026, select from a range of QCE Tutor Specialists who've done it before! 👇

How To Select QCE Subjects?

There is always much chatter about which subjects to choose and how to maximise your ATAR. But the most important thing to remember is that it's YOUR ATAR, and the decisions you make should be about getting your best score.

1. It is important to first see what subjects your high school offer, and go with your strengths. Whatever subjects you enjoy and will achieve the greatest results in are what you should focus on first (playing to YOUR strengths).
2. Then, if there are more than 6 subjects that you feel you could do relatively well in and/or enjoy, have a look at past scaling reports. This method of selection is the first step towards achieving your best score.

The mistake that many students make is first looking at the best scaling subjects and then what they are interested in.

It is important that you still do well in whatever subjects you choose before scaling, as only then will scaling work in your favour to help you achieve your best.

How Does QCE Scaling Work?

ATAR scaling can seem very complicated, and it is. It involves a lot of complex maths that doesn’t help us understand it any better. But there are two types of “scaling” in Queensland.

1. Scaling for each subject

After you have completed year 12, you will find out your raw score in each subject out of 100. This includes the assignments, exams and externals you complete, and the QCAA add up all the scores (each assessment item is worth a certain percentage of your raw score).

Then each subject has a different “scaling” so your raw score may go up, down or stay the same as per the scaling assigned to it. QCAA will decide how “hard/tough” your cohort found a particular subject (by seeing the raw scores of everyone in that subject and comparing it to other subjects).

Subjects with consistently higher raw scores across the board are scaled down and subjects with lower raw scores are scaled up (all this occurs on a bell curve, the scaling amount changes depending on your raw score too).

However, you are not provided the scaled scores of your subjects. This is why many people talk about choosing the “right” senior subjects as there are patterns over the last few years of what subjects scale up and down. Remember not to rely solely and exactly on scaling but also on the subjects you enjoy!

2. Scaling of Everyone in your Grade for your ATAR

Your ATAR score is a ranking of everyone in your cohort from 99.95 to 30. They are in 0.05 increments and each score has approximately 30 students. This is determined by adding up your scaled scores from your best 5 subjects, and then ranking your score with everyone else in your cohort. This then decides your ATAR score.

How To Read The QCE Scaling Report?

This report contains a lot of information on your cohort's results. It provides a deep dive into scaling and ATAR calculation, which I recommend reading as it can help you understand the whole system.

Most importantly, it shows the subject scaling for every QCE subject of that year. This is done by providing a couple of raw scores and how they have “scaled” for each subject. Below is a picture of its format from the 2023 scaling report:

This picture shows the scaled score for 5 different raw scores in Economics, Engineering and English in 2023. As you can see, for different scores across the subjects, there is a different amount of scaling applied.

Normally, for subjects that scale very well, the higher raw scores (97,98,99) have very minimal changes (less than one whole number). Frequently coming back to this report year-on-year until your 12th year allows you to form patterns and decide on the subjects you enjoy to maximise your ATAR.

What Were The Best Scaling QCE Subjects In 2024?

Across the last couple of years, there have been consistent patterns that show the best-scaling subjects. Their exact rankings change year by year, but there is a strong/reliable group of subjects that scale well.

Below you'll find a table of the best to worst scaling subjects where:

• Green = The Best
• Yellow = Ok
• Red = The Worst

Conclusion

Lastly, it is important to remember that your ATAR only represents a scoring system to get into YOUR desired course for YOUR desired University. Comparing your scores with others is a real waste of time, and is not going to help you in any way.

It does NOT indicate how smart someone is but reflects the system we have at the moment to attend University. After getting into your course, your ATAR becomes irrelevant to your life and your future. So just take it as it is; an important stepping stone to getting into your dream course, but it is not the be-all or end-all.

FAQs