How QCE works and how to prepare for it

How to understand Queensland's Year 12 system

So, what is the QCE?

The QCE (or Queensland Certificate of Education) is the certification awarded to Year 12s following their completion of their senior studies – basically a high school diploma. The certification is granted to students given the successful completion of four core units in 5 general subjects.

In order to receive your QCE at the end of Year 12, you must satisfy a couple of requirements that we will lay out below.

For each general subject, there are 4 units (which correspond to 4 QCE credits). Units 1 and 2 are completed in Year 11 and are formative (ie. scores do not contribute to your final ATAR). Units 3 and 4 are completed in Year 12 and are summative (they do contribute to your ATAR).

Students must have a minimum of 20 credits to receive a QCE, but they can attain up to 28 credits. Most Queensland students will graduate with 24 QCE credits, made up of 4 units in 6 general subjects.

Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (or ATAR as it is more commonly known), is awarded to students who satisfy this eligibility criteria. It is provided to Year 12 graduates in conjunction with their QCE and is important for university entry. Whilst QCE is under the jurisdiction of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA), the ATAR is calculated by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).

Another important thing to note is that the ATAR is a rank rather than a score - essentially meaning that it gives you a percentile of how you have ranked compared to all of the students in the state. Students who receive a 99.95 ATAR are in the top 0.05% of the state (around 30 people), whereas students with a 70 ATAR are in the top 30%.

Continue reading...

The QCE ATAR system can be quite complex, and understanding what's going on can be very daunting for new students and parents. If you ever need some assistance with QCE studies or subject specific help, KIS Academics tutors have a thorough understanding of their subjects and can assist in understanding curriculum requirements.

Make sure to reach through the below articles to gain a thorough understanding of how the QCE works and how each subject contributes to your final ATAR score.

Understanding the

QCE

system 🧠

The first thing we recommend you do is understand how the curriculum works. This will help you choose subjects, understand marking schemes and how it all impacts what university course you can do:

Calculating your

QCE

ATAR 📊

Once you've got an idea of what subjects you want to do and how you'll approach your studies, you can experiment with a predicted ATAR using an ATAR Calculator.

Get your

QCE

Internal Investigation Assessment

Marked ✅

In-school assessments are a common and important part of your final ATAR score. If you want an expert to look over your work and provide feedback before your teacher does, you've come to the right place!

Getting the right

QCE

resources 📚

Knowing how things work is only half the challenge. You'll need to make sure that you find the best resources available for each subject you choose to do. Here are some of the most popular resources for common subjects:

Finding the best

QCE

tutors 🎓

The best way to improve your chance of success is by finding a great mentor or tutor. Finding a good one can be difficult, but we recommend looking for a tutor who:
1️⃣ is young and relatable so lessons are engaging
2️⃣ has a good academic record, achieved a high ATAR themselves is an expert at your subject
3️⃣ loves teaching and genuinely cares about their students.
Here are some of our most popular tutors who fulfil all three criteria themselves:

Amelia Mackie

99.30
ATAR

Hello!! I’m Amelia. I graduated high school with an ATAR 99.3, an English score of 50, and a 99th percentile score (3250) in the UCAT. I graduated from a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Biomedical Science) in 2023 with a GPA 6.75. During my undergraduate degree I was also fortunate to study for a semester overseas at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, in their Biomedical Science Honours program! I am currently in my first year of the Doctor of Medicine at UQ.

My hobbies include exercise, live music and spending time with friends, and these weren’t activities I was willing to give up completely in order to achieve academic success. Instead, through organisation, time management and efficient study; I was able to balance all three!

Since graduating in 2020, I have tutored for over 1000 hours for more than fifty students from Year 5-12, helping them to ace their exams and achieve their personal academic goals. My aim is to help my students succeed in their studies by taking a holistic approach to their learning. I wish to share my tips and tricks for success with my students and provide them with guidance and mentoring as they journey through their senior studies.

I particularly love helping students with Biology, English, and Medicine Entry. I also have experience working with students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and learning differences. Please contact me if interested and I look forward to assisting you on your academic journey!

Aryan Hampapur

99.80
ATAR

Welcome! I’m Aryan, and my mission is to help your child not only excel academically but truly understand and master their subjects.

With a stellar academic track record, including a 99.8 ATAR from Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technologies and a top UCAT score of 3280. I bring extensive experience in tutoring ATAR and IB subjects. Currently pursuing a Medicine degree at the University of Newcastle, I offer a deep understanding of both specific subjects as well as the strategies needed to thrive in high-pressure exams.

My tutoring approach is unique:

Focus on Fundamentals: Instead of rote memorization, I prioritize addressing core concepts to ensure a solid foundation and genuine comprehension.

Comprehensive Preparation: I prepare students for a range of exams, including ATAR, IB, and UCAT, helping them develop the skills needed to excel.

Lifelong Skills: Beyond academic success, my goal is to equip students with critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.

I look forward to partnering with students to help them reach their full potential and achieve remarkable success. Contact me today to discuss how I can help you!

Roger Luo

99.95
ATAR
Hello and welcome to my bio! My name is Roger and I am a third year dentistry student studying at Griffith University.

During my time in high school, I've been actively involved in various academic extracurriculars ranging from academic societies to competitions. Some of them include:

- Founder of the History Society and President of Maths Society
- NZ Maths Olympiad Camp and Chemistry Training Squad (Top 24 in NZ)
- Top 30 in Otago Maths Competitions

Learning is an unique journey to each individual, that when sustained, can yield incredible results and be self-fulfilling and revelatory. During my classes, I hope to nurture a sustainable method of approach towards learning, whilst also aiming for the highest forms of achievement.

As someone with a good amount of experience tutoring, and having personally experimented with different approaches of understanding
concepts, I hope to offer the most efficient way of breaking down difficult concepts that is easy to follow and understand.

If you are a student seeking help with Maths or Sciences, or just looking for some advice, feel free to reach out to me and I look forward to chatting with you.

In my spare time, I like to watch sport, play music or go out to
town and eat.
Trusted by families all over Australia 🇦🇺
700+
Top performing Tutors
3700+
Students aced their studies
60000+
Lessons completed

As a year 11 student doing ATAR, I was looking for a tutor that could help me with French. KIS Academics was incredibly helpful and fast at finding me a wace french tutor who could assist me with my studies. My tutor Eliza Carey over the past few months has helped me so much not only in French but in biology and maths as well. I’m incredibly grateful for the effort and commitment she has put into helping me be more comfortable and less stressed about the subjects I was having difficulty with. It’s been nothing but an honour to be tutored by Eliza and I strongly recommend her as a tutor

Maddie M.
/
Year 11 Student

I got the top mark for my SAC which was really nice, and I think that’s all because of my tutor”

Medha / Year 12 Student

“It's been absolutely fantastic and it's just been a very positive environment for learning”

Amanda / Parent of a Year 7 Student

Manoj Arachige

Founder

Why should you even listen to us?

Hello there! I'm Manoj - the founder of Keep It Simple Academics (Or KIS Academics for short).

KIS Academics is an Australia-wide tutoring company that has helped hundreds of students achieve their academic potential. Through these last few years, I've learned a thing or two about how tutoring works. Now it's my goal to grow KIS Academics and help more students across Australia achieve their dreams (and somehow complete my medical degree in one piece 😅)

In the last three years:

✅ We've helped C students get straight As.

✅ We've helped wannabe doctors get into Australia's best medical schools

✅ We've helped students who live in rural towns gain opportunities to go to metropolitan universities.

✅ We've helped students who hate maths find their passion for it

✅ We've even helped some students get into an IVY league college.

But rather than listening to me ramble on about how great KIS Academics is, book a study skills consultation with one of our tutors and experience it firsthand!

KIS Academics
It's the people around you that help you achieve your potential

That's why we set out to hire only the best tutors in Australia.

High quality tutors at competitive prices.

We have hundreds of amazing, qualified online tutors offering top quality services, starting at just $40 per hour. Whether the student is in high school or primary school, we cater for all. So, why are our tutors so amazing compared to other companies? It's simple, we pay them better. We take a low commission so you can get top scoring private tutors at the best rates. Discover our team of dedicated tutors who specialize in various subjects, from Chemistry and Maths to English and UCAT, as well as offering support for high school, HSC, and VCE, and many more. View all tutoring locations.

Free 30 minute Study Skills Assessment

Paying for an initial lesson with a tutor you've never met is absolutely crazy! And surprisingly, that's what most tutoring places will ask you to do. We think you deserve to meet your tutor and make sure they're the right fit for you - free of charge. Request a tutor and they will reach out to you to organise this free trial session!

Online courses to rival any classroom

Skeptical about online courses? Trust us, you won't be for long. With tutors specifically trained to deliver content online and use the latest and greatest teaching tools, we'll make you wish you had done things with KIS from the start. You can watch, rewatch, revise and review content as often as you need to. Starting at only $8 per week.

We're proud of our reviews.

It's hard to express just how much we care that you have a great experience with us. We invite you to look us up on Facebook, TrustPilot, Instagram and Google. There's plenty of amazing stories from our previous customers.
Click below to see all our reviews on posted on our Wall of Love ❤️

Rating of 4.9 stars
 x
Our team can give you a call to create your perfect tutoring plan 🚀
Thank you!

We've received your request and will give you a call to find out exactly what you're looking for in your perfect tutor.

Hang in there, because soon you'll be organising your very first lesson🚀

Take a look through all our verified tutors

Let me see 👀
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form 😿