Leaving School in Australia - Year 12 State by State

A guide to Year 12 Certificates and Tertiary Entrance Requirements in Australia
Published by the Board of Studies NSW for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)

What are the minimum subject requirements for tertiary entrance in Queensland?

An Overall Position (OP) indicates a student's rank order position based on overall achievement in Authority Subjects. To be eligible for an OP a student must:

• sit the Queensland Core Skills Test
• have studied 20 semesters units of Authority Subjects, including at least three of these for 4 semesters.

Subjects are weighted equally for OPs. An eligible student's OP is reported as one of a band from 1 (highest) to 25.

Field Positions (FPs) indicate a student's rank-order position based on overall achievements in Authority Subjects in up to five fields. (The fields are determined by the extent to which each subject assesses skills defined by the field eg Field A is extended written expression, Field C is basic Numeracy). FPs are calculated for OP-eligible students only and reported in bands from 1 (highest) to 10.

After satisfying the prerequisite conditions, students are selected for particular courses on the basis of the OP, with those applicants with the best OPs being offered places first. In some cases institutions may differentiate between students with the same OP by using the FP. Selection for some courses is made on the basis of interview, portfolio or audition.

Students who are not eligible for an OP may still gain a place in some tertiary courses:

• on the basis of their achievements in all subjects recorded on the Senior Certificate (provided that they have studied any prerequisite subjects and achieved the level specified)
• after a rank is assigned based on the schedules published by QTAC.

Such students are selected for courses on the basis of this rank.

Top of page