South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia.
The SACE Board of South Australia (formerly known as the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, or SSABSA) administers the certificate. The SACE Board of South Australia is an independent statutory authority of the South Australian Government accredited under ISO 9001:2008.
To gain the SACE, students complete the equivalent of two years of full-time study which most students spread over two years. There are two stages: Stage 1, which most students do in Year 11, and Stage 2, which most students do in Year 12.
Organisation of the SACE
Every subject or course successfully completed earns ‘credits’ towards the SACE. There are with a minimum of 200 credits required for students to gain the certificate. Ten credits equates to one semester, or one half a year of study. Students will receive a grade – from A to E – for each subject. For compulsory subjects, they will need to achieve a C grade or better.
The compulsory subjects are:
- Personal Learning Plan (10 credits at Stage 1)
- Literacy – at least 20 credits from a range of English subjects or courses (Stage 1)
- Numeracy – at least 10 credits from a range of mathematics subjects or courses (Stage 1)
- Research Project – an in-depth major project (10 credits at Stage 2)
- Other Stage 2 subjects totalling at last 60 credits.
The remaining 90 credits can be gained through additional Stage 1 or Stage 2 subjects or courses of a student’s choice. Each school decides which subjects they will offer to their students.
The new SACE recognises learning in and beyond the classroom, including: TAFE and other Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses; university studies; courses from interstate and overseas; courses undertaken online or through other distance education technologies; and community learning, such as , work experience and other roles such as being a caregiver or participating in a community service organisation.
Extract information sourced from SACE Board of SA. December 2008.
Subject Selection for Students entering Years 11 and 12 in 2012.