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WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (WACE
The WACE requirements for 2024 are:
• Demonstrate a minimum standard of literacy and a minimum standard of numeracy based on the skills regarded as essential for individuals to meet the demands of everyday life and work in a knowledge-based economy.
• This needs to be illustrated by students sitting the online literacy and numeracy tests, which are on offer over a two-week period in March and September each year. Students have their first opportunity to demonstrate the required level of competency in these tests in Year 10.
Achievement of Band 8 in the Numeracy, Writing or Reading component of the Year 9 NAPLAN test grants a student exemption from sitting the relevant online test and recognises that they have attained the required standard.
• Complete a minimum of 20 course units (or equivalents).
• Complete one of three course combinations:
o complete at least four Year 12 ATAR courses; or o complete at least five Year 12 General courses and/or ATAR courses or equivalent, o complete a Certificate II (or higher) VET qualification in combination with ATAR, General or
Foundation courses.
• The 20 course units must include at least:
o Two completed Year 11 English units (Foundation, Essential English, English, Literature and/or English as an Additional Language/Dialect) and a pair of one of the above Year 12 units. o One pair of Year 12 units from each of List A (Arts/Languages/Social Sciences) and List B (Mathematics/Science/Technology). o A minimum of ten Year 12 units (or equivalents).
• Achieve 14 C grades in Year 11 and Year 12 units, including at least six C grades in Year 12 units (or equivalents, see below*).
* Unit equivalence may be obtained by completing:
• VET qualifications - A Certificate I can replace two Year 11 units; a Certificate II, two Year 11 and two Year 12 units; and a Certificate III or higher, two Year 11 and four Year 12 units.
• Endorsed programs - an endorsed program can replace two Year 11 units and two Year 12 units, depending on the program.
The recognition of a partially completed Certificate III qualification or higher requires that a student is enrolled in the relevant qualification in Year 12. That is, no credit will be allocated for partial completion of a Certificate III or higher from previous academic years. Students who are enrolled in a Certificate III or above and who meet these requirements will receive four units of credit towards the WACE (two Year 11 units and two Year 12 units), as shown in the following table.
Completed qualification
Total Equivalents
Certificate I1 Certificate II2
2 units 4 units Certificate III or higher – Partial 4 units Certificate III or higher – Full 6 units
1. Equivalence is only awarded for completed Certificate I qualifications where the total achievement in units of competency is equal to or greater than 110 nominal hours (the equivalent of two course units). 2. Equivalence is only awarded for completed Certificate II qualifications where the total achievement in units of competency is equal to or greater than 220 nominal hours (the equivalent of four course units). Certificate II qualifications with units of competency that are less than 220 nominal hours in total will only contribute towards the
WACE as two Year 11, unit equivalents.
For unit equivalence, students may only use up to eight units of VET and endorsed programs with a maximum of four, unit equivalents from endorsed programs. VET credit transfer is not graded. However, each unit equivalent contributes to the WACE requirement for students to achieve 14 C grades or better with a minimum of six C grades in Year 12. Each unit equivalent achieved will directly reduce the number of C grades required to meet the C grade standard, up to a maximum of eight, unit equivalents. The Cert II in Sport and Recreation and/or the Cert III in Design can be selected in place of one General or ATAR course in Year 11 and 12. Year 12 students enrolled in an ATAR course must sit the WACE examination in that course.
