Work out how 8 popular subject should be scaled

With exams are nearly over – and many students already finished – attention is turning to the results. Here’s a guide to work out your score.

Susie O'Brien

@susieob

4 min read

November 14, 2022 - 6:00AM

Exams are nearly over for VCE students. Picture: Tony Gough

Education

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Exams are nearly over so it’s time to work out what you are likely to get for your ATAR.

We’ve asked expert tutors from 50Coach – who have all got a raw 50 in their subject areas – to put together this guide to scaling for some of the big exams.

Coach Rion Ahl said it was important to remember that not all subjects are counted equally.

“If you’ve had a bad exam performance – remember that your final score depends heavily on only 4 of your subjects – your ‘top 4’.

One bad performance won’t markedly affect your broader score,” he said.

In other words, your aggregate score is derived from your Top 4 subjects + 10% of 5th and 6th subjects.

Mr Ahl and his team used 2021 data to help you figure out what range of scores you might be expecting.

“Your SAC results will also play a large part in your final core. The big assumption made is that the A+ cut-off and the 40+ cut-off will be at a similar level which is often the case but not guaranteed,” he said.

Biology

Despite a lot of 4+ markers, the biology exam was thought to be an acceptable exam with no surprisingly difficult parts and a good scope of content tested for the new study design.

Biology statistics from 2021:

• 8.3 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 199-240/240 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 100/120 or more on the exam.

Chemistry

The Chemistry exam was accepted to be an easier-than-expected exam with no surprisingly difficult parts and a good scope of content tested.

Chemistry statistics from 2021:

• 8.8 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 186-240/240 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 93/120 or more on the exam.

Physics

The Physics exam was accepted to be an easier exam with no surprisingly difficult parts and a low number of explanation questions compared to previous years.

As a result, we can expect the A+ level cut off to be slightly higher than in previous years.

Physics statistics from 2021:

• 9.5 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 208/260 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 104/130 on the exam. (But you should aim higher however given the straightforward exam).

Specialist

The Exam 1 paper has been widely accepted as less difficult compared to previous years which were widely known as the “tear years” for VCE mathematics by reports of crying students afterwards.

Similarly, whilst the multiple choice for Exam 2 was difficult, the ER – where the bulk majority of the marks are – was relatively well received by students.

Specialist statistics from 2021:

Exam 1:

• 8.1 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 72-80 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 36/40 on Exam 1.

Exam 2:

• 8.5 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 117/160 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 58-59/80 on Exam 2.

Methods

The Exam 1 and Exam 2 papers have been widely accepted as less difficult compared to previous years.

Methods statistics from 2021:

Exam 1:

• 9.1 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 64/80 fFrom two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 32/40 on Exam 1.

Exam 2:

• 9.9 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 129/160 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 65/80 on Exam 2.

Further

Exam 1 is widely accepted as being quite difficult and students should take relief in it not being “just them”.

Exam 2 was widely accepted as standard and less difficult than Exam 1.

Timing, as is often the case, was a challenge for the maths exams.

Further statistics from 2021:

Exam 1:

• 7.6 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 71/80 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 35/40 on Exam 1.

Exam 2:

• 7.7 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 99/120 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 50/60 on Exam 2.

English

Many students found the English exam not too difficult and quite fair.

English statistics from 2021:

• 7.5 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 47/60 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 23/30 on the exam.

Psychology

The exam polarised students, with lots of celebrating an easy 10 marker question and lamenting quite difficult multiple-choice options.

Psychology statistics from 2021:

• 9 per cent of students got an A+

• 9 per cent of students got 40

• The score range for A+ was 188/240 (from two examiners marking)

Assuming similar SAC results, if you want a 40+ you should be aiming for 94/120 on the exam.

How does scaling work?

Scaling equalises the board for students with harder cohorts (e.g. Specialist maths) meaning

that a top 10 per cent performance is more impressive than for subjects with lower scoring cohorts. If the cohort for a given subject does really well in other subjects, then this subject will scale up to account for the competitiveness.

If a student got a 40 in Further maths and a 30 in Specialist maths, the theoretical idea is that if the student performed equally well in both subjects, scaling would result in both subjects being brought to the same scaled number.