Results in for SA’s first ‘SACE students who have only known Covid’

End-of-year results are in for more than 14,000 students who have endured three years of Covid-created disruptions – or their entire senior school experience. And some new records have been set.

More than 14,000 school-leavers will today be able to access their SACE results: iStock

More than 14,000 students are today accessing their SACE results with six students achieving near-perfect scores.

SACE Board’s Chief Executive Michaela Bensley says in 2022 a total of 14,571 school-leavers have achieved their SACE – or, almost 99 per cent of year 12s.

She said SACE completers who also received an ATAR – Australian tertiary admission rank – increased by 1.7 per cent to 76.3 per cent.

A feat she says is remarkable given this cohort of students has endured three years of Covid-created disruptions, or their entire senior school experience.

“While previous completers experienced disruption from Covid, we’re now seeing the first group of SACE students who have only known Covid through their SACE,” she said.

“Their year 10, 11 and 12 classes have all been disrupted, especially through a year 11 of lockdowns and remote learning.

“Throughout 2022, both students and teachers have shown an incredible amount of resilience and adaptability to stay connected … (they’ve shown) great resilience and passion for their learning to stick with it (through) remote learning, lockdowns and hybrid learning.”

Many had also missed out on extra curricular activities such as playing sport, she said.

Ms Bensley said five students had received merits in five of their subjects – meaning they were in the top 2 per cent of performers in the state – while one had received merits in six subjects.

“That is really amazing … students who have focused on their learning and really should be celebrating,” she said.

“(But) we’ve really focusing on making sure that every student really celebrates their own individual success … it’s really important for students to focus on the things they’re really passionate about.”

A record 27,095 students completed a year 12 subject in 2022, of these, 806 students were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent, representing a 16.3 per cent increase for these students.

Students studying one or more modified subjects are completing their SACE at a higher rate than ever – 81.1 per cent, a 7 per cent increase on 2021.

Modified subjects meet the learning needs of students with significant impairment in intellectual functioning or adaptive behaviours.

This year’s SACE exams weren’t without their controversy, with the integrity of some thrown into doubt when it came to light English students were allowed to use Grammarly – but not all kids knew it.

It emerged throughout the two-week of exams in November that a new computer program – a commercial app called Grammarly – was able to be accessed during the English Literary Studies exam, as well as other written exams such as psychology.

Access to external websites or apps previously had been blocked by SACE.

The first round of university offers are scheduled for the first week of January, although many students were granted early entry on year 11 results which drew criticism from some principals who argued early offers took away from the SACE process.

School-leavers review end-of-year results. Picture: i-Stock

Keep it in perspective

Parents and students are being urged to keep the end-of-year results in context with top educators and career advisers saying “life doesn’t revolve around an ATAR score”.

Principal of all-girls’ Loreto College at Marryatville, Nicole Archard, said it was vital young people – and their parents – kept academic achievement in perspective.

“Too often we forget the purpose of high school, to prepare students for life in the real world,” Dr Archard said.

“By placing such a high emphasis on Year 12 results, many students can experience feelings of disappointment and a subsequent reduction in confidence due to lower-than-expected results.”

Her advice to parents includes positively recognising the achievements of their children, regardless of the outcome of their SACE results.

“It is an important time to remind school leavers that success through life, whether this is personal, or career-based, will come down to attributes such as confidence, strength and passion, and skills such as the ability to work in a team, think creatively and divergently,” Dr Archard said.

Loreto College Principal Dr Nicole Archard says academic results are just one aspect of school life.

Leadership and careers coach Darryl Cross, also a highly regarded Adelaide psychologist, recommends keeping an open mind to different options and pathways.

“The reality is that there are now many pathways to career success and many ways to get to where you want to get,” Dr Cross said.

“For example, can they get access into a particular course, and then transfer across into the course that they really want … (so) a more generalist degree – such as health science, arts or science – and then perhaps follow that up with a post-graduate course in the area that really appeals to them?

“Perhaps they could start in a traineeship or apprenticeship with a view to building on that training to get into the area that they really want.

“Would volunteering or doing work experience in a sector give them the opportunity to get into their desired area?”

Dr Cross stresses the importance of seeking professional career guidance post-school for those not sure what they’d like to do.

“People can waste so much time and money expecting that somehow a career is suddenly going to jump out at them because they are travelling around or taking odd jobs (but) it doesn’t happen that way,” he said.

Originally published as Results in for SA’s first ‘SACE students who have only known Covid’