I am currently in year 11 and I used to be A and B student until year 10, but then I had hard time at school due to some people which made me absent from school often and I got 5 Ds for term 1 of year 11. But I did pass Unit 1 as I tried a little more, but not my best effort. In the start of Unit 2, which is term 3, I got one A and five B, it is a big improvement especially for my English as I went from D (term 1) to A (term 3). Unfortunately, as I missed a lot of content for Unit 1, I didn't do well for the block exam, but I did pass everything for Unit 2 as well.

Is it too late for me to catch up as year 12 is starting right now, I really want to get a high ATAR to get a scholarship and I need at least 90+ ATAR. I got really good improvement in term 3 which I tried the best out of this year, but I lost my confidence after seeing the block exam results (whole year content) and I am regretting a lot for not trying Unit 1. Right now, I have started year 12 work for pretty much all the subjects and I have been studying around 3 to 4 hours everyday, and bit more on the weekends (I used to study barely 3 hours a week for during year 11). And I wonder if I can get ATAR above 90 if I try really hard from now on. Subjects I am doing are QCAA legal studies, general English, general mathematics, Korean, Biology, Psychology. When I use ATAR calc, I need to get around 90 for every subject to get approx.92.5 ATAR but I know that it isn't accurate, so I want to hear from people who have experienced ATAR.

    lia518
    Hi Lia!
    I'm not 100% familiar with the QCE grading system, but I'll try and answer your question as well as I can
    Year 11 grades do not crossover into Year 12 grades. What you get in Unit 1 and 2 have no impact on your final ATAR and individual class results (at least not in Victoria, might be different in Queensland, double check that). It's good to see that you've improved, and your teachers may be aware of your Unit 1 grades, so I'd ask them what you could improve on, and what content from Unit 1 might be revisited in Unit 3 or 4. Different classes have different content, for example, when I did VCE English Language, Unit 1/2 had nothing to do with Unit 3/4, but VCE Drama 1/2 was almost exactly the same as 3/4, just different prompts. Use your summer holidays to catch up on anything that might be covered again in Unit 3/4, and also cover some of the 3/4 content as well

        lia518
        Hey Lia,

        I completely understand your concerns about catching up and aiming for a high ATAR. First off, it's great to see that you are putting in significant effort this year! It’s never too late to improve, especially since you have identified the subjects you want to focus on. And you definitely can get get an ATAR above 90 if you work hard and smart.

        I did QCE system in 2021 and FinFin-3rdYearUni is exactly right. What you did in year 11 (unit 1/2) has no impact on your ATAR; it is only unit 3 and 4. I would definitely consider creating a structured study plan that maximises your study hours while ensuring you don’t burn out. Remember, it’s about making steady progress and consistency!

        Lastly, I would maybe even consider a tutor for some of your subjects as it definitely is worth investing in your grade 12 studies and if you get a scholarship, it'll definitely pay off!

        Best of luck, and remember to believe in yourself!

        • PP
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