Secrets of the SACE

What is this thing called the SACE, the reward so eagerly sought after two years of hard work by over thirteen thousand students? Both a culmination of the school years and a passport to the future that follows, it is a locally developed and internationally respected qualification.

Some of those in today's parent generation think of it as the old 'matric' - the ticket to university - but the South Australian Certificate of Education is more than that. Some, possibly remembering the days of selecting a handful of subjects from a range of a dozen or so, think that subject choice is limited - not so. The SACE is flexible, to meet young people's needs, now and in the future.

These are some of the 'best kept secrets' of the SACE:

• You only need three 2-unit subjects in Stage Two to qualify, and just five for a Tertiary Entrance Ranking (TER) - provided you have met the other SACE requirements such as a total of 22 units
• You can study for SACE over as many years as you wish (although only your best three attempts count towards the TER)
• You can count previous studies when you return to SACE studies
• If you must leave midway through a year, you may be eligible for an exit assessment that could give you one unit
• It's possible part-time employment may contribute to Stage One or Stage Two (through Work Education and Vocational Studies) and training undertaken in part-time work may count for up to eight units as VET
• SSABSA Special Provisions can help when schooling is interrupted by health, disability or family difficulties
• There are over 200 subjects and specialties available in SACE in 2003.

The SACE offers choice

In 2003, students will be able to choose from an astonishing range of subject matter to be taught at Stages 1 and 2: