What mark do you actually need to achieve in each IA1 in order to achieve an ATAR above 90??
Did you know? An ATAR 90 or above means you are only in the Top 24% of students!
You’d be surprised to discover that QCAA actually tells us exactly what mark you need in your internals to achieve your goal ATAR!
On the QCAA website, these buried reports are readily available for anyone to access! We’ve taken this data and done all the hard work for you!
The data looks like this, showing the bellcurve via a bar graph, to display the distribution of marks. This is how we work out what mark equates to what percentile, and therefore what your ATAR prediction will be!
We’ve done the research and put this data into a Google Sheet, so that we can highlight what goals you might need to set for yourself this year.
If your mark lies in the top 24% of students, you’re on track to get an ATAR 90+!
Check it out!
The Truth About Internals
Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Psychology
General Maths
Maths Methods
Specialist Maths
English
Literature
Economics
Business
Legal Studies
Modern History
I Scored Below This, Can I Still Get a 90+ ATAR?
The Truth About Internals
Losing one or two marks in IA1 could drop you down by 50% in the cohort!
Huge! We were shocked when we saw this data. Some of the Internal Assessments, specifically IA1 have no bell curve at all, just a steep slope.
For transparency, all of this data is completely free and available to you in the QCE Cohort Comparison Tool!
But it’s not all bad news! Even though the bellcurve is so steep for IA1, it does indicate that these assessments aren’t hard to ace with the right support.
Chemistry
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 10/10 (100%) on the Chemistry Data Test
10/10
Even at top marks, you’re sitting with 23% of all the other students in the grade!
9/10
You can see the huge drop-off with even a 9/10, going down to an ATAR 88 and the Top 39% of the grade.
8/10
By here, things aren’t looking too good, with a prediction of an ATAR 77 placing you in the Bottom 40%
Looking for some practice questions to help get a 10/10 on the Chemistry Data Test? Try these!
Physics
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 10/10 (100%) on the Physics Data Test
10/10
Even the top result in Physics IA1 will only land you in the top 23% of students.
9/10
Losing a single mark immediately drops you to the Top 40%, with a predicted ATAR of 86!
8/10
Losing two marks lands you in the bottom 50% of students, with an ATAR in the 70s
Worried about this data and want practice for the Physics IA1 Data Test? Here are some we’ve created for you!
Biology
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 9/10 (90%) on the Biology Data Test
10/10
In Biology it’s a little less extreme, where perfect marks can land you in the top 20% of students.
9/10
Losing a mark takes you down to the Top 41%, but keeps you in the ATAR 90 range!
8/10
Losing two marks brings you far down to the low 80s
We’ve had a team of expert tutors write a practice Biology Data Test for you to access free so that you can get the mark you need!
Psychology
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 9/10 (90%) on the Psychology Data Test
10/10
Achieving perfect results secures your place at the front of the bellcurve!
9/10
Losing a single mark will take you right to the tip of the curve, but still in the 90 range!
8/10
An 8/10 will have you fall behind the curve!
General Maths
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 16/20 (80%) on the General Maths PSMT
17/20
General Maths is surprisingly a safe subject, with a half-complete curve!
16/20
You will need at least a 16/20 to be on track for an ATAR 90+!
15/20
Anything behind the peak usually results in an ATAR below 90…
Looking for some structure and support on how to write a General Maths PSMT? We’ve created an extensive guide for you!
Maths Methods
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 17/20 (85%) on the Maths Methods PSMT
18/20
Maths Methods is extremely competitive, with no curve in sight – just a cliff!
17/20
A 17 is the minimum result you need to be in the running for an ATAR 90+!
16/20
By this result, you’ve already fallen to the bottom 33% of the cohort!
Are you trying to achieve above a 17/20 on the IA1? Check out our Ultimate Guide for Writing a Maths Methods PSMT! Not feeling so good about your results so far? Here’s how to decide if you should drop down to QCAA General Maths.
Specialist Maths
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 18/20 (90%) on the Specialist Maths PSMT
19/20
Specialist is the most competitive Maths subjects, requiring near-perfect results!
18/20
An 18/20 PSMT result is what you will need to stay in the ATAR 90 range!
17/20
The incredibly steep cliff means this result will put you in the bottom 31%!
English
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 20/25 (80%) on the English Written Response
21/25
English is a bumpy bell-curve, with obvious spikes to get students to pass!
20/25
A 20/25 will secure you a predicted place in the ATAR 90 range!
19/25
A 19/25 will place you just behind at ATAR 88!
Has English got you somewhat confused? We’ve teamed up with our top tutors to write an article on how to ace the English IA1!
Literature
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 23/25 (92%) on the Literature IA1 Assessment
24/25
Literature has a much steeper curve than General English!
23/25
You will need a 23/25 on IA1 in Lit to stay in the running for an ATAR 90+!
22/25
Anything below will place you in the 80s!
Economics
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 22/25 (88%) on the Economics IA1 Exam
23/25
Economics has a skewed bellcurve, but a decent distribution!
22/25
As long as you can stay ahead of the curve below, you’re set for a 90!
21/25
A 21/25 in IA1 will place you in the 80s range!
Business
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 20/25 (80%) on the Business IA1 Exam
21/25
Business has one of the smoothest curves in the QCE system!
20/25
You only need above a 20 to achieve an ATAR 90+!
19/25
Anything below will land you in the 80s range!
Legal Studies
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 20/25 (80%) on the Legal Studies IA1 Exam
21/25
Legal Studies is similar to business, with a generous curve!
20/25
A 20/25 will allow you to achieve an ATAR 90+!
19/25
Anything below will land you in the 80s!
Modern History
In order to be on track for an ATAR above 90, you need to achieve at least 22/25 (88%) on the Modern History IA1 Assessment
23/25
Modern history has a bit of a quirky curve!
22/25
A 22/25 will ensure your ATAR stays in the 90s!
21/25
Anything below will result in a high 80s score!
I didn’t Achieve This IA1 Mark – Will I get below a 90 ATAR?
Throughout the processing of this data, we had many former students (including myself!!) protest the insights we were giving, claiming they achieved below the marks given above, and still ended up with an ATAR above 90!
This is because even if you missed out on staying within the Top 24% of students in IA1, you can definitely catch up in IA2, IA3 and the EA, to get ahead of the bellcurve (although it will take more work and determination!)
This article is designed to show you what mark you need to be on track! But just like with anything, you can always catch up later, and a bad mark isn’t the end of the world!
Don’t believe us? We’ve detailed every single number and referenced the QCAA reports in this downloadable spreadsheet – QCE Cohort Comparison Tool! Make a copy and see the numbers for yourself!
So That’s It!
Hopefully now, thanks to the data available, you have an idea on what mark you should aim for in your IA1 assessment, in order to achieve your goal ATAR!
We highly recommend trying out the QCE Cohort Comparison Tool if you haven’t already, to see how your marks compare to your peers!
Looking for some more help with the QCE?
- Everything You Need to Know About the QCE and ATAR
- The Essential Guide to Applying for University Through QTAC
- QCE Year 11: How to Effectively Prepare for Your IA Exam Block
- What Are QCE Points and How Many Do You Need?
- How to Stay Motivated Throughout the Year During the QCE and Avoid Burnout
- Struggling with the Workload for Year 11? Here’s why…
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