SACE

SACE

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is a modern secondary school qualification designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and personal capabilities to successfully participate in society. It is overseen by the SACE Board, a statutory authority of the South Australian Government.

The SACE delivers a flexible curriculum which allows students to specialise in subject areas based on their interests and opens up many pathways for our boys to move into university study, vocational education or employment.

Our boys consistently achieve strong results in the SACE, and each year we have many boys awarded Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs) above 95. 

Study pattern for SACE students

The SACE is a two-stage certificate, with most subjects undertaken in Year 11 and Year 12. Subject choice is highly flexible, with the only compulsory choices being literacy and numeracy subjects, along with the Identifies and Futures subjects.

Students need 200 credits to complete their SACE, fifty of these come from compulsory requirements but most are from the subjects chosen to suit a student’s interests and future pathways. Successful completion of SACE subjects provides 20 credits towards SACE completion for a full year subject.

At Prince Alfred College, a typical SACE student studies a pattern of full year subjects as illustrated below. The compulsory requirements are highlighted in red. Students may also elect to study one subject from the IB Diploma Programme as part of their SACE. This is a significant benefit of completing the SACE at a dual programme school like Prince Alfred College.

PAC offers a wide range of different SACE subjects and students also have the choice of several IB Diploma Programme subjects which include 5 languages. Stage 1 subjects selected in Year 11 generally form the basis of students Stage 2 choices. All subjects boys select in Stage 1 prepare them for Year 12 subjects which can be used in the calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).

SACE subject areas:

Flexibility of pathways for SACE students

The SACE has been designed to be a flexible qualification to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. At Prince Alfred College, we utilise this in our SACE programme by supporting students undertaking some alternate forms of recognised learning which also allow students to earn credits towards their SACE. International Baccalaureate subjects are just one example of this.

Students may study accelerated Stage 2 Biology as a Year 11. Selection criteria apply. More information is available from the Science faculty page.

High achieving students in Year 11 at PAC may apply to undertake university study in place of one Stage 2 subject. This gives students who have established themselves as independent learners the chance to experience the challenge of university level study during their Year 12 year. More information about the inclusion of a university course in a student’s SACE study at PAC can be found at:

For students with an interest in pursuing non-University pathways when they leave the college, PAC also offer students the opportunity to undertake vocational learning as part of their SACE. Vocational Education and Training (VET) operates through a national training system and is delivered, assessed, and certified by Registered Training Organisations. VET courses or competencies can allow students to earn credits towards their SACE. Students at PAC may elect to follow a fully Vocationally Focussed Pathway at Year 12. More information about VET within the college’s SACE programme can be found at:

For more information about studying the SACE at Prince Alfred College, please contact:

Lisa Roe, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning : SACE via email at lroe@pac.edu.au.