Chinese: First Language — WA WACE scaling 2024

TISC's verbatim 2024 scaled-score statistics for Chinese: First Language. Scaled mean 50.5/100, SD 17.7, 51 students. Range observed: 12.0 to 96.9.

Summary statistics

Scaled mean	50.5 / 100
Standard deviation	17.7
Minimum scaled score	12.0
Maximum scaled score	96.9
Students (2024)	51

Scaled scores by percentile

Percentile	Scaled score
P90 (top 10%)	73.0
P75 (top 25%)	61.1
P50 (median)	50.0
P25 (bottom 25%)	38.5

The P25-to-P90 spread for Chinese: First Language was 34.5 scaled points in 2024.

How Chinese: First Language scaled in 2024

This subject scales down. The average student in this course performs below the senior-secondary cohort median across all their subjects, so scaling adjusts most raw marks downward. Important nuance: this does not mean strong students in this subject get poor scaled marks — look at the P90 row in the table. Top performers are still rewarded; the cohort-average position is what moves the mean.

The scaled-score scale in WA is 0–100, with the cohort-wide mean across all subjects sitting around 60 by construction. A subject with a scaled mean above 60 had a candidature performing above the WACE-wide average; below 60 means the average student in this subject performed below the WACE-wide average. Note that this is the scaled mean across the course's candidature, not a measure of conceptual difficulty.

3-year scaling trend for Chinese: First Language ↑

Year	Scaled mean (/ 100)
2023	49.9
2024	50.5

Scaling has risen by +0.6 points over 1 year (2023: 49.9 → 2024: 50.5). This typically reflects a strengthening candidature — more high-achievers picking this subject relative to other subjects.

3-year trend data sourced from the TISC annual scaling reports 2023–2024. See all scaling trends.

Tutor rate context for Chinese: First Language

Subject complexity classification: moderate — accredited-tutor premium. Based on our subject-complexity model, this subject typically carries a +8% adjustment to the base AU tutor rate band — partly because of the qualified-tutor pool size, partly because of subject-specific marking and exam complexity.

Tutor tier	Typical rate for Chinese: First Language
University-student tutor	$65/hr
Experienced graduate	$85/hr
Registered teacher	$120/hr
Subject specialist	$150/hr

Estimates from the AU rate synthesis at /rates/. Use the rate estimator to add city and delivery format.

What this means for ATAR planning

In WA, the Tertiary Entrance Aggregate (TEA) is formed from your best 4 scaled scores, with a 10% bonus added to scaled scores in Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist, and LOTE subjects (highest LOTE only). The maximum aggregate in 2024 was 430.

• Chinese: First Language scaled to a mean of 50.5 — below the WACE average.
• If you scored at the P90 of this subject (73.0) and it was one of your best 4, you contributed 73.0 scaled points to your aggregate (or 80.3 with the LOTE/Maths bonus where applicable).
• Strong individual results in subjects with lower scaled means can still produce strong scaled scores — look at the P90 row, not just the mean, before deciding a subject is "weak" for ATAR.

Caveats specific to Chinese: First Language

• This is 2024 data. TISC recalculates scaling each year.
• WACE scaled scores are NOT directly comparable across states. NSW and VIC use a 0-50 scale; QLD and WA use 0-100. Cross-state comparisons need to be normalised by scale.
• The WACE Maths Methods / Specialist / LOTE 10% bonus applies after scaling, only when the bonused subject is one of your top 4.

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