QLD QCE — curriculum reference
The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is taken by Year 11 and 12 students in Queensland. Internal Assessment plus external exams contribute to subject results, scaled by QTAC for the ATAR.
Syllabus authority
QCAA — Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority publishes the official syllabuses for QLD QCE. We do not republish syllabus content — for the formal syllabus documentation, go to the authority directly: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior.
Scaling for QLD QCE is calculated annually by QTAC. See our QLD QCE ATAR scaling page for the full 2024 data.
Subjects with 2024 ATAR scaling data
44 subjects are listed below. Each links to its dedicated scaling page where you can see the verbatim 2024 percentile distribution, scaled mean, and standard deviation.
| Subject | Scaling page |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Accounting QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Aerospace Systems QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Agricultural Science QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Ancient History Year 12: Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Near East. Focus on source interpretation. Less popular than Modern History but with similar essay-writing demands. | Scaling → |
| Biology Year 11: cells, organisms, ecosystems, genetics. Year 12: heredity, inheritance, infectious disease, non-infectious disease, immunity, biotechnology. Heavier on memorisation than other sciences. | Scaling → |
| Business QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Chemistry Year 11: chemical reactions, stoichiometry, periodic table, organic chemistry intro. Year 12: equilibrium, acid-base reactions, organic chemistry depth, analytical techniques. Calculation-heavy. | Scaling → |
| Chinese QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Dance QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Design QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Digital Solutions QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Drama QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Earth and Environmental Science QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Economics Year 11: introduction to economics, micro and macro foundations. Year 12: Australian economy in detail, economic issues, policies, global economy. Numerical, analytical, current-affairs heavy. | Scaling → |
| Engineering QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| English Reading and creating texts; analysing argument; comparative analysis. Required for ATAR eligibility in VIC. | Scaling → |
| English and Literature Extension QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| English as an Additional Language Adapted English course for students whose primary language was not English in primary school. Same modules as English with adjusted assessment. | Scaling → |
| Film Television and New Media QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Food and Nutrition QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| French QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| General Mathematics Year 11 foundation course covering data analysis, recursion, networks, matrices, geometry. Pathway to Year 12 General Maths (Further Maths). | Scaling → |
| Geography QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| German QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Health QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Italian QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Japanese QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Legal Studies Year 12: crime, human rights, family law, workplace, world order. Heavy on case-citing essays. Aligns well with future Law or Politics study. | Scaling → |
| Literature Close reading of canonical and contemporary literary texts. Analytical and creative responses. Higher-scaling than English; lower than English Language in some years. | Scaling → |
| Marine Science QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Mathematical Methods Calculus, functions, probability, statistics. The standard quantitative VCE prerequisite for STEM and business university courses. Consistently one of the higher-scaling VCE subjects. | Scaling → |
| Modern History Year 12: power and authority, national studies (Russia/USSR, Indonesia, USA etc.), peace and conflict (WWI, Cold War etc.), change in the modern world. Strong essay-writing required. | Scaling → |
| Music QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Music Extension (Composition) QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Music Extension (Performance) QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Philosophy and Reason QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Physical Education QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Physics Year 11: kinematics, dynamics, waves, thermodynamics. Year 12: advanced mechanics, electromagnetism, the nature of light, quantum and special relativity. Heavy on calculation, light on memorisation. | Scaling → |
| Psychology Year 12: how the brain functions, learning and memory, mental health, social cognition. Increasingly popular VCE subject. | Scaling → |
| Spanish QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Specialist Mathematics Vectors, complex numbers, mechanics, advanced calculus, kinematics. The hardest senior maths course in VIC. Highest-scaling VCE subject in most years. | Scaling → |
| Study of Religion QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
| Visual Art QCE General subject with 2024 scaling data published by QTAC. | Scaling → |
If your subject is not listed
Subjects with fewer than 40 students per year are omitted from the published scaling tables (this is the threshold the tertiary admissions centres themselves use — small-cohort statistics are not reliable). These subjects are still part of the qualification; they simply do not have the same published-scaling reference data. See the syllabus authority's own page for details.