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Home » IB Studies
International Baccalaureate (IB) studies
How to apply
If you’re an IB student, you can lodge a QTAC application via Application Services.
IB documentation
We can obtain your IB results from the IBIS (International Baccalaureate Information System). Make sure your school IB Coordinator gives the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) your authority to release your results to us.
If we can’t obtain your results from the IBO, you will need to provide a copy of your official IB results transcript to us.
Note: Do not submit downloaded results as we can’t assess these.
How are IB Diploma students considered for entry to tertiary courses in Australia?
Results from the IB Diploma, which are reported on a whole number scale between 24 and 45, are converted into an ATAR-like value to allow IB students to be considered for tertiary places alongside their counterparts who have completed state curricula.
This ATAR-like value is known as the Combined Rank because it is a national conversion which combines results from across all states.
This means that IB students can apply in any Australian state or territory with confidence about how their results compare to their peers who have completed state curricula and received an ATAR.
Your QTAC Rank
The process for calculating a QTAC tertiary entrance rank for merit purposes for 2021 Admissions Year is that we convert the IB score in the completed diploma to a QTAC selection rank according to the ‘combined rank’ rules agreed Australia wide.
To find out how the combined rank process works, click here.
Convert your IB score to a QTAC selection rank
IB SCORE IN COMPLETED DIPLOMA (2020) | 2020 QTAC SELECTION RANK (Combined Rank) |
45 | 99.95 |
44 | 99.75 |
43 | 99.55 |
42 | 99.20 |
41 | 98.70 |
40 | 98.05 |
39 | 97.30 |
38 | 96.45 |
37 | 95.45 |
36 | 94.05 |
35 | 92.80 |
34 | 91.50 |
33 | 90.00 |
32 | 88.15 |
31 | 86.40 |
30 | 84.30 |
29 | 81.90 |
28 | 79.25 |
27 | 77.40 |
26 | 75.10 |
25 | 72.00 |
24 | 69.10 |
Subject prerequisites
Your IB subjects will meet subject prerequisites if these:
- are comparable to the relevant QCAA subject
- are studied at Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL)
- you achieve a minimum grade of 3 in the relevant HL subject or 4 in the relevant SL subject; refer below.
Compare IB and QCAA subjects
SUBJECT TITLE | IB SUBJECT LEVEL | COMPARABLE TO QLD GENERAL SUBJECT |
Ancient History | SL | Ancient History |
Biology | HL or SL | Biology |
Chemistry | HL or SL | Chemistry |
Chinese A1, Chinese A2, | HL or SL | Chinese |
Dance | HL or SL | Dance |
Design Technology | HL or SL | Design |
Drama | SL | Drama |
Economics | HL or SL | Economics |
English A1, English A2, English B, English AB, English A: Literature, English A: | HL or SL | English |
French A1, French A2, French AB, | HL or SL | French |
Further Mathematics | SL | Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics |
Geography | HL or SL | Geography |
German A1, German A2, German AB, | HL or SL | German |
History (Africa, America, East and South East Asia and Oceania, Europe, West | HL or SL | Modern History |
Indonesian A1, Indonesian AB, | HL or SL | Indonesian |
Italian A1, Italian A2, Italian AB, Italian B | HL or SL | Italian |
Japanese A1, Japanese A2, Japanese AB, Japanese B | HL or SL | Japanese |
Mandarin B, Mandarin AB | HL or SL | Chinese |
Mathematical Studies | SL | General Mathematics |
Mathematics | HL | Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics |
Mathematics | SL | Mathematical Methods |
Music, Music Composition, Music Group Performance, Music Solo Performance | HL or SL | Music |
Physics, Physical Science | HL or SL | Physics |
Russian A1, Russian A2, Russian AB, | HL or SL | Russian |
Social and Cultural Anthropology, Social Studies | HL or SL | – |
Spanish A1, Spanish A2, Spanish AB, | HL or SL | Spanish |
Theatre, Theatre Arts | HL or SL | Drama |
Vietnamese A1, Vietnamese B | HL or SL | Vietnamese |
Visual Arts, Visual Arts A, Visual Arts B | HL or SL | Visual Art |
IB subject achievement levels
FOR IB HL SUBJECTS | FOR IB SL SUBJECTS | ||
IB GRADE | QCAA ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL | IB GRADE | QCAA ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL |
7, 6 | A | 7 | A |
5, 4 | B | 6, 5 | B |
3 | C | 4 | C |
2 | D | 3, 2 | D |
1 | E | 1 | E |
Are you an IB student who did not obtain a Diploma?
From the admissions period commencing 4 August 2020, QTAC has withdrawn its incomplete IB Diploma schedule as a stand-alone pathway for Year 12 students to tertiary study.
More information on institution-specific policies is available on individual institutions’ websites. QTAC will administer these policies on their behalf.
Click below for a presentation on how to apply to QTAC in 2020
Improving university entry for IB students
For 2023 admissions, an improved conversion schedule for IB scores will be introduced. The International Baccalaureate will provide QTAC with access to percentage marks for each subject, offering more conversion points and more detailed information about IB Diploma students on the same overall score.
The change will provide more gradations for IB students on the same score and a more accurate mapping of their score to a QTAC rank.
Read the documents below for more information:
Improving IB entry to Australian teriarty courses for 2023 admissions