Admission Criteria
Admission Criteria (ELP, subject prerequisites/selection)
Year 10 Students
Career pathways
As you approach your senior years of high school, it’s important to explore the diverse career paths available to you. There are numerous options that can align with your interests and goals, whether you’re aiming for university, vocational training, or entering the workforce directly.
Excitingly, some pathways even allow you to gain valuable experience and skills while you’re still in school, giving you a head start on your career journey. This is your opportunity to plan ahead, make informed decisions, and set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling future.
The right pathway for you depends on your interests, career aspirations and personal learning style.
Below are some of the options on offer:
Year 10 Guide to Career Pathways and Tertiary Prerequisites
Year 10 Guide to Career Pathways and Tertiary Prerequisites
Planning your post-school journey
The QTAC Year 10 Guide to Career Pathways and Tertiary Prerequisites provides prospective applicants with general information and entry requirements for tertiary courses.
2025 Year 10 Guide
The QTAC My Path guide for year 10 students includes all listed university prerequisites and assumed knowledge needed to meet entry requirements for courses in 2025.
2026 Year 10 Guide
The Year 10 Guide for 2026 is a free online resource that will only be made available in the Schools Portal. To access the Schools Portal, please visit the School Staff page.
Year 10 post-school pathways
It is SET Plan time again, when Year 10 Queensland students begin to develop their Senior Education and Training (SET) Plans. Schools will be working with students and their parents/carers to help them plan their senior studies and select subjects for Years 11 and 12.
Developing a SET Plan helps students think about their education and further education and training and career goals after Year 12. It makes sure they structure their learning in Years 11 and 12 around their abilities, interests and ambitions and helps them map their pathway towards a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and post-school pathways. The flowchart below summarises the post-school pathways.
School students’ SET Plans need to be finalised by the end of Year 10 and are a vital component of students’ senior studies. The SET Plan is agreed upon by the student, their parents/carers and the school with a copy of the student’s SET Plan retained by the school as an official record.
Year 10 Students
Choosing the right senior year subjects for you
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It’s best not to choose subjects based on predicted scaling outcomes.
Choose subjects you are good at.
Choose subjects that you enjoy/are interested in.
Choose subjects that are prerequisites for the tertiary courses you want to apply for.
Choosing your subjects
Here are two examples that highlight why you should choose subjects that feel RIGHT for you:
Example A: Billie
Billy is a talented musician who has always enjoyed performing and studying Music at school. Billy’s love and passion for music made it easy to achieve a raw score of 95.00, which scaled to 88.95.
Billy also studied Chemistry, thinking it would gain a higher ATAR, but didn’t enjoy it as much as Music. He found it hard to achieve high results in Chemistry and had to work extra hard to achieve a raw score of 67.00, which scaled to 73.97.
Billy studied Mathematical Methods to be in the same class as Lewis – Billy’s best friend. Mathematics was never a strong suit for Billy, and he found it difficult to pass exams. Billy achieved a raw score of 57.00, which scaled to 77.12.
BILLY JO Billy likely would have achieved a better ATAR by choosing subjects he was naturally good at, like Music.
Example B: Joe
Jo is a naturally creative student with a passion for the arts and always achieved excellent results in Visual Art, easily attaining a raw score of 98.00, which scaled to 90.78.
Jo’s older brother studied Physics and did well, leading Jo to pick this subject too. Jo was not interested in Physics and found the subject difficult to grasp. Jo worked very hard to achieve a raw score of 67.00 which scaled to 72.68.
As Leonardo Da Vinci was Jo’s artistic inspiration, Jo chose to study Italian. Learning a new language did not come naturally to Jo, who found it hard to keep up with the class. With much stress, Jo achieved a raw score of 69.00, which scaled to 75.46.
Jo likely would have achieved a higher ATAR by choosing subjects they were interested in.
Year 10s – how can QTAC help you?
Choosing what subjects to do to get your QCE, or to help you get the ATAR you are aiming for, is a very personal decision and there are many factors to consider. QTAC does not advise students on what senior subjects they should be doing and we encourage students to make use of advice from those people who know them well – their teachers, careers guidance officers and parents. However, we CAN help you set your compass for your post-school pathway.
Subject selection FAQs
FAQ 1
I think I know what courses I want to study and put as my preferences. How do I get there?
Use your SET Plan to identify the QCAA subjects and/or VET qualifications that will give you the best chance of getting into one of your preferred courses. Call us on <<phone>> and we can talk you through possible pathways, entry and prerequisite subject requirements for specific courses and discipline areas. We can help you with your preferences. We can point you to institutions who can give you more information.
FAQ 2
I don't know what I want to do after high school. What should I study?
Your school careers counsellors and teachers should be able to advise what types of courses and careers you could look at. You can look up information on university websites, go to an Open Day and talk to universities and TAFE. Call us on <<phone number>> and we can talk you through entry requirements into specific courses. You can talk to us at any time, the earlier the better for setting that compass!
Learn the English Subject Prerequisites you need for your chosen course
To gain entry into most courses, you’ll need to meet certain requirements in specific Year 12 subjects.
While not all courses have subject prerequisites, some may have assumed knowledge or recommended study areas. Assumed knowledge means the institution expects you to have certain subject knowledge, while recommended study suggests it would be beneficial to have covered these areas.
If you don’t have the assumed knowledge or recommended study, you can still enrol in the course but be aware that you might find some aspects of the study more challenging.
Meeting the requirements
English is the most common prerequisite for courses. If a course requires an English subject, you’ll see it listed in the course entry as ‘English, Literature, English and Literature Extension, or English as an Additional Language (Units 3 and 4, C)’. This means you need to have studied one of these Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) General English subjects (or an equivalent) and achieved at least a Grade of ‘C’ or better in Units 3 and 4, typically taken in Year 12.
English subject prerequisite and English language proficiency
The English subject prerequisite and English language proficiency are two distinct requirements. The English subject prerequisite refers to the specific subject you study in Years 11 and 12. On the other hand, English language proficiency pertains to your ability to speak, write, read, and understand English.
How to meet the English subject prerequisite
If you didn’t study or pass a General English subject up to the Year 12 standard, there are alternative ways to meet this requirement based on the policy of the institution you’re interested in.
The institution policy tables below offer guidance on how to meet the English subject prerequisite for various institutions and sometimes for specific courses. This summary provides an overview, but if you believe you meet the English requirement through other means not listed here, it’s a good idea to check directly with the institution.
Institution policies – 2024 2025 admissions
Note: Where an age requirement is listed you must be this age by a certain date. Refer to the Institution’s minimum age requirements for 2024 2025 admissions
Key & Definitions
QCAA
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
GPA
Grade Point Average
Passing GPA/Pass
An overall Grade Point Average of 4 or higher (on a 7-point scale where 4 = pass)
AQF
Australian Qualifications Framework