Quick answer: in TISC's 2025 statistics, Mathematics Specialist had the highest mean scaled score of the larger courses (69.2), followed by French: Second Language and Japanese: Second Language (68.4), Mathematics Methods (64.6), Literature (64.2), Chemistry (63.2) and Physics (62.7). After scaling, the average across all courses is 60. Methods, Specialist and languages also earn a 10% TEA bonus.
WACE scaling 2025 key facts
- After scaling, the average across all courses is 60.
- Top 10% cut-off (90th percentile): 86.3 in Mathematics Specialist, 81.4 in Methods, 80.1 in Chemistry, 74.7 in English.
- English had 9,487 students, the largest course; Mathematics Applications had 7,969.
- Methods, Specialist and languages also earn a 10% TEA bonus in 2025.
- Source: TISC 2025 course statistics.
Highest scaling WACE courses in 2025
Mean scaled score, courses with 100 or more students:
| Course | Students | Mean scaled score |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics Specialist | 1,311 | 69.2 |
| French: Second Language | 353 | 68.4 |
| Japanese: Second Language | 273 | 68.4 |
| Mathematics Methods | 4,205 | 64.6 |
| Literature | 1,602 | 64.2 |
| Chemistry | 4,508 | 63.2 |
| Physics | 2,713 | 62.7 |
Lower mean scaled scores in 2025
| Course | Students | Mean scaled score |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Information Technology | 279 | 51.4 |
| Health Studies | 602 | 51.4 |
| English as an Additional Language or Dialect | 832 | 53.6 |
| Media Production and Analysis | 365 | 53.9 |
| Business Management and Enterprise | 987 | 55.2 |
Full 2025 table
Scaled score mean, percentiles and maximum for every WACE ATAR course in TISC's 2025 statistics (including international and mature-age students). Percentiles are only published for courses with enough students. Courses marked "10% bonus" add 10% of your scaled score to your TEA. Type a course name to filter.
| Course | Students | Mean | P25 | P50 | P75 | P90 | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Finance | 944 | 57.1 | 49.0 | 57.1 | 65.5 | 73.3 | 92.7 |
| Agribusiness | 41 | 47.8 | 71.1 | ||||
| Agricultural Science and Technology | 27 | 44.2 | 68.9 | ||||
| Ancient History | 68 | 64.2 | 55.9 | 64.2 | 72.3 | 82.1 | 99.6 |
| Applied Information Technology | 279 | 51.4 | 42.3 | 51.6 | 60.6 | 70.3 | 90.4 |
| Arabic 10% bonus | 43 | 62.1 | 84.0 | ||||
| Auslan 10% bonus | 12 | 64.9 | 88.8 | ||||
| Aviation | 16 | 56.2 | 68.8 | ||||
| Biology | 1,725 | 57.3 | 48.7 | 57.5 | 66.0 | 74.4 | 94.5 |
| Business Management and Enterprise | 987 | 55.2 | 47.0 | 55.3 | 63.5 | 72.0 | 90.7 |
| Career and Enterprise | 86 | 57.5 | 48.9 | 57.0 | 65.0 | 73.4 | 91.1 |
| Chemistry | 4,508 | 63.2 | 55.0 | 63.4 | 71.9 | 80.1 | 99.4 |
| Children, Family and the Community | 61 | 57.1 | 49.1 | 57.2 | 64.6 | 71.6 | 88.4 |
| Chinese: Background Language 10% bonus | 18 | 59.2 | 88.3 | ||||
| Chinese: First Language 10% bonus | 81 | 49.7 | 39.6 | 49.6 | 59.3 | 69.7 | 91.1 |
| Chinese: Second Language 10% bonus | 92 | 70.1 | 61.4 | 69.9 | 78.1 | 87.1 | 100.0 |
| Computer Science | 332 | 58.7 | 50.2 | 58.9 | 66.5 | 75.3 | 94.7 |
| Dance | 107 | 55.3 | 44.9 | 54.9 | 64.0 | 74.7 | 95.2 |
| Design | 269 | 55.6 | 47.4 | 55.7 | 63.9 | 72.0 | 90.4 |
| Drama | 373 | 58.4 | 50.1 | 58.4 | 67.3 | 75.9 | 96.2 |
| Earth and Environmental Science | 81 | 54.9 | 46.9 | 54.9 | 62.4 | 70.0 | 86.3 |
| Economics | 1,724 | 59.1 | 50.8 | 59.3 | 67.8 | 76.5 | 95.7 |
| Engineering Studies | 240 | 54.9 | 46.6 | 55.1 | 62.4 | 72.1 | 90.7 |
| English | 9,487 | 57.8 | 49.5 | 58.1 | 66.6 | 74.7 | 95.0 |
| English as an Additional Language or Dialect | 832 | 53.6 | 45.1 | 53.7 | 62.4 | 70.7 | 90.7 |
| Food Science and Technology | 102 | 55.2 | 48.0 | 54.8 | 62.9 | 70.7 | 87.9 |
| French: Background Language 10% bonus | 13 | 64.9 | 80.6 | ||||
| French: Second Language 10% bonus | 353 | 68.4 | 60.3 | 68.6 | 77.5 | 84.6 | 100.0 |
| Geography | 1,171 | 55.4 | 47.1 | 55.7 | 64.2 | 71.8 | 91.7 |
| German: Background Language 10% bonus | 14 | 65.9 | 81.8 | ||||
| German: Second Language 10% bonus | 18 | 71.2 | 94.7 | ||||
| Health Studies | 602 | 51.4 | 42.6 | 51.5 | 60.3 | 68.3 | 88.4 |
| Hindi: Background Language 10% bonus | 32 | 66.1 | 89.6 | ||||
| Human Biology | 3,847 | 58.6 | 50.4 | 58.7 | 67.0 | 75.1 | 94.5 |
| Indonesian: Background Language 10% bonus | 9 | 55.7 | 83.5 | ||||
| Indonesian: Second Language 10% bonus | 29 | 60.6 | 83.9 | ||||
| Integrated Science | 52 | 51.9 | 42.8 | 52.1 | 60.6 | 70.1 | 89.2 |
| Italian: Background Language 10% bonus | 6 | 69.1 | 82.1 | ||||
| Italian: Second Language 10% bonus | 171 | 62.9 | 53.8 | 62.4 | 71.1 | 80.1 | 98.7 |
| Japanese: Background Language 10% bonus | 16 | 57.5 | 74.2 | ||||
| Japanese: Second Language 10% bonus | 273 | 68.4 | 60.2 | 68.7 | 77.4 | 85.0 | 100.0 |
| Korean: Background Language 10% bonus | 7 | 64.8 | 82.3 | ||||
| Korean: Second Language 10% bonus | 5 | 63.8 | 81.5 | ||||
| Literature | 1,602 | 64.2 | 55.9 | 64.6 | 73.1 | 81.2 | 100.0 |
| Marine and Maritime Studies | 120 | 54.5 | 45.8 | 54.4 | 62.9 | 71.2 | 89.7 |
| Materials Design and Technology | 116 | 56.0 | 48.2 | 56.1 | 63.9 | 71.9 | 89.5 |
| Mathematics Applications | 7,969 | 55.3 | 47.0 | 55.5 | 63.9 | 72.0 | 91.5 |
| Mathematics Methods 10% bonus | 4,205 | 64.6 | 56.4 | 64.8 | 73.1 | 81.4 | 100.0 |
| Mathematics Specialist 10% bonus | 1,311 | 69.2 | 60.9 | 69.4 | 78.0 | 86.3 | 100.0 |
| Media Production and Analysis | 365 | 53.9 | 45.2 | 54.0 | 62.9 | 71.9 | 92.4 |
| Modern Greek 10% bonus | 7 | 77.2 | 82.5 | ||||
| Modern History | 1,510 | 56.8 | 48.2 | 56.9 | 65.7 | 73.9 | 94.3 |
| Music | 310 | 61.8 | 53.0 | 61.6 | 70.6 | 78.8 | 98.8 |
| Outdoor Education | 126 | 54.7 | 45.5 | 54.5 | 64.1 | 73.3 | 94.0 |
| Persian 10% bonus | 7 | 59.3 | 65.3 | ||||
| Philosophy and Ethics | 184 | 61.9 | 53.9 | 62.1 | 70.2 | 78.5 | 98.4 |
| Physical Education Studies | 1,469 | 56.2 | 48.4 | 56.4 | 64.2 | 72.0 | 90.6 |
| Physics | 2,713 | 62.7 | 54.2 | 62.9 | 71.4 | 79.8 | 99.2 |
| Politics and Law | 675 | 60.2 | 51.9 | 60.3 | 68.6 | 77.1 | 96.9 |
| Psychology | 1,833 | 56.8 | 48.2 | 56.9 | 65.5 | 73.5 | 93.5 |
| Punjabi: Background Language 10% bonus | 9 | 63.5 | 78.9 | ||||
| Religion and Life | 875 | 59.6 | 52.1 | 59.9 | 67.6 | 75.2 | 93.2 |
| Russian 10% bonus | 13 | 61.6 | 82.7 | ||||
| Sinhala 10% bonus | 13 | 55.1 | 71.8 | ||||
| Spanish 10% bonus | 6 | 68.7 | 86.3 | ||||
| Tamil: Background Language 10% bonus | 25 | 66.3 | 90.0 | ||||
| Vietnamese 10% bonus | 10 | 61.3 | 77.7 | ||||
| Visual Arts | 555 | 56.7 | 48.1 | 57.0 | 65.5 | 74.3 | 94.5 |
Official data Source: TISC 2025 course statistics (scaled score percentiles, 16 Dec 2025) and TISC official ATAR calculator (2025 completion year). Data year: 2025.
TEA to ATAR in 2025
The ATAR for selected Tertiary Entrance Aggregates, from TISC's calculator for students who completed Year 12 in 2025. The WACE ATAR calculator uses every whole TEA from 150 to 430.
| TEA (out of 430) | ATAR |
|---|---|
| 430 | 99.95 |
| 420 | 99.95 |
| 410 | 99.95 |
| 400 | 99.90 |
| 390 | 99.85 |
| 380 | 99.70 |
| 370 | 99.60 |
| 360 | 99.40 |
| 350 | 99.05 |
| 340 | 98.70 |
| 330 | 98.20 |
| 320 | 97.50 |
| 310 | 96.65 |
| 300 | 95.55 |
| 290 | 94.15 |
| 280 | 92.30 |
| 270 | 90.10 |
| 260 | 87.50 |
| 250 | 84.45 |
| 240 | 80.90 |
| 230 | 76.55 |
| 220 | 72.00 |
| 210 | 67.15 |
| 200 | 61.50 |
| 190 | 56.40 |
| 180 | 51.00 |
| 170 | 45.45 |
| 160 | 41.25 |
| 150 | 37.30 |
| 140 | 33.90 |
| 130 | 30.65 |
| 120 | 27.70 |
| 110 | 24.25 |
| 100 | 21.20 |
Official data Source: TISC 2025 course statistics (scaled score percentiles, 16 Dec 2025) and TISC official ATAR calculator (2025 completion year). Data year: 2025.
How WA scaling works
SCSA moderates school assessment against exam results and combines them into a combined mark. The combined marks are standardised, then TISC and SCSA scale them jointly so the average scaled score across all courses is 60. In 2025, 81 courses were examined for scaling, including 22 languages using interstate syllabuses. See how scaling works and WA ATAR bonus changes.
What it takes to be in the top 25% and top 10%
Scaled score at the 75th and 90th percentiles of each course in 2025, with the median for reference.
| Course | Students | Median | Top 25% (P75) | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics Specialist | 1,311 | 69.4 | 78.0 | 86.3 |
| Mathematics Methods | 4,205 | 64.8 | 73.1 | 81.4 |
| Literature | 1,602 | 64.6 | 73.1 | 81.2 |
| Chemistry | 4,508 | 63.4 | 71.9 | 80.1 |
| Physics | 2,713 | 62.9 | 71.4 | 79.8 |
| Economics | 1,724 | 59.3 | 67.8 | 76.5 |
| Human Biology | 3,847 | 58.7 | 67.0 | 75.1 |
| English | 9,487 | 58.1 | 66.6 | 74.7 |
| Biology | 1,725 | 57.5 | 66.0 | 74.4 |
| Modern History | 1,510 | 56.9 | 65.7 | 73.9 |
| Psychology | 1,833 | 56.9 | 65.5 | 73.5 |
| Accounting and Finance | 944 | 57.1 | 65.5 | 73.3 |
| Mathematics Applications | 7,969 | 55.5 | 63.9 | 72.0 |
| Physical Education Studies | 1,469 | 56.4 | 64.2 | 72.0 |
| Geography | 1,171 | 55.7 | 64.2 | 71.8 |
| Health Studies | 602 | 51.5 | 60.3 | 68.3 |
The middle of the range differs by about 18 scaled points between the highest and lowest courses here. That gap is about who takes each course: Specialist students tend to be strong across all their courses.
Turning scaled scores into a TEA
Four scaled scores of 60 with no bonus make a TEA of 240, which gave an ATAR of 80.90 in 2025. Four at 70 make 280, an ATAR of 92.30. A student at the median of Methods, Chemistry, Physics and English (about 64.8, 63.4, 62.9 and 58.1) has a TEA of about 249 plus a Methods bonus of about 6.5, roughly 256 in total. Use the WACE ATAR calculator for exact figures.
Reading TISC's table correctly
- Scaled scores, not raw marks. These statistics are for scaled scores out of 100 after moderation and scaling.
- Includes all candidates. TISC's course statistics include international and mature-age students.
- Percentiles need numbers. Small courses have no percentiles published.
- The bonus is separate. The 10% bonus is added to the TEA, not to the scaled score shown here.
WACE scaling FAQ
What is the average scaled score in WACE?
60 across all courses after scaling, according to TISC.
Which WACE subjects scale best?
In 2025, Mathematics Specialist, second languages such as French and Japanese, Mathematics Methods, Literature, Chemistry and Physics had the highest means among larger courses.
Does a high mean scaled score mean the course is easier?
No. A high mean reflects strong students in that course. Your own scaled score depends on how you do against them.
What scaled score do I need for university English?
A scaled score of 50 or more in English, Literature or EAL/D met competence in English for all WA universities in 2025. In 2025, 73.8% of English students and 86.5% of Literature students reached 50.
What scaled score puts me in the top 10% of WA English?
About 74.7 in 2025, the 90th percentile scaled score in English.
Is Mathematics Applications bad for the ATAR?
Its median scaled score was 55.5 in 2025, below Methods (64.8), and it earns no bonus. A high score in Applications can still count in your best four, so pick the maths you will do best in.
Which WA course has the most students?
English, with 9,487 students in TISC's 2025 statistics, followed by Mathematics Applications with 7,969.