Queensland ATAR calculator

Built for Year 12 in 2026. Put in the QCE results you have or are aiming for, and see what each one scales to, which five count, and where your ATAR is likely to land.

QTAC’s 2025 scaling, the latest published
All 49 General and 25 Applied subjects, plus VET
Nothing you type leaves this page

The 2026 external exams run from 26 October to 17 November. Final results come out at 9 am on Wednesday 16 December. See the exam timetable

Your subjects

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Scaling

Most taken

Subject scaling

How QCE subjects scale against each other

Scaling is not a measure of how hard a subject is to study. It reflects how that subject’s students performed across the rest of their subjects, which is why it moves every year. At a result of 80, Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and French scaled highest in 2025.

A result of 80 scales to

At 80, 19 of these 39 subjects scale up and 20 scale down.

Specialist Mathematics94.5+14.5
Mathematical Methods91.9+11.9
French91.2+11.2
Engineering90.6+10.6
German89.2+9.2
Economics88.9+8.9
Philosophy and Reason85.5+5.5
Chemistry84.1+4.1
Japanese83.9+3.9
Accounting83.6+3.6
English as an Additional Language83.3+3.3
Literature82.8+2.8

Reference

QCE scaling table, 2025

Every General subject’s scaled result at raw results from 50 to 100, worked out from the QTAC ATAR Report 2025. Shading shows how far each result moves.

Scaled result of every QCE General subject at raw results from 50 to 100, on QTAC’s 2025 scaling
Subject	Students	at 50	at 60	at 70	at 80	at 90	at 100
English
English	27,465	34.6	51.0	67.2	80.1	88.8	94.0
English and Literature Extension	852	35.2	52.7	69.6	82.4	90.6	95.2
English as an Additional Language	1,004	34.7	52.8	70.3	83.3	91.3	95.7
Literature	6,093	29.0	48.1	67.8	82.8	91.6	96.1
Mathematics
General Mathematics	21,015	37.4	49.0	60.7	71.3	79.9	86.5
Mathematical Methods	12,011	60.1	74.7	85.3	91.9	95.7	97.7
Specialist Mathematics	4,702	63.5	78.9	88.9	94.5	97.4	98.8
Sciences
Agricultural Science	352	12.5	24.8	43.2	63.7	80.2	90.3
Biology	13,850	14.9	30.5	52.4	73.5	87.5	94.6
Chemistry	9,277	14.8	35.2	62.9	84.1	94.3	98.1
Earth and Environmental Science	283	9.5	21.6	41.9	65.4	83.2	92.8
Marine Science	956	19.1	32.9	50.6	68.1	81.7	90.3
Physics	8,239	10.6	28.2	56.5	81.1	93.4	97.9
Psychology	5,787	18.0	32.3	50.9	69.3	83.0	91.4
Humanities and social sciences
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies	80	17.6	26.9	38.7	52.0	65.0	76.1
Accounting	2,243	45.0	60.1	73.5	83.6	90.4	94.5
Ancient History	2,760	31.0	45.6	61.0	74.5	84.5	91.1
Business	4,724	35.8	49.2	62.7	74.5	83.5	89.8
Economics	4,044	38.1	59.2	77.4	88.9	95.0	97.8
Geography	2,922	38.6	54.3	69.2	81.0	89.0	93.8
Legal Studies	4,587	42.4	56.6	69.8	80.4	87.9	92.8
Modern History	5,415	30.1	46.0	62.8	77.0	86.9	92.9
Philosophy and Reason	760	39.1	57.3	73.8	85.5	92.5	96.3
Study of Religion	3,955	34.4	51.1	67.5	80.5	89.2	94.3
Technologies
Aerospace Systems	102	39.5	55.8	70.9	82.5	90.1	94.6
Design	3,164	38.4	49.8	61.1	71.4	79.8	86.2
Digital Solutions	1,573	35.0	52.6	69.6	82.5	90.7	95.3
Engineering	2,009	49.6	67.8	81.9	90.6	95.4	97.8
Food and Nutrition	721	33.6	45.6	58.1	69.7	79.2	86.3
The Arts
Dance	759	17.9	27.5	39.9	53.6	66.8	77.8
Drama	2,105	21.5	33.7	48.7	63.8	76.7	86.0
Film Television and New Media	2,169	25.2	36.5	49.5	62.6	74.1	83.0
Music	1,990	24.5	37.7	53.0	67.7	79.7	88.0
Music Extension (Composition)	159	18.2	29.8	44.7	60.6	74.6	84.8
Music Extension (Performance)	484	14.7	25.4	40.3	57.1	72.5	83.9
Visual Art	3,508	35.7	47.0	58.6	69.3	78.3	85.2
Health and physical education
Health	2,176	36.1	47.9	59.9	70.8	79.8	86.5
Physical Education	5,350	31.2	43.4	56.5	68.7	78.8	86.3
Languages
Chinese	534	38.4	51.2	63.8	74.8	83.3	89.3
Chinese (Senior External Examination)	179	51.0	62.9	73.4	81.8	88.0	92.3
French	608	34.2	58.5	79.3	91.2	96.6	98.7
French Extension	53	35.6	55.1	73.1	85.8	93.0	96.7
German	262	35.9	57.8	77.0	89.2	95.3	98.0
German Extension	52	48.6	63.2	75.7	85.0	91.1	94.9
Italian	155	37.1	55.4	72.3	84.6	92.0	96.0
Japanese	1,235	42.7	58.8	73.2	83.9	90.9	95.0
Korean (Senior External Examination)	76	51.0	62.9	73.4	81.8	88.0	92.3
Spanish	207	31.6	51.6	71.1	85.0	92.9	96.8
Vietnamese (Senior External Examination)	104	50.9	62.9	73.4	81.8	88.0	92.3

scales up scales down, by how far it moves. Small subjects (under a few hundred students) move more from year to year.

Applied subjects: the scaled result for each grade 25

An Applied subject is reported as A to E, and each grade scales to one fixed figure. Only one Applied subject (or a VET qualification) can count, and only alongside four General subjects.

Subject	Students	A	B	C	D	E
Essential English	19,327	38.9	19.6	8.5	3.5	1.4
Essential Mathematics	19,069	41.3	22.3	10.5	4.6	1.9
Sport and Recreation	8,697	50.5	23.2	8.2	2.6	0.8
Religion and Ethics	7,377	72.5	44.0	19.0	6.5	2.0
Visual Arts in Practice	4,275	48.3	25.3	11.0	4.3	1.6
Social and Community Studies	4,149	42.9	18.4	6.3	2.0	0.6
Aquatic Practices	3,431	44.5	20.7	7.8	2.7	0.9
Hospitality Practices	3,360	48.9	26.0	11.4	4.5	1.7
Furnishing Skills	3,087	45.1	21.3	8.1	2.8	0.9
Science in Practice	2,508	44.4	20.4	7.6	2.6	0.8
Industrial Technology Skills	2,375	50.3	26.5	11.4	4.4	1.6
Engineering Skills	1,946	41.1	19.5	7.8	2.9	1.0
Building and Construction Skills	1,874	38.9	17.8	6.8	2.4	0.8
Tourism	1,847	44.5	22.4	9.4	3.6	1.3
Business Studies	1,456	46.8	23.1	9.3	3.4	1.2
Early Childhood Studies	1,444	43.3	22.0	9.4	3.7	1.4
Media Arts in Practice	1,215	52.4	26.7	10.7	3.8	1.3
Industrial Graphics Skills	1,113	49.4	25.7	10.9	4.2	1.5
Information and Communication Technology	915	55.3	28.0	10.9	3.7	1.2
Agricultural Practices	821	39.7	18.1	6.9	2.5	0.8
Music in Practice	813	44.5	21.8	8.8	3.2	1.1
Fashion	637	63.8	37.6	17.0	6.5	2.3
Drama in Practice	488	49.6	21.6	7.2	2.1	0.6
Arts in Practice	355	52.0	26.6	10.9	3.9	1.4
Dance in Practice	340	44.3	21.2	8.4	3.0	1.0

Completed Certificate III: 38.00
Completed Certificate IV: 51.84
Completed Diploma: 58.72

ATAR targets

What it takes to reach an ATAR

The aggregate each ATAR needs on 2025 scaling, the average scaled result behind it, and the raw result that scales to that average in four common subjects. Treat it as a rough guide. The calculator works out your actual mix.

Aggregate, average scaled result and the matching raw result in four common subjects for each ATAR, on QTAC’s 2025 scaling
ATAR	Aggregate	Average scaled	English	General Mathematics	Mathematical Methods	Biology
99.00	478.6	95.7	—	—	91	—
98.00	470.1	94.0	—	—	85	99
95.00	448.7	89.7	92	—	77	93
90.00	416.5	83.3	84	95	68	87
85.00	384.9	77.0	78	87	62	83
80.00	355.3	71.1	73	80	58	79
75.00	328.1	65.6	69	75	54	76
70.00	302.5	60.5	66	70	51	74
65.00	279.3	55.9	63	66	48	72
60.00	259.4	51.9	61	63	46	70
50.00	222.9	44.6	57	57	41	67

A dash means no result out of 100 in that subject scales that high, so other subjects in the five have to carry it. Results are rounded up, since a raw result is a whole number.

Worked example

Six subjects, five that count, one ATAR

A plausible Year 12 timetable run through every step, so you can check the arithmetic the calculator does for you.

A worked example: six subject results scaled into an aggregate and an ATAR
Subject	Result	Scales to	Counts
English	81	81.20
Mathematical Methods	74	88.32
Chemistry	77	79.03
Biology	83	78.52	Drops out
Modern History	86	83.48
Legal Studies	79	79.44
Aggregate of the best five		411.46

Estimated ATAR89.22likely 87.12 to 91.31

Biology is the second-highest result on the list, at 83, and it is still the one that drops out. It scales to 78.52, the lowest of the six once scaling is applied. Mathematical Methods goes the other way: 74 is the lowest result here, and it scales higher than anything else on the list.

How it works

How the ATAR is calculated in Queensland

1
QCAA marks the subject
Three internal assessments and one external assessment make a mark out of 100 in each General subject, and an A–E in each Applied subject.
2
QTAC scales it
Scaling puts every subject on one comparable scale, based on how that subject’s cohort performed across the rest of their studies.
3
The best five make a TEA
Your five highest scaled results are added into a Tertiary Entrance Aggregate. Extra subjects drop out.
4
Aggregates become ranks
Every eligible student is ranked on their aggregate, then spread across the 2000 ATAR bands from 99.95 down to 0.00.

The long version, with QTAC’s own figures: how the Queensland ATAR is calculated.

Eligibility

Who gets an ATAR

About half the Queensland Year 12 cohort is ATAR eligible: 30,167 students in 2025.

Five results, in one of three patterns

Five General subjects
Four General subjects and one Applied subject
Four General subjects and a completed VET qualification at Certificate III or above

An English subject at C or better

Any one of English, English as an Additional Language, Literature, English and Literature Extension, or Essential English. It does not have to be one of the five results that count.

Pairs that cannot both count

English: General English subjects or Essential English count, never both.
Mathematics: General mathematics subjects or Essential Mathematics count, never both.
Senior External Examination: A subject taken both as a General subject and as an SEE counts once.

Accuracy

How accurate is this ATAR calculator?

Two steps, two levels of certainty. The calculator says which is which, and shows a range rather than a single number for the part that is modelled.

Exact

Subject scaling

QTAC publishes its scaling method and, for every subject, where results land at five points along the curve. Fitting QTAC’s own formula to those points recovers each subject’s curve, and it reproduces every scaled result in the QTAC ATAR Report 2025 to within 0.011 of a scaled point.

Modelled

Aggregate to ATAR

QTAC does not publish how aggregates are spread across students, so this step is rebuilt from what it does publish: 30,167 ATAR-eligible students, 287,584 subject results and every subject’s spread. That is why every estimate comes with a likely range.

What no calculator can tell you

Scaling changes every year. Your cohort will scale differently from the one behind the figures you pick.
Your subject result is itself a prediction until QCAA confirms your internal marks and marks the external assessment. The QCAA subject result calculator builds that number out of your actual IA and EA marks.
Only QTAC issues an ATAR. This is a planning tool.

Checked 20 October 2026. Sources: QTAC ATAR Report 2025 and Calculating the ATAR in Queensland, both published by QTAC.

The ATAR follows the subject results

In most General subjects three internal assessments carry 50 to 75 per cent of the mark this page starts from, and they are the part you can still change before you submit.

ISMGenius reads a draft against the task’s ISMG and shows where each criterion sits, so revision time goes to the marks you are leaving behind.

Check a draft freeHow a subject result is built

FAQ

ATAR calculator questions

How is the ATAR calculated in Queensland?

QCAA gives you a result out of 100 in each General subject. QTAC scales those results so subjects can be compared, adds your best five scaled results into a Tertiary Entrance Aggregate, ranks every eligible student on that aggregate, and assigns ATARs from 99.95 down to 0.00 in steps of 0.05.

Is this the official QTAC ATAR calculator?

No. QTAC calculates and issues every Queensland ATAR, and nobody else can. This is an independent estimator built from the figures QTAC publishes each year in its ATAR Report, currently the QTAC ATAR Report 2025, so the scaling step follows QTAC’s own method and the result is a planning estimate rather than an offer-ready number.

What results do I need for an ATAR of 90?

On QTAC’s 2025 scaling, an ATAR of 90 needs an aggregate of about 417, which is an average scaled result of 83.3 across your best five. That is about 83 in English, or about 68 in Mathematical Methods, which scales up. The ATAR targets table on this page gives the same figures for every ATAR from 50 to 99.

Which subjects scale best in Queensland?

At a result of 80, the subjects that scaled highest on QTAC’s 2025 figures were Specialist Mathematics (94.5), Mathematical Methods (91.9), French (91.2), Engineering (90.6) and German (89.2), counting subjects with at least 250 students. The order changes at other marks, and the scaling table on this page shows every subject at every level.

What subjects do I need to be eligible for an ATAR?

Five General subjects, or four General subjects plus one Applied subject, or four General subjects plus a completed VET qualification at AQF Certificate III or above. You also need to complete one of five English subjects at a C or better: English, English as an Additional Language, Literature, English and Literature Extension, or Essential English.

Does my English result have to count towards my ATAR?

No. Completing an English subject at C or better is a prerequisite for being awarded an ATAR, but that result does not have to be one of the five that make up your aggregate.

What is subject scaling and why does it happen?

Scaling adjusts for the fact that it is harder to get a high result in some subjects than others, because of how competitive that subject’s cohort is. It is not a judgement about how difficult a subject is to study, and it is recalculated from scratch every year.

Does taking a harder subject give me a better ATAR?

Only if you do well in it. Scaling reflects how a subject’s cohort performs overall, so a strong result in a strongly scaled subject helps. A weak result in the same subject does not. Choosing subjects you can do well in usually beats chasing scaling.

How accurate is this ATAR calculator?

The scaling step reconstructs QTAC’s own published functions and reproduces every scaled result in the QTAC ATAR Report 2025 to within 0.011 of a scaled point. Turning an aggregate into an ATAR is modelled, because QTAC does not publish the aggregate distribution, so a likely range is shown next to the estimate. Scaling also changes each year, so treat the number as a guide.

Which year of scaling should I use?

The most recent one, which is 2025. Scaling is recalculated every year from that year’s cohort, so the newest published figures are the closest available guide to how results in Year 12 in 2026 will scale. Choosing an earlier year shows how the same results would have scaled for that cohort.

What is a TEA?

The Tertiary Entrance Aggregate is the sum of your best five scaled results, out of 500. It is the number QTAC ranks students on. Students never see their aggregate, only the ATAR.

Can I count Essential English and English together?

Not in the same ATAR. QTAC counts either General English subjects or Applied English, never both. The same rule applies to General mathematics and Essential Mathematics. You can, however, count both English and Literature, or both Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics.

Can I use this ATAR calculator in Year 10 or Year 11?

Yes, as a planning tool. Enter the subjects you are choosing and the results you think are realistic, and the calculator shows how they would scale and roughly where they would land. It is most useful for seeing how much a subject’s scaling matters at the results you expect, and least useful as a promise: two years of assessment and a new year of scaling sit between now and a real ATAR.

When do Queensland students get their ATAR?

QTAC releases ATARs in December, after QCAA has finalised every subject result for the year. Students collect theirs from QTAC, and it is the number tertiary offers are made on, together with any adjustment factors.

What is the lowest ATAR that gets reported?

ATARs run from 99.95 down to 0.00, but every ATAR at or below 30.00 is reported as "30.00 or less".

QCAA marks the subject

QTAC scales it

The best five make a TEA

Aggregates become ranks

Five results, in one of three patterns

An English subject at C or better

Pairs that cannot both count

Subject scaling

Aggregate to ATAR

What no calculator can tell you

The ATAR follows the subject results

Before the ATAR, there are the results