WACE
Mathematics

WACE Mathematics Essential General is the most accessible WACE Mathematics course aligned to the SCSA Mathematics Essential General syllabus, and covers four units across Year 11 and Year 12 — developing practical numeracy and mathematical skills applied to real-world contexts relevant to personal, vocational, and community life. Mathematics Essential General focuses on the mathematics that students encounter in everyday situations including measurement, financial mathematics, data and statistics, and applied problem-solving, with an emphasis on using technology effectively as a mathematical tool. The course is assessed through a combination of school-based assessment tasks in Year 11 and Year 12 and a WACE external examination in Year 12. Mathematics Essential General is a General course in the WACE and contributes to the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, providing an accessible ATAR-eligible Mathematics pathway for students who do not require formal algebraic or calculus-based mathematics in their post-secondary plans.

WACE Mathematics Applications ATAR is the standard applied ATAR Mathematics course aligned to the SCSA Mathematics Applications ATAR syllabus, and covers four units across Year 11 and Year 12 — developing mathematical skills in consumer arithmetic, algebra, matrices, networks, statistics, and growth and decay in applied and practical contexts. Applications ATAR does not include calculus and instead emphasises the modelling and problem-solving applications of mathematics that are most directly relevant to commerce, business, the social sciences, and vocational fields. The course is assessed through a combination of school-based assessment tasks and two WACE external examinations in Year 12. Mathematics Applications ATAR contributes to the ATAR and is a suitable choice for students planning university study in fields that require a sound mathematical background including business, economics, social sciences, and health without the calculus content of Mathematics Methods ATAR.

WACE Mathematics Methods ATAR is the calculus-based ATAR Mathematics course aligned to the SCSA Mathematics Methods ATAR syllabus, and covers four units across Year 11 and Year 12 — developing formal algebraic, function, and differential and integral calculus skills required for university study in STEM, commerce, and quantitative disciplines. The Year 11 content (Units 1 and 2) covers functions and graphs, trigonometric functions, counting and probability, exponential functions, arithmetic and geometric sequences, and an introduction to differential calculus. The Year 12 content (Units 3 and 4) extends to further differentiation and applications, integral calculus, logarithmic functions, discrete and continuous random variables, the normal distribution, and sampling and confidence intervals. Mathematics Methods ATAR is assessed through school-based assessment tasks and two WACE external examinations in Year 12, and is the standard mathematics entry requirement for most science and engineering university degree programmes in Western Australia.

WACE Mathematics Specialist ATAR is the most advanced WACE Mathematics course aligned to the SCSA Mathematics Specialist ATAR syllabus, and must be studied concurrently with Mathematics Methods ATAR. It covers four units across Year 11 and Year 12 — developing the abstract algebraic, geometric, proof-based, vector, complex number, and advanced calculus content that distinguishes Specialist Mathematics from all other WACE Mathematics courses. The Year 11 content (Units 1 and 2) covers combinatorics, vectors in the plane, geometry, complex numbers, trigonometry, matrices, and real and complex polynomials. The Year 12 content (Units 3 and 4) extends to vectors in three dimensions, further calculus including integration techniques, statistical inference including the t-distribution and confidence intervals for population means, rates of change and differential equations, and mathematical induction. Mathematics Specialist ATAR is assessed through school-based assessment tasks and two WACE external examinations in Year 12, and provides the highest level of mathematical rigour available in the WACE — offering the strongest preparation for university study in mathematics, physics, and engineering in Western Australia.