The state’s Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) would not reveal the official number of perfect university entrance ranks handed out to graduating IB students on Thursday,but its general manager of marketing and engagement Kim Paino said they were significantly down.
Students Jessica Wei,Shaun Patrick and Lauren Zhang from Redlands School in Cremorne completed their IB this year and received university ranks of 99.75 or higher.James Brickwood
“The new conversion process using the International Baccalaureate Admission Score,along with a gradual return to pre-COVID IB results,has meant that approximately half the number of IB students in Australia have received a rank of 99.95 when compared to last year,” she said.
to convert students’ raw marks resulted in 49 of about 600 IB students,who were all from private schools,receiving an ATAR of 99.95 in 2021. There were also concerns about so-called grade inflation,which is overly generous marking for the same standard of work,after the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted schooling.
By comparison,just 48 of 55,000 HSC students were awarded the top ATAR that same year.
The seemingly disproportionate number of university entrance ranks for IB students caused upset among some public school principals.
The IB has been traditionally dominated by high-fee private schools,however more low-fee Catholic and independent schools have begun to offer it to students. The course is not available in public schools.
Under the new system,two extra decimal places were added to each student’s IB score reflecting their marks in the subjects,enabling greater differentiation between students.
Students were previously given a final score as a whole number but from this year,they were given that number to two decimal points. For example,a student with a score of 45.00 would convert to an ATAR equivalent rank of 99.85 while a mark of 45.25 would convert to 99.90. A student with a score of 45.50 to 99.95 and a mark of 45.75 would also translate to 99.95.
Research conducted by UAC said the new conversion system would mean 15 per cent of students would see their ATAR equivalent rank drop,60 per cent of students would receive the same rank,while 25 per cent would receive a higher rank.
Trinity Grammar School students George and John Dedousis,18,received a perfect score of 45 out of 45 which converted for both of them into an International Baccalaureate Admission Score of 45.75 and an ATAR equivalent rank of 99.95. George said he supported the changes.
“Honestly,I didn’t understand how it worked until yesterday,the system is really good,it gives you a more accurate representation because it rewards students and differentiates them more,” George said.
At Cranbrook in Bellevue Hill,which offered the IB for the first time this year,24 students completed the end-of-school qualification and 21 per cent of them received an ATAR equivalent rank of 98,while 63 per cent achieved an ATAR exceeding 90.
At Redlands in Cremorne,21 of the 67 – almost one-third of all students – received a university rank of 99 or higher.
Redlands student Shaun Patrick,17,received the same IB mark of 44 out of 45 as one of his classmates but his ATAR equivalent rank of 99.75 was slightly lower.
“I wasn’t too worried about it,I was just focused on myself,” he said.
His classmate who also got a mark of 44,Jessica Wei,received a rank of 99.80.
“In the end,the number I get doesn’t define me,the activities at school gave me transferable skills,” she said.
Those activities included the school’s mathematics club,an organisation she founded and which hosts activities including Pi Day,when students recited Pi to as many decimal places as possible in front of fellow students. The winner did it to 100 places.
“I thought our school needed a place where people who find joy in doing maths could have a community,” she said.
Lauren Zhang’s score of 45 converted into the perfect ATAR equivalent rank of 99.95.
“I was over the moon that I did well in the IB,” Zhang,18,said.
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