Getting a 'decent' ATAR Score

[generalkorn12]

Hello,
I'm just wondering if to aim for a decent ATAR Score (80-99), would you have to go to a well-received school?
As, the school I currently go to is ranked near the 400-mark, and I'm worried that, that could bring my ATAR down? (Based on rumours I heard of going to goood schools, will boost your ATAR score)

Thanks for any advice!

[giveup]

In terms of teachers, resources and a hard working cohort... yes
But that dosen't mean you can't go just as well at your rank 400 school

[Lasercookie]

No.

It does not matter what school you go to. You can still quite easily get 90+. There's always quite a few people in my school that get in the 80s range, and always a few that get 90+. My school is also one that's ranked fairly low in that list.

Just make sure you're ranking first in sacs. The boosting your ATAR score thing isn't really that true, but being in a strong cohort will mean that you can afford to be lower in the sac rankings (as stronger cohorts mean sacs would probably get scaled up).

The school that you're at shouldn't really disadvantage you - to get a good score you'd be needing to put in your full effort anyway, regardless of where you are at.

In response to what giveup said, incidentally, most of the teachers at my school are actually pretty damn good, despite the low ranking of the school. Every school will have their share of good teachers and bad teachers (looking at this forum, I've seen a few MHS teachers be complained about - even though MHS is one of the high ranking schools in Victoria). Resources - not so much (mainly talking about trial exams), but you can source them from elsewhere.

Hard working cohort is something you might miss out on, and it's a non-issue really. It might even be an advantage, since it'd be easier to maintain rank 1.

[giveup]

I can imagine private schools going for more qualified teachers... but really it's unlikely to make any difference

[Menang]

Being in a strong cohort only has one substantial advantage, really, and that is that there's no pressure to maintain a #1 rank to get a good GA grade for SACs.

Everything else is up to you. We all sit the same exams, marked by the same group of markers, who read a student number and your responses. They [the markers] will have no idea which school you go to (telling them is illegal or something). By the end of the day, we're all at a level playing field.

[chemkid_23]

^^^ don't they actually see your details on the sticker that gets stuck on the front cover of each exam??

[Deadshot]

I refuse to believe that going to a "Bad school" leaves you disadvantaged. 

I go to a school that is in the high 300s on that list and I am going fantastic this year. I am not a smart person by any means. I simply work my ass off!

This is what it takes to do well in VCE. You can be really smart, or really hard working. Both methods in my mind get great results!

Good luck with your study!

[Zafaraaaa]

They [the markers] will have no idea which school you go to (telling them is illegal or something). By the end of the day, we're all at a level playing field.

Is it ever possible for any subject, that a teacher from your own school might end up marking your exam paper? (for subjects like sociology and stuff where there are not that many students) ??

[REBORN]

I refuse to believe that going to a "Bad school" leaves you disadvantaged. 

I go to a school that is in the high 300s on that list and I am going fantastic this year. I am not a smart person by any means. I simply work my ass off!

This is what it takes to do well in VCE. You can be really smart, or really hard working. Both methods in my mind get great results!

Good luck with your study!

However you need to combine naturally really smart + really hard to produce the 99.95'rs. cough thelson cough.

[Deadshot]

Is it ever possible for any subject, that a teacher from your own school might end up marking your exam paper? (for subjects like sociology and stuff where there are not that many students) ??

No. There are protocols in place to prevent this.

[Truck]

I refuse to believe that going to a "Bad school" leaves you disadvantaged. 

I go to a school that is in the high 300s on that list and I am going fantastic this year. I am not a smart person by any means. I simply work my ass off!

This is what it takes to do well in VCE. You can be really smart, or really hard working. Both methods in my mind get great results!

Good luck with your study!

However you need to combine naturally really smart + really hard to produce the 99.95'rs. cough thelson cough.

Meh, I think if you went to a good school so you didn't need a very top SAC ranking and worked really hard, anyone could really (with a bit of luck) get a 99.95.

[aiming_95]

I was the same as the OP, little worried about my school and thinking that I have to be at the best place to achieve the best results.

This may sound a little cheesy, but hard work will not go to waste.

That applies to a Melbourne High student and that applies to a student who goes to a TAFE in the scummiest suburb in Victoria.

Just work as hard as you possibly can, be dedicated, make this website your bible, work over the summer, prepare for exams and I promise you will get the mark you desire.

Good luck generalkorn12, I was in the exact same position you were in not too long ago.

[b^3]

...make this website your bible...

Just remember AtarNotes can get mightly addictive, so don't (can't think of a better word) waste spend too much time on here when you should be studying.

[Ghost!]

From personal experience, going to a school with generally weak cohorts makes getting a strong ATAR score immensely difficult.

Being in a strong cohort only has one substantial advantage, really, and that is that there's no pressure to maintain a #1 rank to get a good GA grade for SACs.

Everything else is up to you. We all sit the same exams, marked by the same group of markers, who read a student number and your responses. They [the markers] will have no idea which school you go to (telling them is illegal or something). By the end of the day, we're all at a level playing field.

There's so much more than that. What about the fact that you're surrounded by more driven and generally more academically intellectual students? Going to a 'bad' school exposes you to the detrimental sub-culture of 'who gives a shit about an education' which makes thriving in a school environment really difficult. Not only are you tempted to follow the paths of others, based on peer pressure or whatever, but the overall morale of the teachers is incredibly damaged, leading to poorer quality teaching. I'm certainly not saying students like this don't exist in all schools, I know they do, however there is certainly a lot more of them in the public system.

In addition to this, while there's a fair bit of debate on the topic I think it's fair to say that private or selective schools have a far greater teaching staff than others.


I would never say that those who attend schools with generally weaker cohorts cannot achieve immense success, to say so is ridiculous and would spit in the face off every ounce of effort I've put in my own VCE. However, going to a school with generally stronger cohorts greatly improves your chances.

[iffets12345]

For the determined student, they will indeed find the means to ensure they succeed. However, for the average student who isn't stimulated to do a bit of research about the wider world and look outside of their school, they are probably disadvantaged. Teachers and students in sub-par schools just don't understand what's being asked of in VCE or the standard or level, and so the onus is on the individual to go and explore. If I hadn't met my good friend EZ or this site I would be dead. And it's true, private schools have a better know-how of the system and what's being asked and of course usually get more qualified or better teachers [debatable]. But the fact that you're even on this site means that you are motivated and have a very similar chance to anybody else to succeed.