I got a question,

[SOULXX]

So I’m confused. A friend of mine scored a 48.5 atar but the median study score at his school is 23. He average some 50% in his sacs. His averages were

STUDENT A
English: 65
Chemistry 60
Further maths 70-80
Sport and rec:70
Methods: 50
And 1 other subject: but the average was 63.
His atar was
48.5


STUDENT B
This other kid I know his school median study was 28
His atar was 52.
His average were
Failing to passing. So 40-60 in all his subjects

My question is how does student B have a higher atar if his average were lower and why does student A have a lower study score if his averages were higher

[Hello132]

So I’m confused. A friend of mine scored a 48.5 atar but the median study score at his school is 23. He average some 50% in his sacs. His averages were

STUDENT A
English: 65
Chemistry 60
Further maths 70-80
Sport and rec:70
Methods: 50
And 1 other subject: but the average was 63.
His atar was
48.5


STUDENT B
This other kid I know his school median study was 28
His atar was 52.
His average were
Failing to passing. So 40-60 in all his subjects

My question is how does student B have a higher atar if his average were lower and why does student A have a lower study score if his averages were higher

Well because both students attend different schools, the difficulty of SACs will be different and so will how the cohort performs at the end of the year (as alluded to by the fact that the median study scores are different). So whilst Student A had a "higher average" at their own school, this may be because they had easier SACs and performed not as well as a cohort at the end of year exam whereas Student B might have had more difficult SACs and with the cohort performing better on the exam, their scores are pushed up. Essentially, VCAA will adjust for the difference between the schools they go to and with how they performed. Hope this clarifies your confusion.