English as an Additional Language Scaling SACE 2026: Does It Scale Up or Down?
SATAC scales every SACE subject before an ATAR is calculated. The SATAC scaling report is the authority on what this subject did.
Does SACE English as an Additional Language scale up or down?
SATAC scales every SACE subject before an ATAR is calculated.
SATAC does not publish a per-subject raw-to-scaled conversion for this course in a form we can quote exactly, so there is no figure on this page — the direction above is sourced from the SATAC scaling report linked below, and should be read as directional rather than numeric.
You can't change the scaling. You can change the raw mark.
Scaling is decided by your cohort, after the exam, and nothing you do moves it. The raw mark is the only part of this you control — and the English as an Additional Language hub is 20 full-length model exams with mark-by-mark answer guides, revision notes, practice questions and flashcards, built for exactly that.
The hub shows a sample revision note extract, one full exam question with its worked answer and the complete list of every exam and note title — no account needed to look around. Unlocking English as an Additional Language for life is $20 once, or $50 for any three subjects. See what's included →
What English as an Additional Language actually asks of you
School assessment is 70% of the result: Assessment Type 1 Academic Literacy Study (30%: a written report of up to 1500 words with headings, consistent referencing and at least one listening or multimodal source, plus an individual oral interaction of up to 10 minutes) and Assessment Type 2 Responses to Texts (40%: three or four responses, at least one oral and two written, including a theme or issue response, a creative response and an analysis of a persuasive or emotive text). Assessment Type 3 Examination is the external 30%: one 160-minute e-exam. Section 1, Comprehending Multimodal Texts, has Part A (one listening text heard twice, with tasks such as note-taking, completing a table or summarising) and Part B (two texts, at least one aural or audio-visual, analysed for purpose, audience, reliability and persuasive language, usually ending with a comparison of which text is more convincing). Section 2, Extended Response, asks students to read related texts and write an essay, a persuasive piece or a report that develops a point of view, paraphrases and references the texts. The exam is judged against the performance standards (communication, comprehension, analysis, application) and the subject result is a grade from A+ to E−. SACE publishes no mark total; this hub's 60-mark paper is a stated practice model. Stage 2 EAL with a C− or better meets the SACE literacy requirement.
The English as an Additional Language exam is Wednesday 11 November 2026, 1.30 pm (160 minutes). Source: SACE timetable.
The 4 areas of study you are examined on
From the Stage 2 English as an Additional Language Subject Outline (2EAL20, 20 credits; current version with changes from 2025).
- Listening (Section 1 Part A)
Hearing a lecture, talk or information session twice and recording precise information: keywords, numbers, lists, definitions, table entries, summaries and plans for an extended response, matched to the marks available. - Persuasion and multimodal texts (Section 1 Part B)
Identifying purpose and a specific audience, judging reliability and fact versus opinion, explaining persuasive, emotive and visual techniques with examples and effects, and comparing which of two texts is more convincing. - Extended response (Section 2)
Reading three related texts, choosing and sustaining a text type (essay, persuasive piece or report), synthesising evidence from all texts, paraphrasing rather than copying, referencing consistently and evaluating perspectives to develop a clear point of view. - Language and communication
Clarity, coherence and grammatical control: academic register, nominalisation, passive voice and hedging, subject–verb agreement, tense, sentence boundaries, cohesive connectives, vocabulary range and proofreading in the e-exam.
How scaling works in South Australia
In South Australia, the SACE Board reports a grade from A+ to E- for each Stage 2 subject and SATAC converts it into a scaled score out of 20 (out of 10 for a 10-credit subject). It does not scale the grade directly: the grade for each assessment type and the external result are turned into a raw score out of 15, weighted by their share of the subject, then scaled so that the same level of achievement counts comparably whichever subjects a student took. The university aggregate, out of 90, is built from your best 90 credits of scaled scores — your best three 20-credit subjects in full plus a flexible 30 credits from a fourth subject, half-scores, 10-credit subjects or recognised studies — and the ATAR is your rank on that aggregate. Scaling is recalculated every year from that year's cohort, so any published figure describes one past cohort only.
What scaling is not
Scaling is not a difficulty rating and it is not a bonus. It compares how the students in one subject performed across every other subject they took, so a subject moves because of its cohort, not because of the paper. The consequence is practical: you cannot scale your way out of a weak result. The only lever you control is the raw mark, and the fastest way to move that is full-length timed practice against the real exam format.
Questions
Does SACE English as an Additional Language scale up or down?
SATAC scales every SACE subject before any ATAR is calculated. We do not publish a figure for this subject; the SATAC scaling report is the authority.
How does subject scaling work in South Australia?
In South Australia, the SACE Board reports a grade from A+ to E- for each Stage 2 subject and SATAC converts it into a scaled score out of 20 (out of 10 for a 10-credit subject). It does not scale the grade directly: the grade for each assessment type and the external result are turned into a raw score out of 15, weighted by their share of the subject, then scaled so that the same level of achievement counts comparably whichever subjects a student took. The university aggregate, out of 90, is built from your best 90 credits of scaled scores — your best three 20-credit subjects in full plus a flexible 30 credits from a fourth subject, half-scores, 10-credit subjects or recognised studies — and the ATAR is your rank on that aggregate. Scaling is recalculated every year from that year's cohort, so any published figure describes one past cohort only.
Should I choose English as an Additional Language because of how it scales?
Scaling adjusts a whole cohort, not one student, so choosing a subject you will struggle in because it scales up is usually a worse trade than doing well in one that scales down. Check the prerequisites for the course you want first, then your interest and workload, and treat scaling as a tie-breaker. Scaling is also recalculated every year, so the figures in any report describe a past cohort rather than the year you are sitting.
Keep going
- SACE English as an Additional Language hub — practice exams, notes and flashcards
- SACE English as an Additional Language practice exams with worked solutions
- SACE English as an Additional Language Stage 2 revision notes
- SACE English as an Additional Language practice questions with worked solutions
- SACE English as an Additional Language flashcards
- Get the SACE English as an Additional Language Mastery Pack
- SATAC ATAR calculator — name your subjects and it builds your dashboard
- SACE English as an Additional Language past exams by year and topic
- SACE English as an Additional Language subject outline explained
- SACE exam timetable 2026
- Every SACE subject we cover
- Scaling for every subject, state by state