Physics Scaling SACE 2026: Does It Scale Up or Down?
SATAC scales SACE raw assessment scores for ATAR calculation. We have not verified a subject-specific up/down direction or conversion for this course.
Does SACE Physics scale up or down?
No verified subject-specific up/down direction is available here.
SATAC scales raw assessment scores each year. An overall subject grade does not convert directly to one scaled score. We have not verified a direction or numerical conversion for this subject. How SATAC scaling works →
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 Physics 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 Physics for life is $20 once, or $50 for any three subjects. See what's included →
What Physics actually asks of you
School assessment contributes 70%: the Investigations Folio is 30% and Skills and Applications Tasks are 40%. The external examination (Assessment Type 3) contributes 30%. It is a written paper examination, not an e-exam: 130 minutes total with no separate reading period, 120 marks, two question booklets of 60 marks each, all questions compulsory, with a supplied formula sheet and approved calculators only. The 120-mark, two-booklet structure is verified from the official 2023, 2024 and 2025 paper covers. Practice-paper mark model (stated assumption): every original paper here follows the 2025 shape exactly — Booklet 1 with 11 questions for 60 marks and Booklet 2 with 10 questions for 60 marks — because the outline does not fix the question count and it varies by year (11 + 11 in 2024, 12 + 10 in 2023).
The Physics exam is Thursday 5 November 2026, 9 am (130 minutes (no separate reading time)). Source: SACE timetable.
The 4 areas of study you are examined on
From the Stage 2 Physics Subject Outline (2PYI20) — reissued 2025 onwards.
- Topic 1: Motion and relativity
Resolve projectile motion into independent horizontal and vertical components, and recognise the limits of the no-drag model. Treat momentum and impulse as vectors, using force–time areas and two-dimensional conservation. Connect radial net force to circular motion, gravitation and Kepler’s laws, then apply special relativity: invariant light speed, proper time and length, Lorentz factors and mass–energy.
In the exam: Multistep calculations with stated assumptions and units, vector diagrams for momentum and forces, graphical analysis of investigation data (including lines of best fit and intercepts), and explanations that start from a named principle such as conservation of momentum rather than an unrelated law.
Where marks go missing: Using energy or Newton’s third law where the question asks for conservation of momentum, and treating the radial force as an extra ‘centrifugal’ force rather than the net force required for circular motion. - Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
Superpose electric fields and Coulomb forces as vectors, follow charged particles through uniform electric fields and potential differences, and apply right-hand conventions to fields around currents and forces on conductors. Derive radius and period for charges in magnetic fields, explain velocity selectors, mass analysis, cyclotrons and synchrotrons, and use changing flux to explain induced emf, Lenz’s law and transformers.
In the exam: Field and force directions justified explicitly, derivations that begin from the basic force relation and explain each substituted formula, and evaluation of accelerator limits including relativistic effects. Transformer and induction questions expect both the ideal relation and a named, mechanism-based loss.
Where marks go missing: Starting a cyclotron derivation from the final kinetic-energy expression instead of the magnetic force, and confusing the mass of a positron or ion with the mass of a proton when a question specifies the particle. - Topic 3: Light and atoms
Use polarisation, path difference, fringe spacing and grating conditions for the wave model; use photoelectric thresholds, stopping voltage, X-ray cut-off and de Broglie wavelengths for the particle and matter-wave models. Interpret continuous incandescent spectra, hydrogen line series, absorption, fluorescence and laser action from discrete energy levels, and classify particles and interactions in the Standard Model with conservation laws.
In the exam: Explanations of bright fringes through path difference or phase, photon-energy calculations with correct eV–joule conversion, reasoning about why intensity or frequency changes do or do not affect photoemission, and reconstruction of quark or antiparticle charges with conservation of charge and particle number.
Where marks go missing: Restating the question as an ‘explanation’ in photoelectric-effect questions, and invoking constructive or destructive interference where the question is about diffraction limits or spectral evidence. - Science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour
Deconstruct a problem into a testable question with justified independent, dependent and controlled variables; present data in tables and graphs with a line of best fit; evaluate random and systematic error, precision, accuracy, reliability, validity and limitations. Link a contemporary physics application to a science-as-a-human-endeavour key concept using evidence from the supplied text.
In the exam: Method-design questions want a realistic, coherent procedure that isolates one variable; analysis questions want the relationship from the data equated to the physical relationship (for example, extracting a planetary mass from a gradient). SHE questions want the key concept named, explained and then elaborated with specific evidence from the stimulus.
Where marks go missing: Describing a method that measures a value rather than testing how a variable affects another, and answering an SHE question with generic statements instead of evidence drawn from the text provided.
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.
Source: SATAC’s explanation of scaling.
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 Physics scale up or down?
We have not verified an up/down direction or raw-to-scaled figure for this subject. SATAC scales raw assessment scores each year, and an overall subject grade does not convert directly to one scaled score.
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 Physics 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 Physics hub — practice exams, notes and flashcards
- SACE Physics practice exams with worked solutions
- SACE Physics Stage 2 revision notes
- SACE Physics practice questions with worked solutions
- SACE Physics flashcards
- Get the SACE Physics Mastery Pack
- SATAC ATAR calculator — name your subjects and it builds your dashboard
- SACE Physics past exams by year and topic
- SACE Physics subject outline explained
- SACE exam timetable 2026
- Every SACE subject we cover
- Scaling for every subject, state by state