ATARMAxxing
← All subject scaling
WACE Year 12 ATAR · Western Australia

Physics Scaling WACE 2026: Does It Scale Up or Down?

TISC scales every WACE subject before an ATAR is calculated. The TISC scaling report is the authority on what this subject did.

Does WACE Physics scale up or down?

TISC scales every WACE subject before an ATAR is calculated.

TISC 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 TISC 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 Physics hub is 20 full-length model exams with mark-by-mark answer guides, revision notes, practice questions and flashcards, built for exactly that.

Preview Physics free →TISC ATAR calculator

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

The current 2026 cover specifies 10 minutes reading and 180 minutes working. All 11 short-response, six problem-solving and two comprehension/data-analysis questions are compulsory. Section raw marks are 54, 84 and 40 (178 total); their examination weights are 30%, 50% and 20%. Raw marks are not percentage weights.

The 2 areas of study you are examined on

From the Physics ATAR Year 12 — teaching from 2026.

  • Unit 3 — Gravity and relativity
    Inquiry, equilibrium, circular and projectile motion, gravitational fields and orbits, special and general relativity.
    In the exam: Resolve forces and motion, derive and apply models, interpret evidence and uncertainty, and explain relativistic observations.
    Where marks go missing: Measure orbital distance from the centre, distinguish apparent weight from gravity, and identify proper time from the event locations.
  • Unit 4 — Electromagnetism and modern physics
    Electric and magnetic fields, motors, induction and transmission, waves, quantum evidence, atomic and particle models, and cosmology.
    In the exam: Calculate and explain interactions, interpret experimental data and spectra, and evaluate evidence for competing physical models.
    Where marks go missing: Keep charge signs, field directions and energy changes consistent; intensity and photon energy are different quantities.

Full Physics study-design guide →

How scaling works in Western Australia

In Western Australia, the SCSA moderates your school mark against the examination results, averages the moderated school mark and the examination mark 50/50 into a combined mark (a course with a practical examination combines each component 50/50 and weights the two as its syllabus states), and standardises it. TISC and the SCSA then scale every course at once with TISC's Average Marks Scaling: each course's mean scaled score is set to the mean its own students achieved across all their courses, so after scaling the mean of all scaled scores is 60 and a course mean above 60 has been scaled up. Your Tertiary Entrance Aggregate is your best four scaled scores plus 10 per cent of your Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist and highest LOTE scaled scores, whether or not those courses are in your best four, to a maximum of 430; the ATAR is your rank on that aggregate against the whole Year 12 school-leaving-age population. Scaling is redone every year from that year's cohort, so a published scaled mean describes one past cohort and is never a guarantee.

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.

WACE Physics practice examsTISC ATAR calculator

Questions

Does WACE Physics scale up or down?

TISC scales every WACE subject before any ATAR is calculated. We do not publish a figure for this subject; the TISC scaling report is the authority.

How does subject scaling work in Western Australia?

In Western Australia, the SCSA moderates your school mark against the examination results, averages the moderated school mark and the examination mark 50/50 into a combined mark (a course with a practical examination combines each component 50/50 and weights the two as its syllabus states), and standardises it. TISC and the SCSA then scale every course at once with TISC's Average Marks Scaling: each course's mean scaled score is set to the mean its own students achieved across all their courses, so after scaling the mean of all scaled scores is 60 and a course mean above 60 has been scaled up. Your Tertiary Entrance Aggregate is your best four scaled scores plus 10 per cent of your Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist and highest LOTE scaled scores, whether or not those courses are in your best four, to a maximum of 430; the ATAR is your rank on that aggregate against the whole Year 12 school-leaving-age population. Scaling is redone every year from that year's cohort, so a published scaled mean describes one past cohort and is never a guarantee.

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