What if I don't achieve my QCE?

Not all students achieve their QCE by the time they've finished school. The good news is you can keep working towards it.

If you didn’t achieve your QCE it may be because you didn’t have enough total credits, didn’t meet the set standard or set pattern requirements, or you may not have met the literacy and/or numeracy requirements.

Check the QCE eligibility requirements

To achieve a QCE you must have:

  • a set amount of learning — 20 credits
  • achieved a set standard — Satisfactory completion, grade of C or better, competency or qualification completion, pass or equivalent
  • completed your learning in a set pattern — 12 credits from completed Core courses and 8 credits from any combination of Core, Preparatory (maximum of 4) and Complementary (maximum of 8)
  • met the literacy and numeracy requirements.

Find out more about the QCE and how it works.

Check your learning account

There is a difference between not achieving your QCE and not receiving your QCE.

QCEs are issued electronically from mid December when final subject results and Senior Education Profiles are published in learning accounts in the Student Portal.

The QCAA no longer posts QCEs to students automatically, so if you haven't received yours and think you're eligible, you should check your learning account.

You can access information about your QCE eligibility, including the total credits and set pattern requirements in your learning account in the Student Portal.

How can I keep working towards my QCE?

There are a number of options to earn more credits towards your QCE, or help you meet the completed Core requirement or the literacy and/or numeracy requirement:

If you are considering a course to boost your total QCE credit, it’s a good idea to check the learning category. A maximum of 4 credits from Preparatory courses and a maximum of 8 credits from Complementary course can contribute credit towards a QCE.

There are lots of QCAA developed courses which may help you meet QCE eligibility requirements after you’ve left school.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to complete the course by enrolling in a state high school as an adult student or through a school of distance education .

Senior External Examinations

The Senior External Examination is a program of individual subject examinations offered to eligible Year 12 students and adult learners.

There are lots of courses available, including mathematics and sciences subjects, humanities, and languages.

QCAA General and Applied subjects

QCAA General and Applied subjects can contribute up to 4 credits per subject towards your QCE.

QCAA short course in literacy and/or numeracy

QCAA Short courses are one-unit courses of study that may contribute one credit towards a QCE.

The QCAA Short course in Literacy is one of the options to help you meet the literacy requirement for the QCE.

The QCAA Short course in Numeracy is one of the options to help you meet the numeracy requirement for the QCE.

Find out about other options to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements for the QCE.

As well as contributing credit towards your QCE, VET courses can help develop your skills and get you ready for work. There are lots of different courses offered by TAFE Queensland and other providers. You can search for courses on these websites:

Note: Certificate I qualifications are in the Preparatory category and you cannot exceed a maximum of four credits.

Recognised studies are courses that have been recognised by the QCAA as being eligible to contribute credit to the QCE.

They cover a range of different learning areas including business, mathematics, science, technologies, the arts and more.

The courses span the three categories of learning — Core, Preparatory and Complementary — and some courses are worth more credit than others.

Remember to give any new learning providers your Learner Unique Identifier (LUI) when you enrol to make sure credits for your learning are banked with the QCAA.

Once you meet the requirements, the QCAA will issue your QCE and a Statement of Results in the following July or December.

Need help?

Please refer to our Student Portal FAQs.

If your question isn't covered then submit an online query for a speedy response.

Last updated 13 November 2024

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)