The graduating cohort of 2020 were used to being the guinea pigs when it came to schooling.
They were the first year to complete the compulsory year of Prep, it seemed fitting that they were also the first cohort to receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) under the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).
The external assessment contributes 25 per cent up to 50 per cent of the final result and is used as the primary mechanism nationally for tertiary admissions.
ATAR is a number (percentile rank) between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a students' position relative to all the students in their age group.
"We are thrilled at how well these students adapted to the new system," Head of Senior Studies, Matt Armstrong said.
"Even a year disrupted through Covid-19 was not a deterrent for these young adults to give their best. Thirty-four per cent of our students received an ATAR of 90+ with three students obtaining a 99+ ATAR. A further 68 per cent received an ATAR of 80+ which is a very strong result." Good Shepherd's success continued with 70 per cent receiving an offer for their first preference course and institution and a further 11 per cent receiving an offer for their second preference.
A very diverse range of courses were selected including Business I Business Management I Commerce, Law, Psychology, Engineering, Biomedicine and even Paramedic Science.
Good Shepherd Principal Anthony Dyer said, "81 per cent of offers are for our graduates' first or second preference. The high ATAR results achieved by the Class of 2020 continue the history of graduating Year 12s achieving excellent results .. We look forward to hearing of the next steps of the Class of 2020."
In addition to these terrific results, the College was also delighted to hear that Class of 2020 Dux Cole Suter, Grete Gawthorn and Zoe Wing were also acknowledged by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority with a Certificate of Academic Commendation for achieving an A result in all six of their subjects.
This is a phenomenal effort, and a true reflection of the hard work and time effort in these students have invested into their senior studies.
The current cohort of Year 12 students at Good Shepherd have made a strong start to the year and will certainly be inspired by the achievements of the Class of 2020.
Noosa Today
