WACE French Second Language ATAR

A student who intends to enrol in a WACE Language course can only do so with approval from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. Students complete an Application for permission to enrol in a WACE Language course through the student portal while in Year 10, or as Year 9 gifted and talented/accelerated language students, and their school endorses it through SRMS. The Authority determines each student's enrolment status case by case.

The student portal opens for Year 10 students to submit a Language application from Monday, 22 June 2026. Submission dates are Wednesday, 29 July 2026 (or earlier where the school starts the 2027 school year in Term 4, 2026) and Friday, 28 August 2026 (or earlier where the school starts in Term 1, 2027). Applications for new Year 11 and Year 12 2027 enrolments open in late January 2027.

SCSA lists both a written examination and a practical (oral) examination for this course, and publishes a written examination front cover, a practical preparation booklet front cover, practical (oral) examination requirements and a practical (oral) marking key. Past examination materials include the examination paper, marking key, recording transcript and audio tracks. Check the current year's documents for the precise structure and weighting.

SCSA publishes separate syllabuses: the ATAR Year 11 syllabus is for teaching from 2026, and the ATAR Year 12 syllabus is for teaching from 2024. A Year 12 syllabus for teaching from 2027 has also been published but is not yet in force. Always study from the syllabus that applies to your cohort's year.

A Year 12 ATAR syllabus for teaching from 2027 has been published, and What's changing documents on general capabilities and on rationale and aims were also released. These are not the current syllabus for students already in the course. The Authority is also reviewing the ATAR syllabuses, so confirm which version applies to you before planning study.

Start with the syllabus for your year to map content and skills, then work through the sample course outline and sample assessment outline to see task types. Use the sample assessment tasks for practice, and for the oral component read the practical examination requirements and marking key so you know what is rewarded. Finish with past examinations, using the recording transcript and audio tracks to practise listening under timed conditions.

The practical (oral) examination requirements and marking key are published, so read them closely and note the criteria before practising. Record yourself answering likely questions, then review against the marking key. Build fluency with regular short speaking sessions rather than last-minute memorisation, and practise understanding follow-up questions, since oral examinations typically reward interaction rather than a rehearsed script.

Studying only from past papers without checking the current syllabus, ignoring the published marking keys, and treating the oral as a memorised monologue are frequent errors. Another is missing the Language application deadline, since enrolment requires Authority approval. Also confirm you are using the syllabus version that applies to your cohort, as SCSA has published documents for future years.

Use the SCSA French: Second Language page for syllabuses, support materials and examination materials. Course enquiries can go to the listed French: Second Language contact, and practical examination enquiries to the listed practical examination contact. For enrolment matters, see the SCSA WACE Language applications information and the student portal. Always check the website for the latest version of any document.