The ATAR subjects being abandoned in WA (and the ones that are skyrocketing)
December 23, 2024
Original Article:
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Niche year 12 ATAR courses are gaining popularity in Western Australia, while core subjects including all levels of mathematics are declining.
But one course has bucked the trend.
The number of students choosing to sit the gruelling final exams across the state has been declining, with just over 28 per cent of all year 12s participating in ATAR in 2023 – the lowest rate nationally.
But some less mainstream ATAR subjects, including aviation, Chinese as a second language and business management and enterprise, have recorded a growth in students sitting their final exams when compared to the data from 2018.
In comparison, numbers in more traditional subjects have taken a dive. There are nearly 30 per cent fewer students enrolling in geography, 27 per cent fewer in modern history, and 25 per cent fewer in human biology.
Physical education studies and religion and life are another two courses with higher enrolment numbers which have taken a hit – both by around 34 per cent.
But the course to break the mould is literature. The only mainstream subject to increase its enrolments for ATAR exams across WA, with a growth of 6.6 per cent since 2018.
Before 2018, the numbers enrolling had been declining.
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