CYPEP Policy Bite 1: CHANGE FIVE THINGS: Young people discuss what needs to change in the transition from school

For Year 12 students, the last two years have been like no other. Pandemic shutdowns led to online delivery and other disruptions, placing additional pressures on what seems to be the most important year of many students’ lives. In August, for example, the annual general achievement test (GAT) for Victorian Year 12 students was rescheduled for a second time due to the state's sixth lockdown. Mission Australia found that students have been concerned about how their final assessments will take into consideration the challenges of lockdown learning. Some found the stress too much, completing their VCE without sitting final exams. Consequently, they are not given an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). But how important is the ATAR?