Welcome
Bula & welcome to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) program for students in Year 11 and Year 12. This academic journey is charted by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS), based in Canberra, Australia.Australia. Students at International School Suva (ISS) who undertake the ACT program can choose to study a tertiary package, which makes them eligible to receive an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). The ATAR rank serves as a guiding star, illuminating the path to universities across Australia and New Zealand.
In the ACT curriculum, students have the freedom to navigate a vast ocean of subjects, choosing courses that align with their future aspirations. With no predetermined route, students are free to select their courses based on their interests and academic goals. All subject courses delivered at ISS are approved and accredited by the BSSS in Canberra. Subjects are taught as units per semester, enabling students to either complete a major consisting of 3.5 or 4 units or a minor made up of 2 units. Students must complete either 4 majors and 1 minor or 3 majors and 3 minors to finish the program accumulating a minimum of 20 units, 18 of which must be tertiary units. All assessments are school based, that is, they are internally designed by teachers in line with the framework set by the BSSS.
Subject Choices
Students at ISS typically study five or six subjects, with English Mathematics and a second language as compulsory courses. All academic courses at ISS are classified as tertiary (T) courses, signifying their suitability for preparing students for further studies. Beyond the academic horizon, the school offers Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) programs, categorised as Registered (R) courses, which provide opportunities for personal development, recreation, and community service. The courses which we offer are the following:
Biology T
Business T
Chemistry T
Continuing Chinese & Advance Chinese T
Drama T
Economics T
English T
Mathematical Applications T
Mathematical Methods T
Specialist Mathematics T
Modern History T
Music T
Outdoor Education T
Physics T
Earth and Environmental Science T
Beginning Spanish T
Visual Art T
English as Additional Language T (EAL)
Global Studies T
Assessment
Assessments in the ACT program are crafted by the ISS educators, following the framework provided by the BSSS. At the end of each semester, the academic anchors are dropped as ISS teachers present student portfolios for moderation meetings with the BSSS team. This ensures that the tides of grading and assessment remain consistent across all subjects and schools. While students won’t face external subject-specific exams, those pursuing the tertiary package will undertake the ACT Scaling Test (AST) in September of Year 12. This test, designed to measure higher-order thinking, helps chart the course for ATAR calculation by comparing scores within and across schools.
Please note if students do not complete more than 70% of their tasks per unit OR are absent from class for more than 10% of the timetabled classes per semester OR both, they risk being voided from those units. Once students have voided a unit, they cannot gain credit for that unit.
Upon successfully completing their studies, students are awarded two significant certificates, serving as the treasures of their academic voyage:
- The ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and Record of Achievement – This certificate chronicles the years of attendance, detailing the units and grades achieved at ISS.
- The Tertiary Entrance Statement – This statement reveals the top three majors and the fourth best major or minor, essential for ATAR calculation.
For more information about the ACT Senior Secondary System, visit the BSSS website – BSSS Information for Students.