International Baccalaureate (IB) Studies

This information is provided to assist students who are completing the IB and intend to apply through QTAC for a tertiary place and is applicable to both IB Diplomas and Bilingual Diplomas.

How do IB students apply for tertiary entry?

If you are completing the IB at an Australian school, your school will provide you with a unique application number that will allow you to apply via QTAC’s Twelve to Tertiary (TTT) online application service.  This unique application number is different to your IB candidate number, and the format will be three letters followed by three numbers, eg ABC123.  

If you are completing the IB at a school outside Australia, you apply via QTAC’s Apply by Web (ABW) online application service or using the form in the QTAC Guide.

Do I need to provide QTAC with my IB results?

QTAC is able to obtain your IB results directly from the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) if the B2 form has been submitted to the IBO nominating QTAC as a recipient of your results.  You should check with the IB coordinator at your school to determine if your school is able to submit the B2 form electronically via IBNET on your behalf.

In the absence of the B2 form authorisation, you will need to provide QTAC with a certified copy of your IB results transcript as soon as this becomes available.

You are strongly encouraged to arrange for QTAC to obtain your results directly from the IBO to ensure these are received in time for QTAC’s major round of offers.  This is particularly important if you are sitting your IB examinations in the November 2008 session as results are not expected to become available until early January 2009.

How is my selection rank calculated?

Across Australia, a common national measure of Year 12 student achievement is used in the tertiary selection process.  Expressed in a scale extending from 99.95 (highest) down to 30.00, this common national measure is called the UAI in NSW and ACT, the ENTER in Victoria, and the TER in all other states and territories of Australia.

From 2007, the score out of 45 from the completed IB Diploma is expressed in this common national measure.  Termed the ‘Combined Rank’, the following table shows the common national measures to be assigned to each of the IB scores attainable in a completed 2008 IB Diploma:

IB Score in Completed Diploma (2008)	2008 Combined Rank	Estimated QTAC Rank based on 2007 conversions
45	99.95	99
44	99.90	99
43	99.80	99
42	99.65	99
41	99.30	99
40	98.85	98
39	98.25	98
38	97.60	97
37	96.70	96
36	95.45	95
35	94.20	94
34	92.90	93
33	91.40	91
32	89.50	90
31	87.35	88
30	84.50	85
29	81.85	83
28	79.95	81
27	77.75	79
26	75.35	76
25	72.65	74
24	69.40	71

For tertiary entrance purposes in Queensland, these common national measures of achievement (UAI, ENTER, TER and Combined Rank for IB students) are converted to a QTAC rank on a 99 (highest) to 1 scale. 

How do I find out what selection rank I have been given?

The approved table converting 2008 measures of achievement to QTAC rank will become available in December 2008 and will be available on this website. 

Following the release of QTAC's major round of offers in January, you can contact QTAC Information Services to find out your QTAC selection rank.

Tables for previous years are below:

IB Diplomas completed in 2006 and earlier

IB Diplomas completed in 2007

Do IB subjects satisfy prerequisites?

Subject prerequisites are specified in terms of Queensland Studies Authority subjects studied as part of Queensland Senior which have been undertaken over a duration of study (ie 4 semesters of study) to a satisfactory level of achievement (ie 'Sound Achievement'). For example, most Bachelor of Education courses will have English (4, SA) specified as the subject prerequisite.

A list of IB subjects deemed comparable to Queensland Studies Authority subjects is shown in the table below:

IB Subjects comparable to QSA subjects

IB Subject Title	IB Subject Level*	Comparable to Queensland Authority Subject
Ancient History	SL	Ancient History
Biology	HL or SL	Biology
Chemistry	HL or SL	Chemistry
Chinese A1, Chinese A2, Chinese B, Chinese Studies	HL or SL	Chinese
Dance	SL	Dance
Drama	SL	Drama
Economics	HL or SL	Economics
English A1, English A2, English B	HL or SL	English
French A1, French A2, French AB, French B	HL or SL	French
Geography	HL or SL	Geography
German A1, German A2, German AB, German B	HL or SL	German
History (Africa, America, East and South East Asia and Oceania, Europe, South Asia and the Middle East)	HL or SL	Modern History
Indonesian A1, Indonesian AB, Indonesian B	HL or SL	Indonesian
Italian A1, Italian A2, Italian AB, Italian B	HL or SL	Italian
Japanese A1, Japanese A2, Japanese AB, Japanese B	HL or SL	Japanese
Mandarin B, Mandarin AB	HL or SL	Chinese
Mathematical Studies	SL	Maths A
Mathematics	HL	Maths B or Maths C
Mathematics	SL	Maths B
Music, Music Group Performance, Music Solo Performance	HL or SL	Music
Physics	HL or SL	Physics
Russian A1, Russian A2, Russian AB, Russian B	HL or SL	Russian
Social and Cultural Anthropology, Social Studies	HL or SL	Study of Society
Spanish A1, Spanish A2, Spanish AB, Spanish B	HL or SL	Spanish
Vietnamese A1, Vietnamese B	HL or SL	Vietnamese
Visual Arts, Visual Arts A, Visual Arts B	HL or SL	Art

The following subjects are currently under review:  Computer Science (HL/SL), Further Mathematics (SL), ITGS (HL/SL).

In terms of duration of study and level of achievement, the following are required from IB subjects:

Standard Level or Higher Level are both deemed to satisfy the 4 semesters requirement. A subject result of 4 or better is required to satisfy the Sound Achievement requirement.

What if I do not satisfy the requirements to be awarded the IB Diploma and am awarded an IB Certificate? 

QTAC will calculate a rank by analogy using the approved guidelines for OP ineligible students.  However, a minimum of five subjects (at either HL or SL level) will be required.

What if I am completing one or two IB subjects in conjunction with a regular Australian Year 12 program of study ie Queensland Senior, NSW HSC etc?

QTAC will not be able to calculate a rank from less than five IB subjects, however, the IB subjects you complete can be used to satisfy subject prerequisites if you attain grades of 4 or better.

What if I am completing both an IB Diploma and another secondary qualification ie Queensland Senior, USA High School Diploma, etc?

Please ensure that details of both qualifications are included in your QTAC application.  QTAC will calculate a rank from both qualifications, and the highest rank attained is expected to be used in the tertiary selection process.  Subject prerequisites can be satisfied using either of the secondary qualifications.

 

 

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