The SACE Board has the following recognition arrangements for students who successfully undertake International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) courses: 

Recognition is granted for up to 130 credits towards the SACE. Recognition is not granted against Activating Identities and Futures or Research Project (Stage 2) or the compulsory element of 60 credits at Stage 2.

Stage 2 recognition will be granted against the equivalent SACE Board subject. If a student undertakes both a SACE Board Stage 2 subject and university studies in the same area of study, only the SACE Board-accredited subject will gain credits towards the SACE.

Recognition is granted for courses completed at Stage 2 on receipt of documentation issued by the IBO describing the student’s achievement levels (i.e. a grade 1 to 7) in particular subjects. This documentation must be sent to the SACE Board by the school. The SACE Board then recalculates the student’s university aggregate and reissues the student’s SACE Record of Achievement.

The two-step process involves:

• Step 1: Applying for recognition for students intending to use eligible IB credits towards their SACE Stage 2, using Form 12 on or before the commencement of their studies.   
• Step 2: Submitting the documentation issued by the IBO describing the student’s achievement levels (i.e. a grade 1 to 7) with Form 12 on successful completion of the IB studies.  

Recognition is granted for courses completed at Stage 1 on receipt of school reports describing the student’s achievement levels (i.e. a grade 1 to 7). This documentation must be verified and quality assured by the principal of the school offering the IBDP course.

A student who completes a full-year IBDP course is eligible to apply for up to 110 credits at Stage 1 (70 credits, plus 20 credits for meeting the literacy requirement, 10 credits for meeting the numeracy requirement, and 10 credits for Exploring Identities and Futures). Recognition for the Exploring Identities and Futures is granted if a full-year Stage 1 equivalent program has been completed or a student begins Stage 1 studies in second semester. A student who transfers to the SACE at the end of one semester of the equivalent of Stage 1 study is eligible for 50 credits.

For any individual Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL) course (e.g. Chemistry Standard Level or Chemistry Higher Level), students can gain a maximum of 40 credits: 20 credits at Stage 1 and 20 credits at Stage 2. 

Recognition at Stage 1 is granted for students who gain a grade of 3 (out of 7) or better in the SL or HL course. Recognition at Stage 2 is granted for students who gain a grade of 4 (out of 7) or better in the SL course or a grade of 3 (out of 7) or better in the HL course. 

Recognition towards the SACE is available for partial completion of an IBDP course (SL or HL). Students who exit from an IBDP course at the end of the first 60 hours of teaching/instruction time (or first semester) or 120 hours of teaching/instruction time (or second semester) will be granted 10 or 20 credits at Stage 1, respectively. SACE credits will be granted at Stage 1 if students demonstrate that they received a grade of 3 (out of 7) or better for the SL or HL course, on the basis of assessment evidence, as verified and quality assured by the principal of the school offering the IBDP course. 

The SACE Board reserves the right to audit the evidence of achievements, for the purposes of granting recognition towards the SACE, at these exit points (first 60 hours and 120 hours). 

There is no partial recognition beyond the first 120 hours of teaching time. Students are required to complete the SL or HL course to gain SACE credits beyond the first 120 hours of teaching time. To gain SACE credits at Stage 2, the students will need to provide evidence from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) of the level of their achievements in the SL or HL course. 

Students who successfully undertake IBDP English A: Language and Literature (HL or SL) or English B (HL or SL) can count this achievement towards the SACE literacy requirement. Refer to 3, 4, and 5 above for a description of how SACE credits will be applied. 

Students who successfully undertake IBDP Mathematical Studies (SL), Mathematics (HL or SL), or Further Mathematics (HL), can count this achievement towards the SACE numeracy requirement. Refer to 3, 4, and 5 above for a description of how SACE credits will be applied. 

At Stage 2, if a student undertakes both a SACE Board-accredited subject and an IBDP course in the same area of study [e.g. SACE Board-accredited Biology and IBDP Biology (HL or SL)], only the SACE Board-accredited subject will gain credits towards the SACE. 

Students who gain a C grade or better for the IBDP Theory of Knowledge course will gain 10 credits at Stage 2. 

A student may apply for recognition of learning for one or more of the IBDP central requirements — Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service — through the SACE Board’s community learning provisions (self-directed learning). That is, students seeking recognition for one or more of these learning experiences are required to provide evidence of their learning and attend an interview with SACE Board assessors to present and discuss their achievements. SACE credits can be gained for this community learning at Stage 1.