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The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)[1] is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia.
The SACE Board of South Australia (formerly known as the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, or SSABSA) administrates the certificate. The SACE Board of South Australia is an independent statutory authority of the South Australian Government accredited under ISO 9001:2008.
The SACE curriculum is also taught in Northern Territory secondary schools, where it is known as the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET). The South Australian Matriculation (SAM) certificate is a qualification based on the SACE curriculum which is administered by the SACE Board of South Australia and taught in some schools in Malaysia and China.
To receive the SACE, students must gain 200 credits from a range of subjects, usually over two years. Twenty credits is equal to a full year subject, while 10 credits is equal to a semester long subject. There are two stages: Stage 1, which most students do in Year 11, and Stage 2, which most students do in Year 12.
Students may attain a partial SACE certification by gaining the minimum number of credits, yet bypassing the ATAR system. This approach does not guarantee an entry to university, however, a student may gain admittance via alternative pathways such as first attending TAFE then transferring to university, or by sitting an entry exam.