A summer study system before SACE Stage 2 (December 2026 to January 2027)

How the SACE year actually runs

Most students study Stage 1 in Year 11 and Stage 2 in Year 12. Stage 2 work is spread across the whole year: school-assessed tasks (70%) from early in the year, then external assessment (30%), with most written exams in November. That shape rewards steady work over a final sprint, so the summer's job is to make steady work easy.

Two things to check with your school before summer ends:

• Activating Identities and Futures (AIF) can be completed in Year 11 or Year 12. Find out whether yours is done or still to come.
• Whether any Stage 2 work starts early. Some schools set holiday reading or preliminary tasks. Your teachers' instructions come first; everything below fits around them.

For how the 70/30 split and moderation work, see how SACE Stage 2 assessment works.

Step 1: set up your notes by the subject outline

Each Stage 2 subject has a subject outline from the SACE Board, listing the content and the assessment types. Download it from your subject's page on the SACE website and build your notes around it:

1. One folder (or notebook section) per subject.
2. Inside, one page per topic or key idea, in the outline's order.
3. A separate section per assessment type, such as a folio, skills and applications tasks or an investigation, with the task sheet and the performance standards it's marked against.

Our subject hubs follow the same structure, with syllabus pages you can use as a checklist: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematical Methods, Psychology and English.

Step 2: a weekly routine you can keep

A simple template for January, which scales up once term starts:

Use Today for your daily list so you're not deciding what to do each time you sit down.

Step 3: active recall and spaced review

The idea is simple: test yourself instead of rereading, and come back to material at growing gaps.

• Flashcards. Start a deck per subject in flashcards, for example SACE Biology, SACE Chemistry or SACE Mathematical Methods. Review a few cards daily rather than a lot once a week.
• Quizzes and guides. Try a short quiz after reading a topic, such as the SACE Psychology exam strategy quiz, and use subject guides like Biology guides.
• Blank-page summaries. Close your notes and write what you remember, then fill the gaps in a different colour. The gaps are your next study list.

For more techniques, see study routines that actually work.

What should I actually do this summer?

A realistic checklist:

• Download all your Stage 2 subject outlines and the latest subject assessment advice.
• Set up folders or a notes app by topic and assessment type.
• Put known 2027 dates (as your school releases them) into the planner.
• Make 20 to 30 flashcards per subject from the first topic.
• Work out how the ATAR is built from your subjects with the SACE ATAR calculator and how the SACE ATAR is calculated.

Don't skip rest

Year 12 is long. Take a real break after Year 11 finishes, keep sleep and exercise steady, and treat the summer routine as light. If stress is already building, read exam stress and mental health and talk to someone early.

Back to the series: starting Year 12 in 2027.