How TCE Year 12 assessment works: internal ratings, external exams and awards (2027)
In TASC Level 3 and 4 courses your teacher rates you on every criterion across the year, and some criteria (marked with an asterisk in the course document) are also assessed externally by TASC, mostly through written exams. TASC combines both sets of ratings into your award, and the largest proportion comes from internal assessment. 2027 written exams run from Monday 8 to Thursday 18 November 2027.
How are TCE courses assessed?
Every TASC course lists a set of criteria (for example, "use differential calculus in the study of functions"). For each criterion your teacher gives you a rating:
- A, B or C against the standards in the course document
- t if you show some achievement below the C standard
- z if you provide no evidence of achievement
Your teacher decides these from your class tasks, tests, assignments and folios. The number and type of internal assessments depend on the course and are listed on its TASC course page under Work Requirements.
What is external assessment?
In Level 3 and 4 courses, some criteria are also assessed by TASC. Depending on the course, external assessment can be a:
- written exam
- oral exam
- practical assessment
- performance or display
- folio or project
For example, Mathematics Methods Level 4 (the version delivered in 2025) had a three-hour written exam assessing five of its eight criteria. Your course document lists which criteria are external and links the External Assessment Specifications.
TASC's external markers are current or former Tasmanian teachers. Papers are de-identified and split between several markers, folios are double or panel marked, and a TASC Assessment Panel reviews borderline results.
How do internal and external ratings become an award?
TASC combines your internal and external ratings into one award: EA, HA, CA, SA, PA or LA. Each course document sets the minimum mix of ratings for each award under Award Requirements. In Mathematics Methods Level 4, for example, the award came from 13 ratings (8 internal, 5 external), and an SA needed 11 C ratings including 3 from the external assessment.
TASC says that even in courses with external assessment, the largest proportion of the overall award comes from internal assessment by your teacher. Every class task matters, not just November.
How is internal assessment kept fair?
Schools delivering Level 3 and 4 courses take part in TASC's quality assurance. In the Mathematics Methods course document, TASC describes giving schools feedback about any systematic differences between their internal and external ratings, seeking more evidence through audit where needed, and requiring corrective action. TASC can also run scheduled audits of a course.
When are the 2027 exams?
| Event | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| Term 1 (government schools) | 4 February to 9 April |
| Term 4 (government schools) | 11 October to 16 December |
| TASC written exam period | Monday 8 to Thursday 18 November |
| Folio, practical, oral and performance assessments | To be announced on TASC's key dates page (in 2026 these ran from September to November) |
| Results release | To be announced by TASC |
TASC publishes full external assessment timetables before each exam period, and you get a personal Notice of External Assessment. Colleges set their own finishing dates and non-government school term dates may differ, so check with your school.
What counts towards my ATAR?
Your ATAR is built from your best scaled results in Level 3 and 4 courses where you get SA or better, worth 60 to 75 points (each course is worth 15 points), plus eligible University of Tasmania HAP and UCP units. Since 2025 those results can come from any two years of senior secondary study, so a strong Level 3 result from Year 11 still counts. You also need to achieve the TCE and at least four Level 3 or 4 courses at SA or better.
Full details: how the Tasmanian ATAR is calculated and choosing courses with scaling in mind.
Is anything changing for 2027?
We have not found a TASC announcement of rule changes to Level 3 and 4 assessment for 2027. Courses are reaccredited on their own cycles, and TASC warns that older papers may not match current requirements. Before Term 1, open the current course document for each of your subjects on the TASC website and check the version number, the criteria, the award requirements and the External Assessment Specifications.
Print the criteria and the A-rating standards for each course and keep them at the front of your folder. They are exactly what your teacher and the external markers use.
Where to go next
- Study by criterion on the subject hubs: Mathematics Methods, English, Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
- See each subject's exam page, for example Mathematics Methods exam or Biology exam, and the TCE exams overview.
- Read the Methods criteria 4 to 8 deep dive.
- Set up your year with a summer study system, then decide when to start past papers. The hub is starting Year 12 in 2027.
Sources & how we know this
- Understanding assessment — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
- Preparing for exams — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
- Save the date: 2026 and 2027 exams — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
- FAQs about student results — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
- Mathematics Methods Level 4 (MTM415117) course document — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
- ATAR calculation from 2025 — Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) (2026)
Last updated: 2026-09-28. Rules change. For the official source see TASC.