Subject Selection Guide For Year 10 Students

Choosing what to study is a challenging but important decision to make. Many students find it overwhelming and it can be hard to find good advice. In this post, we break down the best way to approach subject selection for Year 10.

The subject selection process for year 10

Year 10 students should consider these questions when selecting their Year 11 subjects.

Step 1: Choose your university course preference

Entry into university courses requires an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The ATAR is a rank that allows us to compare all students’ academic performance in their HSC courses. It is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05. Universities use this to assess candidates’ suitability for different courses.

Read more: All About ATAR and Scaling

Listed below are the minimum ATAR results needed for domestic applicants for acceptance into some popular and sought after university courses in 2021. For each course, we’ve also included the assumed knowledge. Students who do not satisfy the assumed knowledge requirements may need to undertake a bridging course prior to the commencement of their degree.

University of New South Wales

 University of Sydney

Macquarie University

University of Technology

* ATAR + additional selection criteria

Step 3: Do your strengths align with the recommended subjects?

During Years 9 & 10, English, Maths and Science were mandatory subjects. Students may have taken other subjects such as History, Geography and Languages in Year 9 or 10. This was designed to help Year 10 students discover their strengths and weaknesses in various subjects.

But how do I identify my strengths?

Asking your teacher for their opinion on your strengths in various subjects may be one of the most accurate ways of determining which subjects you should study further in Year 11.

For example, if you are struggling in Year 10 Maths Advanced (Stage 5.3), then you may be advised to consider Year 11 Maths Advanced rather than Year 11 Maths Extension 1. This may be a problem if you want to study a university course with Maths Ext 1 as assumed knowledge:

• Bachelor of Actuarial Studies at UNSW has an assumed knowledge of Maths Extension 1 and recommended subjects of English Advanced and Maths Ext 2
• Bachelor of Actuarial Studies at Macquarie University has an assumed knowledge of Maths Extension 1 (Band E4) of Maths Ext 2

Step 4: Do you like these subjects?

Often we hear Year 10 students say ‘I don’t like science so I don’t want to study Chemistry in Year 11.’ When we talk to these students to learn more about why, it’s mainly due to their bad learning experience with their school teacher. Parents should help their children understand whether they really dislike the subject or if there are other factors involved.

Learn more about getting into university!

Case study 1: Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine at UNSW

Students aspiring to study Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine at UNSW are assessed on the following criteria:

• ATAR
• UCAT (To learn about the UCAT, read our UCAT guide)
• Interview (To learn what to expect in an interview read My Medicine Interview Experience At UNSW, Monash, Adelaide and UWS)

The requirements of this course are listed below.

Source: UAC Website 

Case study 2: Bachelor of Science (Advanced)/Doctor of Medicine at the University of Sydney

Students aspiring to study Bachelor of Science (Advanced)/Doctor of Medicine at Sydney University require an ATAR of 99.95.

Requirements of this course are listed below.

Source: UAC Website

Read more: 

• • How Matrix student Rohan achieved 99.95 and got into Medicine at Sydney University.

Case study 3: Bachelor of Law (Combined Law degrees)

Requirements of Bachelor of Combined Law at Sydney University are listed below.

Source: UAC Website

Requirements of Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Law at UNSW Australia are listed below. 

Students in 2021 required a minimum LAT score of 92.9

Source: UAC Website

To learn more about how to choose the right subjects for Year 11, attend a free Matrix Subject Selection Seminar for Year 10 students.

Case study 4: Bachelor of Commerce

Requirements of Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW Australia are listed below.