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Year 12s to graduate with fewer pass marks

Year 12s will be able to pass fewer subjects and still graduate from high school next year, triggering concerns that WA's education standards are being eroded.

The number of subjects students will have to pass will drop from eight to five after changes to WA Certificate of Education requirements come into effect next year.

Until now, students have had to achieve an average of at least eight C grades over 10 subjects across two years - with at least four of those subjects at Year 12 level - to get the certificate which is needed for graduation and university entry.

From next year they will have to achieve a C average across only five of at least 10 completed courses.

And under further changes being considered by the Curriculum Council, students will not have to pass courses at Year 12 level, except English. This has raised concerns that students who do well in Year 11 could fail most of their Year 12 courses and still graduate.

Curriculum Council chief executive David Wood confirmed students would be able to attain the WACE next year by achieving a C grade across 50 per cent of their study program, compared with 80 per cent previously.

But they would still have to complete the same number of courses.

"At the moment, the WACE requirements state the C grade average must include the last two units of three courses," he said. "These will usually be studied in Year 12.

"The Curriculum Council will consider this part of the WACE requirements at its meeting next week."

The Opposition said the changes would "lower the bar" on education standards.

"It's a way of being able to say that everybody's passing when perhaps students aren't tackling as strong a workload as they should at that age," shadow education minister Michelle Roberts said.

"The certificate is worthless unless it means something and employers and others can actually see that it's demonstrated that those graduating have skills in some core areas."

A State school teacher said teachers were angry that students who could have failed half their subjects were going out in the workforce.

Education Minister Liz Constable said Parliament amended the School Education Act in 2006 to give as many young people as possible the chance to complete Years 11 and 12 successfully.

"It is therefore entirely reasonable to create opportunities for school leavers to successfully graduate from high school," she said.

Students' results would show their grades, so employers or institutions would know what standards they had achieved.