The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is Queensland’s senior secondary schooling qualification. It is internationally recognised and provides evidence of senior schooling achievements. To be issued with a QCE, students need to complete the set amount of learning, at the set standard, in a set pattern, while meeting literacy and numeracy requirements.

For General and Applied subjects, students accrue one QCE Point for each unit they satisfactorily pass in Year 11 (Units 1 and 2) and two bundled QCE points if they pass Units 3 and 4 at the end of Year 12. Students start accruing QCE points in Year 11 and therefore it is important they are enrolled in subjects in which they can succeed from the commencement of Year 11. Students require 20 credits to be eligible to receive a QCE.

Completed Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate II qualifications contribute 4 credits towards a QCE. Certificate III and IV qualifications generally contribute 8 credits, although some contribute fewer. Students can accrue QCE points for partially completed Certificates; the number of credits awarded is dependent on the proportion of competencies completed in increments of 25%.