Information Sheet 4/17
ELIGIBILITY FOR ENROLMENT GUIDELINES
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
This information sheet advises schools of the eligibility policy for students enrolling in Stage 1
and Stage 2 English as an Additional Language.
English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the SACE is designed for students who speak English as
an additional language or dialect, and whose English language proficiency is restricted.
Eligibility must be determined for students studying in Australia who wish to enrol in:
 Stage 1 English as an Additional Language
 Stage 2 English as an Additional Language.
PROCEDURE
In order to enrol in EAL, a student must be determined eligible based on the criteria. Students should
apply to their school principal/principal’s delegate using Form 6.
Eligibility is determined by the EAL teacher and verified by the principal/principal’s delegate of the
teaching school of the subject. To be deemed eligible for a subject, a student must meet the eligibility
criteria for the subject at the time of enrolment in the subject.
The principal/principal’s delegate should advise each student of the outcome of his or her application
in writing, by providing a signed copy of the application form.
Where eligibility is not easily determined, the school may seek policy advice from the SACE Board.
Completed Eligibility for Enrolment forms (Form 6) for 2017 must be submitted to, and verified by, the
principal/principal’s delegate before the student is enrolled in the subject. Schools are responsible for
collecting and verifying documentation in order to support the application. Appropriate documentation
may include examples of student work used to assess the student’s English language proficiency.
Completed Eligibility for Enrolment forms and any supporting documentation should be kept at the
school. This information may be requested by the SACE Board for auditing purposes.
The enrolment of a student in EAL via Schools Online is deemed confirmation that the
principal/principal’s delegate has verified that the student meets the eligibility criteria.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
A student is eligible to enrol in EAL if he or she is a student for whom English is an additional
language or dialect, and who has had:

no more than 5 years of full-time schooling where the medium of instruction was English
or

more than 5 years of full-time schooling where the medium of instruction was English, and whose
English language proficiency is restricted or who is resident and studying in an overseas country
where English is not the primary or official language.
Page 1 of 3
Information Sheet 4/17
APPLICATION FOR ELIGIBILITY
Stage 1
All students studying in Australia who want to enrol in Stage 1 EAL must apply for eligibility to enrol.
Stage 2
Students who applied for eligibility and were deemed eligible to enrol in Stage 1 EAL are automatically
eligible to enrol in Stage 2 EAL.
Students who did not apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 1 EAL, or who applied but were not deemed
eligible, may apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 2 EAL.
Students studying in Australia must apply for eligibility to enrol in Stage 2 EAL if they are entering the
SACE at Stage 2.
EAL ELIGIBILITY
*Students operating above Level 11 in Stage 1 and above Level 12 in Stage 2, according to the levels
defined in English as an additional language or dialect program: Language and literacy levels
(DECD 2016), are not deemed eligible to enrol in Stage 1 or Stage 2 EAL.
APPEAL PROCESS
Students who believe that their application for eligibility to enrol in EAL has been inappropriately
assessed by the school may appeal in writing to the SACE Board.
Page 2 of 3
Information Sheet 4/17
BREACH OF RULES
It is a breach of the rules if students provide incorrect, misleading, or incomplete information in support
of their eligibility application. Such students may be withdrawn from the subject or have their result in
the subject removed from official SACE Board records.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on eligibility to enrol in EAL, contact the relevant SACE Officer.
Page 3 of 3