ATARtools › Subjects › Legal Studies
Legal Studies: scaling 2026, assessment & grade cut-offs
official VTAC & VCAA data · 2026 forecastA raw study score of 40 in Legal Studies scaled to 40.0 in the 2025 VTAC report, and is forecast to scale to about 39.9 in 2026. Legal Studies scales close to the raw score; at a raw 40 its scaling has risen by 1.0 points since 2022. The 2025 mean study score was 28.6.
Legal Studies scaling: raw to scaled study scoreOfficial VTAC scaling reports 2022–2025, plus the 2026 forecast (a recency-weighted blend of the last six reports).
| Raw study score | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| 45 | 45.0 | 45.0 | 45.0 | 45.0 | 45.0 |
| 40 | 39.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 39.9 |
| 35 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 34.0 |
| 30 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 |
| 25 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 |
| 20 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 18.0 | 17.5 |
Scaled scores between VTAC's published anchor points are interpolated. See every subject's scaling curve and the method and accuracy.
How Legal Studies is assessedDefault weights from the VCAA study design; the calculator lets you edit them.
| Assessment | Type | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 SACs | school-assessed | 25% |
| Unit 4 SACs | school-assessed | 25% |
| End-of-year exam | external | 50% |
Legal Studies grade cut-offs 2026: forecastThe lowest mark each grade starts at, forecast from the last three years' official VCAA cut-offs. Typical error is shown as "likely ±".
Coursework Unit 3 school-assessed · out of 100 · forecast state average 69%
| A+ | A | B+ | B | C+ | C | D+ | D | E+ | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 forecast | 89 | 82 | 75 | 67 | 59 | 51 | 39 | 20 | 13 | 9 |
| likely ± | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| 2025 actual | 89 | 82 | 75 | 67 | 59 | 51 | 39 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| 2024 actual | 89 | 82 | 75 | 67 | 59 | 51 | 39 | 21 | 14 | 10 |
| 2023 actual | 90 | 83 | 75 | 66 | 57 | 48 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 5 |
Coursework Unit 4 school-assessed · out of 100 · forecast state average 65%
| A+ | A | B+ | B | C+ | C | D+ | D | E+ | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 forecast | 86 | 76 | 65 | 55 | 44 | 32 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 |
| likely ± | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| 2025 actual | 86 | 76 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 32 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| 2024 actual | 86 | 76 | 66 | 55 | 45 | 33 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| 2023 actual | 86 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 | 29 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 5 |
Written Examination external · out of 160 · forecast state average 53%
| A+ | A | B+ | B | C+ | C | D+ | D | E+ | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 forecast | 123 | 112 | 103 | 92 | 79 | 66 | 52 | 38 | 23 | 15 |
| likely ± | 5.0 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 2.9 |
| 2025 actual | 122 | 112 | 103 | 92 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 39 | 25 | 15 |
| 2024 actual | 127 | 116 | 106 | 95 | 82 | 69 | 54 | 39 | 23 | 16 |
| 2023 actual | 117 | 107 | 98 | 86 | 72 | 58 | 43 | 30 | 18 | 13 |
Cut-offs change every year with how hard the assessment is, so a harder paper can move every grade together. See the full 2025 grade distribution for Legal Studies →
About Legal Studies
The Victorian legal system in action: rights, criminal and civil justice, law reform and the courtroom.
- Natural fit before law/criminology
- Content connects to real cases
- Essay skills lighter than English — structured answers win
Typical time commitment: 3–5 hours a week outside class.
Legal Studies questions
What does a study score of 40 in Legal Studies scale to?
In the 2025 VTAC scaling report a raw 40 in Legal Studies scaled to 40.0. ATARtools forecasts about 39.9 for 2026, from a recency-weighted blend of the last six reports. Treat it as a guide: VTAC publishes the real 2026 numbers in December.
Is Legal Studies scaled up or down?
Legal Studies scales close to the raw score. In 2025 a raw 30 scaled to 28.0, a raw 40 to 40.0 and a raw 45 to 45.0. For 2026 the forecast is 28.0, 39.9 and 45.0. At a raw 40, scaling has risen by 1.0 points since 2022.
What mark do I need for an A+ in the Legal Studies Written Examination?
We forecast the 2026 A+ cut-off at about 123 out of 160 (likely ±5.0 marks) and an A from about 112. For reference the A+ cut-off was 122 in 2025, 127 in 2024 and 117 in 2023. The forecast is the recency-weighted average of the last three years' official cut-offs.
How is Legal Studies assessed?
Unit 3 SACs (25%), Unit 4 SACs (25%), End-of-year exam (50%). School-assessed marks are statistically moderated against the external exam results, then the study score is scaled by VTAC for the ATAR.