IGNITE results explained: percentiles, school thresholds and next steps

An IGNITE result is only useful once you can read it — the raw score, the standardised score, the percentile and the stanine each say something different, and all of them are referenced to a high-ability cohort rather than to the general Year 6 population. This page from Braintree Coaching Australia sets out how the South Australian IGNITE assessment is scored, what each band typically signals, the working thresholds at the three IGNITE schools, when results are released, and the steps to take in the weeks after a result arrives. It pairs with our IGNITE program preparation hub and our IGNITE assessment format guide for the component-by-component detail. The figures below reference the 2025 sitting cycle.

How are IGNITE results scored?

IGNITE results are produced in four steps — raw marking, standardisation against a high-ability reference group, conversion to percentiles and stanines, and a per-component report sent to the receiving school. The HAST and the dedicated ACER IGNITE assessment are built, marked and reported by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), and the reporting structure is consistent across sittings.

1. Raw marking. Each multiple-choice component — Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning — is marked on the number of correct answers, with no penalty for incorrect answers. Written Expression is marked by trained ACER markers against a structured rubric.
2. Standardisation. Raw scores are converted to standardised scores for each component, calibrated against a high-ability reference cohort drawn from the students who sit the assessment — not the general year-level population. This is the single most important fact when reading an IGNITE result: the comparison group is already selective, so a mid-range result still reflects a strong performance against all children of the same age.
3. Percentile rank. Each standardised score maps to a percentile — the percentage of the high-ability reference group a candidate scored above. A 75th percentile means the child outperformed 75% of an already strong cohort.
4. Stanine. Percentiles are also reported as stanines, a 1-to-9 scale that groups results into nine bands. Stanines 7 to 9 are generally read as well above average for the reference group.

There is no single composite "IGNITE score" — ACER reports a per-component profile, and each school decides how to weight the components for its own selection process.

What percentile does each IGNITE school typically need?

The three IGNITE schools do not publish fixed cut-offs because the threshold moves annually with the strength of the applicant pool. The table below sets out the working pattern across the 2025 cycle. Treat these as guidance for planning, not guarantees, and confirm current criteria with the school directly.

School	Typical competitive percentile (2025)	Context
Glenunga International High School	88th–90th+ percentile	Largest cohort (~100 places) and the most contested IGNITE program; Year 5 entry is by principal recommendation.
The Heights School	85th–88th+ percentile	Selective intake of ~60 students; uses the dedicated ACER IGNITE assessment rather than HAST.
Aberfoyle Park High School	80th–85th+ percentile	More flexible intake with an integrated curriculum and a music-specialisation strand.

Two principles cut across all three schools. First, balanced performance beats a single peak — a 95/65/70/70 profile is typically less competitive than a 85/85/85/85 profile, because schools value a strong all-round result. Second, the assessment is one input alongside the application portfolio (school reports, supporting documents and, at Glenunga Year 5, principal recommendation), so a near-miss on percentile is not always a near-miss on the application.

How do the IGNITE schools set thresholds?

There is no single state-wide IGNITE pass mark — each school ranks its applicants against each other and offers the limited places to the highest-ranked candidates, so the effective threshold shifts each year with cohort size and strength. Because applications are administered through the ACER IGNITE portal and only one application is permitted per cycle, the percentile that wins a place at one school in one year may sit just below the line at the same school the next. The IGNITE programs sit inside the South Australian public system; for the policy framework and the official definition of the Special Interest schools, see the Department for Education, South Australia, which administers the programs. For preparation that targets the components schools weight most heavily, see our IGNITE preparation strategies.

When are IGNITE results released?

IGNITE results from the 2025 cycle were typically released about nine to ten weeks after the assessment date, commonly in May for assessments sat in late February and March. ACER marks and standardises the paper and reports the per-component profile to the receiving school, which then notifies families directly.

Stage	Timing	What happens
Assessment sitting	Assessment day	Child sits the paper-based ACER HAST or IGNITE assessment on the scheduled date.
Marking and standardisation	4–6 weeks after the sitting	ACER marks the paper and standardises scores against the high-ability reference group.
Report to school	~7–8 weeks after the sitting	ACER sends the per-component profile to the IGNITE school.
Family notification	~9–10 weeks after the sitting (commonly May)	The school notifies the family of the result and its admission decision.
Acceptance and enrolment	June	Family confirms acceptance inside the school's deadline; enrolment follows.

The exact timeline shifts year to year — confirm the dates in each school's application pack for the current sitting. The 2025 timeline above is representative.

What should we do after the result arrives?

The right next step depends on whether an offer is in hand, but two principles apply either way: read the full per-component report rather than a single percentile, and act inside the school's published deadlines.

If an offer is received. Accept inside the deadline — schools commonly allow until June, and a missed deadline is usually treated as a decline. If competing offers are held, decline the ones you will not take to free places for waitlisted families.

If no offer is received. Read the per-component report carefully first. A near-miss often reflects one weak component rather than a broad academic gap:

• Identify the limiting component. The standardised profile usually points to a single addressable cause — a pacing issue, a vocabulary gap in Reading Comprehension, or unfamiliarity with the Abstract Reasoning question types.
• Keep any reserve-list application open. Some IGNITE schools release reserve offers as accepted families decline. Movement is uncommon but happens, and staying on the list costs nothing.
• Consider another IGNITE school or a related program. South Australia also runs related Special Interest programs — STEM streams at Adelaide Botanic and Norwood Morialta, the Summit program at Unley, and the Astra program at Woodville — that use the same ACER assessment as separate applications. A child who narrowly missed one round can prepare for a later cycle, working from the IGNITE assessment format guide to target the limiting components.

Whether or not an offer arrives, the result is a snapshot against an already strong cohort, not a verdict on the child. Hold the decision against the cohort context of the year sat, confirm each school's policy directly, and use the per-component profile to plan the next step. To make sense of the same scoring scale from the national HAST family, our HAST results interpretation guide explains how scaled scores, percentiles and stanines map onto outcomes.

What does this mean for preparation?

Read the IGNITE result across all components, remember that the percentile is against a high-ability cohort rather than the general population, and act inside each school's published deadlines. If a child sat the 2025 assessment and is planning a reapplication, return to the IGNITE assessment format guide for the component-by-component structure and the IGNITE program FAQ for current administrative notes. The corresponding classroom programme is available through our IGNITE program preparation hub.