When do IGNITE test results and offers come?
Independent. Not affiliated with the SA Department for Education, ACER or any IGNITE school.
Last round, IGNITE results came by email within nine to ten weeks of the test1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published and offers came early to mid Term 2, possibly in two rounds2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published. For Year 7 in 2028, the test is on 20 February 20273Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published.
When do IGNITE results come?
Results come within nine to ten weeks of the test1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published, going by last round. The Heights says results come by email; families shouldn't contact the school or ACER about them1The Heights · 13 October 2026 · Published.
20 February 20273Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published
The IGNITE assessment
Papers go to ACER for marking. 3Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published
within nine to ten weeks of the test1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
Results by email
Going by last round.
early to mid Term 2, possibly in two rounds2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
Offers from the schools
Going by last round. 2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
Who sends the results?
ACER marks the papers, and the school tells you. For its HAST tests, ACER sends results to the school, which then contacts you4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
So wait for the school's email rather than calling about results.
What can you do while you wait?
Use the weeks well, and keep your child's other plans moving.
Note the window: results came within nine to ten weeks of the test1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published last round.
Check the inbox you registered with, including the spam folder.
Keep your child's usual high school enrolment going in parallel.
Calling the school or ACER about results. 1The Heights · 13 October 2026 · Published
What do IGNITE results show?
The IGNITE schools' pages say results come by email. ACER describes its HAST Individual Student Report like this, so use it as a guide to what you may see.
Compared with whom
Your child is compared with other students of a similar age who sat the same test4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Percentile ranks
Each standardised score becomes a percentile rank4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
The total
The total is not the sub-test scores added together4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
One morning
A result is a snapshot of performance on the day of the test4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Why might it be lower than NAPLAN?
Because the comparison group is different. ACER says HAST compares your child with a different group of students from NAPLAN's4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Most children who sit a selection test like it are in the top 20 per cent of students nationwide4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published. A middle result in that group can still be strong.
What can't the report tell you?
It shows where your child sat in the group, not why an offer did or didn't come. ACER's report gives an arrow for each sub-test and one overall4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A school may weigh particular parts of the results, such as a strong maths result rather than a strong overall one4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published, so the total isn't the whole story. One morning can also go badly, for reasons such as illness, anxiety or other distractions4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
How are IGNITE offers made?
Each school selects from ACER results. The Heights selects at most 601The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published a year, and Glenunga's and Aberfoyle Park's numbers are not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published.
ACER marks the papers
They are marked by ACER in Melbourne3Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Results by email
Last round, within nine to ten weeks of the test1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Offers
Last round, early to mid Term 2, possibly in two rounds2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published.
The waiting list
If no offer is made, a child may be offered a place on the waiting list2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published.
ACER notes that a school's criteria may not rest entirely on the test results4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published. The Heights says its IGNITE selection is based on ACER results. 1The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
Does living in zone matter?
It can, because each school sets its own rule. The Heights limits its out-of-zone IGNITE places, and Aberfoyle Park's statement covers who can apply rather than who gets an offer.
How do you accept an IGNITE offer?
Follow the steps in the school's offer email. How and by when to reply is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published on the IGNITE schools' pages, so read the email closely and note any reply date.
What does a waiting list place mean?
It means a place may still come, but none is promised. 2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published Last round, offers came early to mid Term 2, possibly in two rounds2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published.
How the list is ordered, and how long it stays open, is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published. Ask the school's IGNITE team what to expect.
What score does my child need?
No one can tell you. A score needed for an offer is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published, and places are limited at each school.
Can you appeal or ask for feedback?
Not through any published process: an appeal or review for IGNITE is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published. Questions about a result go to the school, which got it from ACER. 4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published Its IGNITE team may explain the report, but may not say more.
What happens next for families like ours?
Four common outcomes, with what the official rules say and where they stop.
An offer from your school
Your child is offered a place at the school where they sat.
The offer comes from the school, which sets out the next steps. 4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published
A place on the waiting list
No offer came in the first round, but your child is on the waiting list.
Last round, offers came early to mid Term 2, possibly in two rounds2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published, so a second round may follow. 2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
No offer, but strong school reports
Your child does well at school and in NAPLAN, but got no offer.
ACER says a result is a snapshot of performance on the day of the test4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published, and the group is mostly in the top 20 per cent of students nationwide4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
An offer at The Heights, from out of zone
You live outside The Heights' zone, and your child gets an IGNITE offer there.
IGNITE students get a place in or out of zone, up to 402The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published places.
How does IGNITE fit with your usual Year 7 place?
The two run side by side, so keep both going. The Department's State-wide Transition Process for Year 7 typically begins in Term 2, with a Registration of Interest form6Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Published. IGNITE offers also came in Term 2 last round. 2The Heights · 12 October 2026 · Published
If your child is at a government primary school, the information comes directly from your child's government primary school6Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Published. Others find it on the Department for Education website6Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Last round, Adelaide Botanic's enrolment page said parents should lodge the form by late May7Adelaide Botanic · 13 October 2026 · Published. That may be before you hear about IGNITE, so don't let it lapse. Ask your primary school how an IGNITE offer fits with it.
What if there is no offer?
Missing out is common, because places are few and the group is strong. It isn't a verdict on your child.
Your child can't sit IGNITE again: the rule is one school, one sitting3Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published. Keep the focus on high school going well wherever your child starts.
How do you talk with your child about it?
Start with how they feel, then talk about effort. ACER says it is natural to be disappointed4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published when a child isn't selected, especially one used to high marks.
ACER also says the test is meant to stretch strong students, and missing out doesn't mean your child performed badly on the test4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published. Tell your child that, then turn to Year 7.
What other SA programs select students?
A few, each with its own process. Schools with an asterisk on the Department's list are allowed to select students by audition, test or interview8SA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, including music centres that take students by audition8SA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The list may not list every school or program8SA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, so ask each school.
What about STEM programs that use the HAST?
They run on their own timeline, which can close before IGNITE results come. Adelaide Botanic's Health and STEM pathway and Norwood International's STEM program both use the HAST. 9Adelaide Botanic · 15 October 2026 · Published 10Norwood · 12 October 2026 · Published
Last round, Adelaide Botanic's applications closed on 15 February 20269Adelaide Botanic · 12 October 2026 · Published. Its next dates are december 2026–February 20279Adelaide Botanic · 15 October 2026 · Published.
Questions parents ask about IGNITE results
Can my child sit IGNITE again next year?
No. The rule is one school, one sitting3Glenunga · 12 October 2026 · Published. Any way to join IGNITE in a later year is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published on the schools' pages, so ask the school's IGNITE team.
Can I ask ACER for the results?
No. The Heights asks families not to contact the school or ACER about results. For HAST, ACER sends results to the school, which then contacts you4ACER HAST parents · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Is there a pass mark?
Not that anyone has published. A score needed for an offer is not published3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Not published.
Who can I ask about an offer?
The school's IGNITE team: Glenunga at dl.0927.ignite@schools.sa.edu.au3Glenunga · 13 October 2026 · Published, The Heights at dl.1430.ignite@schools.sa.edu.au1The Heights · 13 October 2026 · Published, Aberfoyle Park at APHS.Ignite447@schools.sa.edu.au5Aberfoyle Park · 13 October 2026 · Published. We can't see any result or offer.